- “This is my kingdom. If I don't fight for it, who will?”
- ―Simba to Nala as he returns to the Pride Lands
Simba is the protagonist of Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. The son of Mufasa and Sarabi, Simba was destined to rule the Pride Lands as king. When his father was murdered by his treacherous uncle, Scar, Simba was blamed for the murder and exiled from the Pride Lands. He finds refuge in a jungle oasis with Timon and Pumbaa, but the Pride Lands fall to disarray during his absence. With the kingdom in peril, Simba is forced to learn the truth of his troubled past and take his place in the "Circle of Life".
Upon entering adulthood, Simba marries his childhood best friend Nala and has two cubs named Kiara and Kion.
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Background[]
Physical appearance[]
Newborn Simba was very small with a large head. He had light spots on his head and body as newborn lions usually have. As a cub, Simba has "brownish-gold" fur, with a lighter cream color accenting his belly, muzzle, and paws. He has large, bright eyes with red irises and yellow scleras; his upper lids are a deep tawny. Additionally, he has a light pink nose and four black whiskers on either side of his muzzle, and the insides of his ears are tawny and rimmed with black. Young Simba boasts a small tuft of hair on top of his head and a short bushy tail. He has somewhat stocky proportions.
As an adolescent, Simba retains much of the appearance he had as a cub but is more slender. He has a mop of reddish-orange hair growing on the top of his head and partially down his neck; this is the early stage of his mane growing in. He also has some noticeable darker colorations on his body, such as a brownish point above his nose.
As a young adult, Simba is much larger and his body is muscular. His russet mane is now fully grown and covers the entirety of his neck and much of his back and his ears are barely seen. His eyes are smaller in relation to his head and are more oval-shaped. In Simba's Pride, now a full-grown adult, the colors of his pelt and mane are somewhat duller and he has a more aged look and a heavier build.
Personality[]
As a cub, Simba was quite adventurous, inquisitive, and impressionable. He highly admired his father, Mufasa, and wished to someday become a ruler as mighty as he, spending much of his time either learning the ways of a king or simply envisioning what life would be like with such power and self-esteem. This inflated his ego, making him brash and cocky towards characters such as Zazu and Scar, and additionally led to troublesome situations, as his viewpoint on Mufasa led him to believe being a king meant being fearless and looking for unnecessary danger, just to prove how mighty one could be. This would fall perfectly in line with the schemes of Scar, who plotted to kill Simba to increase his chances of becoming the ruler of the Pride Lands. Nevertheless, Simba was able to learn from his mistakes in the end, as his negative actions were primarily driven out of admiration for his father.
As a young adult, Simba's personality takes a shift, becoming more paranoid – a direct result of witnessing Mufasa's death. Because he believed his father's demise was ultimately his fault, Simba felt unworthy of ruling the throne, hinting at signs of insecurity and low self-esteem, in addition to becoming hesitant to ever face the truth of his past. It wasn't until he met and obtained guidance from the wise mandrill, Rafiki, (as well as encountering his father's spirit) that Simba would learn that the past is important, and should be looked to as a means to admit and learn from mistakes, but never as a reason or excuse for preventing one's self from moving forward in life. It also wasn't until Simba learned the truth of his father's demise, he was more confident and self-assured. In spite of this, Simba was also willing to partake in more easy-going hobbies, mainly as loafing around with Timon and Pumbaa. As seen during the original film and the midquel, Simba retained some of his childlike nature, being laid-back and fun-loving if given the chance.
Now as a full-grown adult and King of the Pride Lands, with a loving family, including a daughter and a son, Simba is no longer overly adventurous and outgoing, instead becoming humble and rather soft-spoken, even in the face of his family and closest friends. From the trauma of his father's tragic death, Simba also became anxious and overprotective, especially with his daughter, Kiara, as he feared the dangers that lurked within the Pride Lands, be they outright such as the hyenas were or hidden within the shadows, such as the true nature of Scar and those who worship him. He also looked back at his childhood with some sense of shame, as evidenced by his conversation with Nala early in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, in which he claimed that Kiara's adventurous and curious spirit worried him, as she mirrored his own as a cub, referring to the perils he endured during childhood. Despite this, he was not as overprotective of his son Kion as he was with Kiara, in spite of his son's initial immaturity and mischief. This was probably due to Kion not being similar to how he was as cub much, as well his leadership in the Lion Guard.
