Nala is the deuteragonist of Disney's 2019 remake of The Lion King.
She is based on the character of the same name from the 1994 animated film,
Background[]
Personality[]
As a cub, Nala was as carefree and playful as her best friend, Simba. Like Simba, she was disgusted by the idea of marrying him as an adult. Quite proud, Nala does not like to feel belittled. However, she was more inclined to caution than Simba, sensing right away that the Elephant Graveyard was not a safe place.
As a adult, Nala proved devoted to her Pride, though she was skeptical of Sarabi's choice to remain in a fading Pride Lands because it was their home, leading Nala to attempt to find help elsewhere on her own. When she reunited with Simba, she was happy to know he was alive all this time, but although she would develop romantic feelings for him later, she was very disappointed by Simba's refusal to return to the Pride Lands to assume his rightful place as king. However, Nala's hopes were rekindled when Simba eventually chose to return to the Pride Lands. Facing Scar, she confidently asserted that his reign was over, rallying the lionesses to Simba. As she grew up, Nala also became much braver, confronting Shenzi, whom she was once afraid of as her cub.
Physical Appearance[]
Nala is a lioness with tawny-yellow fur and olive eyes, as well as a muscular and slender physical build. As a cub, her fur was lighter except for her darker front and hind limbs, a trait that has not persisted with age.
Appearances[]
The Lion King (2019)[]
When Simba learns that the Elephant Graveyard can only be entered by adult lions, he meets Nala for the first time where her mother Sarafina gives her a bath. During bath time, Simba asks Nala to take her to the water hole, to which Sarabi agrees as it is a safe place for cubs but only if the two have Zazu to protect them. As Zazu takes the cubs to the water hole, he reveals that the two will soon be married, to which Simba and Nala become disgusted, but their advisor explains that a marriage cannot be broken as it is a tradition. The two manage to lose Zazu when they race among a large herd of animals as the two end up in the Elephant Graveyard. When Simba takes the risk of being a brave lion by exploring the area, Nala then suggests that they return home before Mufasa arrives.
Meanwhile, in the Elephant Graveyard, Nala feels concerned about Simba because entering one of the areas in the wasteland could be a trap instead of feeling curious to know what's inside in the animated version. Nala and Simba encounter Shenzi and her clan, who prepare to eat the two cubs as they escape through many tunnels where the whole hyena clan surrounds them. Mufasa then rescues Simba and his best friend Nala by fighting off the whole clan as Mufasa takes the two cubs home.
After Simba gets banished from the Pride Lands after Mufasa's death, Nala and the other lionesses are seen grieving over the loss of Mufasa and Simba as Scar allows the hyenas to enter Pride Rock while Sarafina tells her daughter to stay safe from the hyenas. Years later, Scar becomes the new king of the Pride Lands as the area becomes deserted due to his tyranny; impatient and restless, Nala plans to leave the deserted kingdom, but Sarabi tells her to defend the kingdom as well as get used to Pride Rock with Scar as the new king. Shenzi then arrives at the conversation and takes Sarabi to talk to Scar, to which Sarabi is not afraid to talk to him much to Nala's worry; Sarabi discovers that Scar is overhunting and destroying the Circle of Life just as Sarabi rejects his offer to become his queen while Scar gives a new plan that the hyenas eat first before the lions. That night, Nala plans to escape Pride Rock without getting caught by Scar, just as Zazu warns Nala to stay at Pride Rock before Sarabi gets upset for disobeying her. Nala then spots Scar, who notices Nala leaving Pride Rock just as he commands the hyenas to search for Nala or any other lion who attempts to leave Pride Rock under his rule. Zazu distracts Scar and the hyenas to help Nala to leave the Pride Lands just as Sarabi worriedly watches Nala leave their home, thinking Nala is leaving Pride Rock to abandon the lions' home just as Nala leaves Pride Rock and ends up in the jungle.
