Sarafina is a minor character in Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. She is the mother of Nala, and the maternal grandmother of Kion and Kiara.
Background[]
Sarafina is a minor character in the film, making few appearances and having only one spoken line.
Little of her past is known, though she mated with an unnamed lion with whom she had a daughter named Nala. However, as Nala is stated to be betrothed to Simba as part of a long-standing tradition, she would have presumably agreed to the betrothal at some point.
Physical appearance[]
Sarafina bears a striking resemblance to her daughter Nala, appearing as a slightly darker cream-colored lioness. However, she is less flexible than Nala and has a more robust build like Sarabi's. Her eyes are naturally green, and she has a reddish-pink snout. The insides of her ears are a light brown color, and the tuft of her tail is dark brown. Her muzzle and underside are a lighter shade of cream than the rest of her body, and, like her daughter, her paws aren't colored lighter.
Appearances[]
The Lion King[]
Sarafina is first seen sleeping with the other lionesses inside Pride Rock with Nala in her paws as Simba arrives to wake up Mufasa.
She is then seen later that day bathing Nala while visiting Sarabi. When Nala asks for permission to accompany Simba to the watering hole, she asks Sarabi for her opinion. When Sarabi gives her permission, Sarafina agrees and allows the two cubs to go.
She later appears along with Sarabi, Nala, Zazu, and the rest of the pride mourning as Scar tells them that both Mufasa and Simba had perished in a stampede. Sarafina and the pride watch in terror as Scar allow hyenas into the Pride Lands after becoming King. After that, she makes no further appearances. Therefore, her further fate is unknown. Though it is very likely that she helped Simba, Sarabi and Nala fight Scar and the hyenas as well as attending the presentation of Simba and Nala's cub.
The Lion King (2019)[]
Sarafina appears in the remake of the film voiced by Penny Johnson Jerald. Although she is called Sarafina in this film, her name was spelled as "Serafina" in the remake's novelization while her name was spelled as "Sarafina" in the end credits. Sarafina has more than one speaking line in this remake whereas, in the animated version, she only has one speaking line in the entire movie.
Sarafina first appears when Sarabi gives Simba a bath, where she gives her daughter Nala a bath. Sarafina allows her daughter to play with Simba after a bath, but Simba's mother says they need Zazu to help protect the cubs from danger. Sarafina is later seen among the other lionesses mourning during Scar giving a message to the Pride Lands that Mufasa and Simba died together in a wildebeest stampede, allowing the hyena clan to inhabit the Pride Lands while Sarafina tells her daughter to be safe from them. Like in the animated version, her further fate is unknown.
Printed media[]
The Lion King: Six New Adventures[]
Sarafina appears in the book Nala's Dare, which is part of The Lion King: Six New Adventures series. In the book, she, along with a dishonest young lion named Ni, rescue Nala and her friends Kula and Chumvi from hyenas. She later introduces Ni, who had been driven from his pride to the rest of the Pride Land lions.
Simba's Big Secret[]
After Nala goes missing, a worried Sarafina asks Simba if he has seen her. Not wanting to give away Nala's secret, Simba replies that he has never seen her.
However, after some persuading from Sarabi, Simba tells Sarafina that Nala went to a secret cave near the red cliffs. So, Sarafina, Simba, Sarabi, and the rest of the pride search for Nala and discover her trapped inside the cave. After being rescued, Nala goes to Sarafina and promises not to go anywhere without telling someone again.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Nala[]
Nala is Sarafina's daughter. Sarafina cares a lot about Nala. She bathes her and protects her from danger. When Simba wanted to go to the Watering Hole, she asks Sarabi what she thinks. When Scar tells them that Simba and Mufasa were gone, Sarafina comforts her daughter.
Simba[]
Simba is Sarafina's son-in-law. Sarafina knew Simba since he was a cub because he was friends with Nala. She was saddened when she believed that Simba perished in the stampede alongside Mufasa. Even though she made no further appearances, it is possible that Sarafina helped fight against Scar and his hyenas.
Friends[]
Sarabi[]
Sarafina and Sarabi are good friends. They always watch out for their cubs.
Zazu[]
Sarafina and Zazu are good friends. Sarafina asks Zazu to watch over her cub when she went to the Watering Hole.
Mufasa[]
Sarafina and Mufasa are good friends. Sarafina is part of his pride, although she is never seen interacting with him. She was saddened after hearing from Scar that Mufasa perished in the stampede. After Scar revealed that he killed Mufasa, it is possible that Sarafina participated in the battle of Pride Rock and helped Simba avenge Mufasa.
Timon and Pumbaa[]
It is possible that Sarafina is good friends with Timon and Pumbaa even though she never interacted with the two. The meerkat/warthog duo helped Simba defeat Scar and his hyenas.
Enemies[]
Scar[]
Sarafina hates Scar since he was an evil king. She was also mourning with the other lionesses after Scar claimed that both Mufasa and Simba perished in the stampede. She was shocked when after becoming King, Scar let hyenas into the Pride Lands. It is possible that Sarafina helped fight in the final battle against Scar and his hyenas after he revealed that he had killed Mufasa.
Trivia[]
- In the Broadway show in "Chow Down", Shenzi tells Banzai that Nala's mother (Sarafina) ate Banzai's father.
- In early drafts to The Lion King, Sarafina (besides having Nala) had a son named Mheetu.
- Sarafina's name is never said in the film, but the end credits reveal it.
- "Hmm. What do you think, Sarabi?", was Sarafina's only line in the entire film.
- Originally, Sarafina was named Naanda and designed to be Sarabi's younger sister. However, this would've created incest between Simba and Nala as maternal first cousins, so Sarafina was designed as Sarabi's friend, rather than sister, and Mufasa was no longer implied as her mate.
- She appears to resemble Nala as an adult, possessing the same eyes and a similarly colored body.
- Sarafina means "bright star" in Swahili (African language) and "seraphim" in Italian.
- Much like Sarabi, Sarafina does not return for the sequel and animated series. However, a lioness similar to her appears during her maternal granddaughter Kiara's first hunt, saying "My, how you've grown." Seeing as Sarabi was given no lines due to her voice actress' death—while Sarafina's actress, Zoe Leader, was alive at the time of the sequel's production—and the actress herself was known for providing voices, it's possible Sarafina made a brief appearance in the film. However, she does not return for the animated series as her voice actress passed away in 2015.
Gallery[]
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