Simba was also shown to be a wise and respected ruler, much like Mufasa before him, as declared by Pua. He had to prejudice against those who retained loyalty to the dethroned Scar, but was willing to accept them eventually, as he followed the philosophy verbally showcased in "We Are One". However, despite being king, Simba knows that he has to respect the traditions of other animals, which was why he didn't interfere with Makuu and Pua's mashindano and accepted the former's victory.
Simba also likes to stick to tradition, which was why at first, he was terribly disappointed with Kion for putting other animals in the Lion Guard instead of other lions like the previous Lion Guards. However, after witnessing the new Lion Guard defeat hyenas, Simba accepts his son's choice and expresses pride for him.
Like his father, Simba is willing to jump into combat whenever it comes to rescuing his family and friends, even if it means putting his own life in danger. When he and Nala were being chased by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, he noticed Nala was starting to slip on a mountain of bones in the elephant graveyard and immediately ran down to assist her to climb back up for their escape. He swiped Shenzi across the face, leaving her with three scratch marks, much to her anger. Another example is when Timon and Pumbaa were being chased by a lioness, Simba quickly springs into action and battles the lioness until coming to the realization that he was battling Nala. Witnessing his uncle Scar verbally and physically abuse his mother Sarabi, Simba leapt to her defense in anger at his own family being harmed by his wicked uncle.
Simba sometimes doesn't initially listen to the advice he is given from his friends and family, showing he has to find out the hard way for himself over time. As time went on he got what his friends and family meant when he sees things for himself, shown when he finally understood the advice he was given from Timon and Pumbaa about letting go of the past back when he was cub after witnessing Zira not willing to let go of it herself, and tries to use the same advice to help her.
Despite his many commendable attributes, Simba can sometimes be arrogant, even towards those who know him well. He is also sometimes credulous (a trait he still possesses from his childhood) to the point of believing his enemies, evidenced by the fact that when Zira claims that Kovu led him into an ambush, however, in truth, the latter had no knowledge of the ambush as it wasn't initially part of Zira's plot, and was completely innocent.
Simba later developed a ferocious temper in his adulthood that he can quickly enter, experiencing frequent mood swings, and this temper frequently gets the better of him as he held a grudge against those who worship Scar or who he considers enemies, as seen when he did not give Kovu a chance to explain that he didn't see the ambush coming, thus had zero participation in it. Simba was so caught up with his grudge against the Outsiders that he had forgotten they are also lions just like him and his pride until he was reminded by Kiara that they are one which helped him see through his mistakes.
Realizing the error of his ways, Simba is finally able to put his tragic past and hatred of Scar behind him, remorsefully apologizing to Kovu and accepting him and the other Outsiders back into his pride. He even forgave Zira and offers her the chance to return to the Pride Lands peacefully, despite his intense hatred of her in the past and her previous attempts on his life, which she turns down due to being consumed by hatred and desire to avenge Scar, ultimately getting herself killed in a raging river. This shows that Simba is becoming more rational and wiser in his choices, thanks to his daughter's guidance.
Appearances[]
The Lion King[]
Baby Simba.
At the break of dawn, the royal couple Mufasa and Sarabi welcome the arrival of their newborn cub, Simba, and, at his birth, is presented to the kingdom as their future king. Rafiki, a wise mandrill who was an old friend of Mufasa, heads the ceremony, performing a ritual before presenting Simba.
Young Simba.
Months later, Simba grows up into a playful cub, with a rambunctious attitude. He grows excited about being king someday after Mufasa shows him the kingdom. Mufasa explains that Simba will one day rule over everything they can see, but warns Simba not to go to a shadowy area beyond the borders of the Pride Lands. Though Simba initially believes that being king is about getting to do whatever he wishes, Mufasa teaches him about the responsibilities of being royalty. Suddenly, Mufasa is alerted by Zazu of hyenas in the Pride Lands. Mufasa goes to deal with the situation and tells Zazu to take Simba home, much to the cub's disappointment.