Unlike the original, she has no direct interaction with Timon and Pumbaa except when she tries to eat them before being stopped by Simba, in which she and Simba fall in love together, making Timon and Pumbaa very sad that Simba spends more time with Nala instead of the duo. Afterward, Nala urges Simba to return to the Pride Lands because Scar is ruling over it, to which Simba refuses, and during an argument, she decides to go back to Pride Rock by herself because Simba would not listen to her. Afterward, Simba feels upset about himself after arguing with Nala.
Instead of following Simba with Timon and Pumbaa to Pride Lands (the scene where Nala tells Timon and Pumbaa about Simba's return to the Pride Lands explained by Rafiki in the original version was also omitted), she chose to leave the oasis when Simba first refused to return all alone. However, when Simba changed his mind because of Mufasa's advice, he joined her when she came out of the jungle, and the two are going back together. Nala and the other Pridelanders are then seen during the final battle, leading the lionesses to prepare for battle. Nala has more lines during the final battle in this remake, whereas in this original film, her last words were "Simba!" when she notices Simba about to fall into a pool of fire. When Scar tells the Pridelanders that Simba wants to kill Scar as he thinks Simba is evil, Nala and the other Pridelanders overhear this as Scar summons the hyenas to kill Simba and all the other Pridelanders. The hyenas plan on attacking him as Nala commands the other lionesses to attack and save Simba.
During the final battle against Scar and the hyenas, she spots Shenzi (a scene not in the animated version). Remembering how Shenzi almost ate her and Simba in their first encounter, Nala accepts Shenzi's challenge as she exclaims that she's not a cub anymore. Despite Shenzi being helped by some of her clan members, Nala is able to overpower all of them. Afterward, the battle against Scar was successful as Scar gets eaten alive, ending his tyranny.
With Scar gone, Nala and the other Pridelanders are proud that Simba's battle against Scar was successful as Simba becomes the new king. Sometime later, Simba and Nala give birth to a new cub, where Rafiki shows the newborn lion to all the animals.
Mufasa: The Lion King[]
Far from Pride Rock, Nala is pregnant. So she stops at a small cave in the jungle to rest her large pregnant belly, waiting patiently for Simba to join her to give birth to their second cub. She reappeared at the end of the film, returning to Pride Rock and introducing her daughter Kiara to her new little brother, Kion.
Trivia[]
- A noticeable difference from the original is that the moment Nala left Pride Rock is seen and she seems to have a deep rivalry with Shenzi due to their first encounter; this scene was not in the original animated version.
- Nala and Simba's models were inspired by real-life lions named "Kamari" and "Dakari" at the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom respectively.[2]
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
_Nala_cub.png "The Lion King (2019 film) Nala cub.png (1.15 MB)")
.png "Nala (2019).png (1.17 MB)")
_(29).png "The Lion King (2019 film) (29).png (2.48 MB)")
Miscellaneous[]
_-_Nala_2.jpg "The Lion King (2019) - Nala 2.jpg (3.87 MB)")
_-_Nala.jpg "The Lion King (2019) - Nala.jpg (3.85 MB)")
_-_Beyonc%C3%A9_Knowles-Carter_with_Nala.jpg "The Lion King (2019) - Beyoncé Knowles-Carter with Nala.jpg (395 KB)")
_-_JD_McCray_and_Shahadi_Wright_Joseph_with_Young_Simba_and_Young_Nala.jpg "The Lion King (2019) - JD McCray and Shahadi Wright Joseph with Young Simba and Young Nala.jpg (361 KB)")
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Full The Lion King Live Cast Announced". IGN (November 1, 2017).
- ↑ "Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lions Who Inspired The Lion King Remake Retiring". WDW News Today (November 11, 2024).
External links[]
|
This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from the The Lion King Wiki. The list of authors can be seen in the page revision history (view authors). As with Disney Wiki, the text of The Lion King Wiki is available under the CC-by-SA Free Documentation License. |
