“It is time… time for the Lion Guard.”
1994’s The Lion King remains one of the great animated films of all time — so great, in fact, that it spawned two direct-to-video sequels, a TV spinoff and a Broadway musical, all with varying degrees of success. Now, Disney is offering an all-new animated special The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, which takes place after the original film and in the middle of its 1998 sequel The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. Thankfully, it looks like the franchise is back on track for a new generation.
In The Lion Guard — which will become an ongoing series in January — we meet Kion (voiced by Max Charles), the second-born cub of Simba and Nala. But while Kion’s older sister Kiara (Eden Riegel) is already in training to become the Queen of Pride Rock, Kion himself has yet to discover who he will grow up to be. That is until he unlocks the power of the Roar, which signifies that he is the new leader of the Lion Guard — sworn protectors of the Pride Lands.
Perhaps the most enticing part of the special is how it introduces new lore into the Lion King world while also shedding new light on old characters. As Simba explains to Kion, the previous Lion Guard was led by Scar, who, as it turns out, also possessed the power of the Roar. But when the Guard refused to help Scar overthrow his older brother Mufasa, Scar used the Roar to destroy them and, in doing so, lost the Roar completely. In other words, the Roar is basically the Force of the Lion King universe; it can be used for both good and evil.
Right off the bat, it’s cool to see the special pay tribute to the original Lion King. In addition to incorporating Scar and Mufasa into the history of the Lion Guard, the series features fan-favorite characters like Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki and Zazu. Though most of the original voice cast is missing from this series, it does include plenty of A-listers: Rob Lowe as Simba, Gabrielle Union as Nala and Ernie Sabella reprising his role as Pumbaa. But the showstopper here is James Earl Jones, who returns to voice the booming spirit of Mufasa in a small but pivotal role. That’s not to mention the little references to the movies, like Timon and Pumbaa’s bug-eating habits and Kion’s mention of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” which he and his family call “the talk.”
Remember who you are…
As for the new characters, well, they’re definitely aimed at a younger audience — particularly Kion’s honey badger buddy Bunga (Joshua Rush), whose wacky antics are grating from the start. Meanwhile, the series’ main villain, a teenage hyena named Janja (Andrew Kishino), doesn’t pose nearly the same threat as, say, Scar or Zira; mainly, he just gets laughed out by his henchmen while various insects crawl all over him.
However, it’s important to note that The Lion Guard is an original project from Disney Channel’s sister network Disney Junior, which means the series is mostly aimed at children. Obviously, I can’t speak to how much a kid will enjoy The Lion Guard — I suspect quite a lot — but I doubt that most adults will want to go out of their way to tune in week to week.
Meet the new Lion Guard.
But in terms of the special, I’d say it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a longtime fan of The Lion King. For television, the art direction here is gorgeous, and the hand-drawn line quality definitely lends a sense of nostalgia (despite the occasional CG element or Flash-looking animation). The special also includes three original songs (composed by Beau Black), which are both catchy and very much in keeping with Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the original film.
As a followup to The Lion King, Disney Junior’s The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar is a fun-filled, if younger-skewing, hour of television. All the classic characters and locations are here, including some of the original talent, and the art direction and music is solid. There’s even some interesting history to the eponymous Lion Guard that fleshes out characters like Mufasa and Scar. That said, some of the new characters don’t quite jibe with the classic feel of the 1994 movie, and the special lacks a compelling villain — although young kids will likely still enjoy the special.
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar premieres Sunday, November 22 at 7pm ET/PT on Disney Channel, and will be available on the WATCH Disney Channel and WATCH Disney Junior apps the following day.