After Simba returns home, he tells his uncle Scar about the trip. Taking advantage of the cub's naive nature, Scar tells Simba what the forbidden place is (tricking him into going there). It is in fact, the Elephant Graveyard, where only the bravest lions travel. Simba wants to prove himself brave, and Scar makes this their "little secret" and "tells" him to steer away from there.
Later that afternoon, Simba meets his best friend Nala, and they travel to the graveyard. Unbeknownst to them, Scar had planned on his hyena accomplices being there to kill the cubs, in an attempt to remove Simba from the line of succession so that Scar could become king. Having been found by Zazu after the hyenas had their fun shooting him out of a geyser, Mufasa saves the two cubs, foiling Scar's plan, but is disappointed in Simba for disobeying him. After sending Nala and Zazu back to Pride Rock, Mufasa lectures Simba on the line between bravery and bravado, and he forgives and forgets. Afterward, Simba asks if they will always be together, to which Mufasa responds by telling Simba about the Great Kings of the Past, who look down from the stars. Mufasa tells Simba if he ever feels alone, the Great Kings will always be there to guide him, and so will he.
Simba mourns over his father's death.
The next day, Scar tells Simba that his father has a surprise for him. Scar leaves him in a deep gorge, telling Simba that he will return with his father soon. The so-called "surprise" was another evil plot of Scar's, this time with the goal of killing both Simba and Mufasa. The hyenas drive a herd of wildebeest toward Simba, who climbs a frail tree to avoid the stampede. Lured there by Scar, Mufasa arrives and successfully saves Simba. Mufasa attempts to climb a sheer cliff to safety after securing Simba on a safe ledge, but near the top, Mufasa came upon Scar looking down on him and pleads for his brother's help. Instead, Scar throws him off after saying with an evil grin "Long live the king." However, this was unknown to Simba, who only watches his father fall to his death, much to his shock and horror. Mourning the loss of his father, the emotionally vulnerable Simba is later tricked by Scar into believing that Mufasa's death was his own fault (as Simba had practiced his roar on a lizard seconds before the stampede started, making it look like he accidentally frightened the wildebeests into the gorge) and his mother will be most ashamed of him for it. Scar tells Simba he must leave the kingdom and never return, before secretly sending the hyenas to kill him. However, Simba is able to escape by rolling down a big hill into a bed of thorn plants much too wide and dense for the hyenas to follow him through. The hyena trio gives up chasing him, while Simba continues running into a desert while they call out after him that they'll kill him if he ever returns to the Pride Lands, before returning to Scar and lying that Simba is dead (confident that, by logic, the cub will die in that desert anyway). With the deaths of his brother and supposedly his nephew, Scar explains to the pride that Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede and claims the throne as the new king.
Meanwhile, Simba runs far from home in the desert and eventually passes out from heat exhaustion. A flock of buzzards descend upon the cub and prepare to eat him, but a meerkat named Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa chase the buzzards away and find Simba's unconscious body. While Timon is fearful since, as a predator, Simba will eat them when he is older and bigger, Pumbaa convinces him Simba will not, instead he'll rather protect them, if they raise him. They take Simba to the edge of the jungle where Timon rehydrates him by splashing water in his face. When Simba regains consciousness, he thanks them for their help and they offer to let him stay with them, as Simba was an outcast like they were. Sympathetic to the despondent cub, they then teach Simba about their life in the jungle, and about their motto "Hakuna Matata", which means "no worries" and successfully cheer him up. Simba takes this to heart and, so he will not have to eat them, survives by eating bugs like they do. But they also teach him a very important life lesson, how to put your past behind you, which would become a key role later on in the young prince's life, as the concept went to his head at the time.
Young adult Simba.
After years of living an enjoyable easygoing life in the jungle, Simba has grown up into a fairly carefree young adult lion but is reminded of his father's death one night while he, Pumbaa, and Timon are stargazing. One day, Simba is called upon to save Pumbaa from a mysterious lioness, only for him to discover that the lioness is his childhood friend, Nala. Though Nala is happy, as Simba being alive means that Simba can become king, Simba is hesitant because he still feels guilt about Mufasa's death. After Simba and Nala spend time alone, they discover their friendship has blossomed into a romantic relationship. However, Nala tries to get Simba to return to the Pride Lands by telling him about how Scar's tyrannical rule has left the kingdom with no food or water due to his allowing the hyena clan to run rampant, but Simba still refuses. Only encounters with both Rafiki and the ghost of Mufasa are able to convince him to return, as Mufasa reminds him that he must accept his role in the Circle of Life while Rafiki afterwards demonstrates how you can either run from the past or learn from it when he hits him with his stick and Simba then avoids the second attempt.
