Talk:The Lion King (musical)/@comment-30875807-20190225000802

I wish they had The Lion King II on Broadway.

Plot

A few months after the events of the second act Rafiki gathers all the animals of the Pride Lands together for the presentation of King Simba and Queen Nala's new daughter Kiara. Mufasa's spirit proudly watches over the ceremony. Then all of sudden Timon and Pumbaa believe their relationship will be similar to their brotherhood with Simba. However, the duo realizes it won't be once Rafiki reveals the "little guy" is a girl. Meanwhile Rafiki paints an emblem of Kiara on the trunk of her tree, happily commenting on the security of the pride's future. Mufasa's spirit ruffles Rafiki's mane, stopping by to visit, and through this, the baboon discovers another cub while in her tree with help from Mufasa's spirit. First, she accuses Mufasa of breaking the circle, and then he sees the new cub as trouble. In the Outlands, Kovu sees no point in harming the insect, as it did nothing to him, and lets it go, to which Zira sees as weakness. She reaffirms that Scar took Kovu in and chose him as the next king, and then her mood elevates into rage upon realizing that they live in the "dry, pathetic, termite-infested Outlands." Later when Nuka and Vitani were finished spying in the Pride Lands. Vitani tells Zira the news of Simba's cub being a girl. Zira laughs winningly, commenting that the situation "couldn't be more perfect" and begins talking to Scar. When Vitani mentions Scar is dead to Nuka (who asked why Zira started talking to him even though he wasn't around), Zira's anger returns, and she blames Simba for Scar's death, stating that if it wasn't for him, she'd still be a queen by Scar's side. Nuka later requests that as the oldest, he should be king, but Zira snaps at him, reminding him that Kovu is the Chosen One, so he will be king, to which Nuka replies that he can work with that. After Nuka complies with his mother's vision, Zira climbs up on a rock point to gaze out over the Pride Lands with her children following her.

Months later, Simba becomes very overprotective of young Kiara, assigning Timon and Pumbaa to be her babysitters. One day, while they are arguing over their lunchtime, Kiara sneaks into the Outlands where she meets a young cub named Kovu. After escaping a river filled with crocodiles, the two become friends, but Simba and Kovu's mother, Zira quickly end their playtime. Zira claims that the Pride Lands belonged to Scar, and reminds Simba that he banished the Outsiders for supporting Scar, and notes that if he wants to punish them, Kovu is Scar's hand-chosen successor. Unwilling to harm the cub, Simba orders them to leave and later scolds Kiara for endangering herself. Furthermore, Simba lectures Kiara saying that he wants her to be careful when she is the future queen. In the Outlands, Zira's eldest son, Nuka, complains to his younger sister Vitani about Kovu's status as "the Chosen One". At that moment, Zira returns and rebukes both of her sons, but then decides that she can use Kovu's new friendship with Kiara to get her revenge against Simba.

A few years later, an adolescent Kiara heads out to do her first solo hunt. However, Simba is worried and fearful of his daughter unprotected and sends Timon and Pumbaa to watch her again, despite promising not to. Furious to find out her father has lied, Kiara decides to hunt away from the Pride Lands, though is still unsuccessful in her efforts. Nuka and Vitani set fire to the plains where Kiara is hunting, causing her to faint and give Kovu the chance to rescue her, as part of Zira's plan. Drawn by the smoke, Simba and Nala find them together and Simba reluctantly thanks Kovu for rescuing his daughter and allows him to come to Pride Rock, though he is ordered to sleep outside the den. That same night, Simba has a nightmare about his father's death, only in the dream, Scar morphs into Kovu and throws the panicked and frightened Simba off the cliff into the stampede. In the morning, he walks outside the den and yawns and stretches and goes to drink at a watering hole where Kovu contemplates attacking him. However, Kiara interrupts and they go off together so Kovu can help her learn to hunt. During the lesson, they run into Timon and Pumbaa struggling with some birds, so the two lions help them chase the birds off. Together, they have fun playing, something Kovu notes he has never experienced before. That night, Kovu tells Kiara that he is not Scar's real son, but "was a part of him". Simba, who is hesitant to trust the young Outlander around his daughter, seeks guidance from the "Great Kings" and Nala gently advises him to give Kovu a chance. Kovu decides to leave after trying to confess his real intentions, but Rafiki stops and invites the young lions to experience "Upendi". After a musical journey through the jungle, the two fall deeply in love. Then Simba finally warms up to Kovu and invites him into the den to sleep. Unbeknownst to them, Vitani overhears them and alerts Zira.

In the morning, Simba invites Kovu for a walk and tells him the true story of Scar, which Kovu had never heard before. However, their walk is interrupted by Zira and her pride. After Zira deceitfully praises Kovu for leading Simba away from his pride, Simba believes that Kovu had set him up and Kovu truthfully claims he had nothing to do with it. After a brief fight, Simba manages to escape by scaling a wall of logs in a gorge. In chasing after him, Nuka slips and is killed by falling logs. Zira blames Kovu for Nuka's death and swipes her claws across his face, leaving a scar across his eye identical to Scar's. Breaking from his mother, Kovu returns to the Pride Lands and begs the king for his forgiveness. Believing Kovu was behind the ambush, the wounded, shortsighted, and distrustful Simba exiles him and strictly orders Kiara to be confined in Pride Rock and forbids her to leave unescorted. Kiara is furious because her father refuses to listen to Kovu. Simba claims that Kovu is following in Scar's paw prints and that he must follow in Mufasa's, unknowingly he defied what his father wanted. Kiara angrily defies Simba, saying that, "HE WILL NEVER BE MUFASA!" horrifying and hurting him. Later that night, Mufasa begins to glare at Simba for treating his daughter like a child and for banishing Kovu without letting him explain what happened. Later she reunites with Kovu far from home.

Meanwhile, Zira leads her pride in a war against the Pride Lands, and a fierce fight breaks out. As Zira and Simba face off, Kovu and Kiara leap between them and Kiara tells her father that the fighting has to stop. She then tells him that the Outsiders are part of the pride, and she and her father peacefully nuzzle and reconcile. Zira refuses to stop fighting, but Vitani agrees with Kiara. Zira tells her daughter that she will die too if she will not fight, which turns the other Outlanders against her and they join Simba's side. Now alone, Zira leaps for Simba, but Kiara pushes her away and they fall over a cliff. Kiara safely lands on a rock, but Zira is sliding towards a storm-swollen river. Kiara offers to help, but Zira, like Scar, is unable to let go of her hate and falls to her death. Simba helps his daughter back up the cliff and allows the Outsiders, including Kovu, to return to the Pride Lands. Additionally, Kovu marries Kiara before joining her and her parents at the top of Pride Rock. Mufasa's spirit proudly watches over from among the stars and praises his son for his decision.