Simba assumes his rightful place as king.
Simba returns to the Pride Lands, where he discovers that his childhood home has indeed become a barren wasteland under Scar's reign, with the herds having moved on due to the hyenas invading the Pride Lands and a severe drought creating a great lack of water. Simba heads to Pride Rock, with Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa by his side. While Timon and Pumbaa distract the hyenas and Nala rallies up the lionesses, Simba goes to find Scar. Simba reveals himself to his uncle after seeing Scar strike down Sarabi. Scar is fearful at first, mistaking Simba for Mufasa upon first seeing him, but is able to recognize Simba upon him identifying himself prompting Scar to give the hyenas a glare since they did not kill him like he ordered them to. Simba declares to Scar that the pressures of ruling the Pride Lands are no longer his and orders him to resign, but Scar claims that he can't because all of the hyenas think he's king. However, Nala arrives with the other lionesses and tells Scar that they thin otherwise and that Simba is the rightful king. Scar then forces Simba to admit guilt in Mufasa's death to the lionesses and backs him over the edge of Pride Rock, as a lightning strike causes a wildfire around the rock formation, and pierces Simba's paws with his claws (just like he did to Mufasa) before revealing that he himself killed Mufasa, not Simba. Enraged upon learning the truth and realizing that he'd been innocent all those years, Simba breaks free of Scar's grip, and pins him down, leaving Scar terrified for his life, and forces him to admit his treachery to the rest of the pride. Alongside the lionesses and his friends, Simba leads a subsequent battle against Scar and his hyenas. After a fight with Scar at the top of Pride Rock, Simba is able to flip his villainous uncle over the ledge. There, Scar is mauled to death and consumed by the hyenas as revenge for trying to pin the murder of Mufasa on them as well as his derogatory treatment and broken promises of more food. Simba watches Scar get mauled to death by the hyenas and yet does nothing to save him. With Scar overthrown and deceased, Simba ascends Pride Rock as the lionesses, Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu, and Rafiki watch on. With a roar, Simba ushers in his reign as king of the Pride Lands.
By the time the kingdom is restored to its former glory, Simba has taken his rightful place as king. He marries Nala and the two have their own cub, Kiara, who is presented to the kingdom in a similar manner to the beginning of the film.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride[]
Adult Simba in the sequel.
In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Simba has grown into a mature adult and he and Nala have a daughter named Kiara. Though a loving father, he is extremely concerned and over-protective of Kiara due to his life experiences as a cub. As Simba lets his daughter run along to play, Nala starts to tease him about Kiara's likeness to Simba when he was a cub. Simba admits this and points out how much trouble they get themselves into, to which Nala playfully pins him and teases him again by telling him he means the trouble he put them in. Simba chuckles at her words and she warmly nuzzles him. As she reassures that Kiara will be fine, Simba still sends Timon and Pumbaa to watch her. Unknown to Simba, Timon and Pumbaa begin to childishly quarrel about bugs and Kiara slips away from them unnoticed.
Kiara ends up crossing over into the Outlands, where she meets Kovu, an Outsider cub whose pride was exiled by Simba due to their loyalty to Scar. The two befriend each other until Simba leaps in to confront Zira, Kovu's mother and Scar's most loyal follower, who was watching the two cubs. Zira tries to goad him into killing Kovu, since the king threatened a penalty to any Outsider who trespasses on the Pride Lands, but Simba, disgusted that Zira would offer her son like this, spares him (also knowing that he can't call her bluff since she knows that he wouldn't hurt a cub). After the confrontation, Simba, disciplining her like his father had with him, scolds Kiara for endangering herself and explains to her that they "are one."
When Kiara is an adolescent, she heads out into the Pride Lands alone for her first hunt. Simba is worried for her safety and sends Timon and Pumbaa out to watch her again, breaking his promise. While Kiara runs away while hunting (after she catches Timon and Pumbaa following her), Simba paces nervously back and forth at Pride Rock. Zazu assures Simba that his daughter will be fine, but then Simba notices smoke from a wildfire and rallies the pride to go find Kiara. Kovu rescues her and asks to join the pride. Simba at first tries to send him away, citing his banishment alongside the other Outsiders. Nala and Zazu convince him to accept Kovu into the pride, reminding that Pride Lands law states that debts must be repaid and they owe Kovu for rescuing Kiara (though Zazu suggest that Simba might want to make an exception in this case). Simba agrees to his father's laws, but says he will place judgment on Kovu until he sees who he really is. When the pride returns to Pride Rock, he makes Kovu sleep outside the cave out of distrust.
That night, Simba later has a nightmare of him trying to save his father Mufasa from the stampede but is prevented from doing so by Scar, who morphs into Kovu and is thrown off the cliff himself to share Mufasa's fate. Unknown to Simba, Zira has secretly trained Kovu to infiltrate Simba's pride and kill Simba. Simba gradually begins to trust Kovu as Kiara and Kovu begin to fall in love. Soon this led to Kovu questioning his loyalty to the Outsiders.
Simba talks with Kovu.
After a while, Simba takes Kovu out for a walk and tells him the real story about Scar. However, Zira and the other Outsiders ambush Kovu and Simba while they are walking and talking, automatically reigniting Simba's distrust in Kovu, after Zira congratulates Kovu for leading him into the ambush, "just like they always planned," leading Simba to believe Zira and turns on him. Kovu truthfully tries to convince Simba that he had no role in the ambush, and even tries to protect Simba, but is knocked down by his sister Vitani. Simba is injured, but leaps up a river dam to safety, making a few logs fall on Kovu's brother Nuka, who tried to stop him from escaping and dies from his injuries. Kovu is blamed for his death, and Zira strikes Kovu with her claws and gives him a scar over his eye that resembles Scar's. He then flees to the Pride Lands in shame, with Zira telling her pride to let Kovu go and that Simba had "corrupted" him.
Kiara calls her father out on his actions.
Simba, still believing that Kovu had dark motives when he saved Kiara, exiles the lion after refusing to accept his apologies and silences his daughter, who realizes and knows that Kovu wasn't at fault for the ambush, when she requests her father to hear Kovu out. After her father banished Kovu, Kiara pleads with Simba to reconsider, but he only responds by banning Kiara from leaving Pride Rock alone again and claims that Kovu used her just to get to him. Kiara says that Kovu loves her for who she is, to which Simba argues by saying that it's because she's his daughter. Simba also says that Kovu is following Scar's paw prints, and that Simba himself must follow his father's, unaware that he was ironically going against his father's wishes. Fed up with Simba's stubborn attitude, Kiara declares that he will never be her grandfather, which frightens and hurts Simba deeply upon hearing his own daughter tell him in such a heart-wrenching way to stop trying to be like his father. Kiara runs back into the den afterwards in tears before Simba can recover to offer a rebuttal as Nala and the lionesses watch in shock and concern. With no other choice left, Simba turns to look back at the Pride Lands with a look of remorse and uncertainty on his face, as he begins to wonder if he was too hard on his daughter (and if maybe he isn't so different from Scar as he thought).
Later, during a rainstorm, Simba enters the cave and learns from a nervous Timon and Pumbaa that Kiara, who snuck out of Pride Rock to find Kovu, has run away, much to his disbelief and fury. However, despite being upset that his daughter left without anyone knowing, Simba comes to believe that it was his fault that Kiara ran away from the Pride Lands, essentially disowning him as her father because of what happened with Kovu and the Outsiders. Before Simba could go look for Kiara to apologize and bring her home, Zazu arrives and announces that the Outsiders have initiated a war. Simba heads out to fight with his lionesses, Timon, and Pumbaa while sending Zazu to find Kiara and bring her home safely. Before the battle begins, Simba, in earnest, offers Zira a final chance to surrender and leave in peace, which the lioness, determined to have Scar avenged, rejects. At this point, Simba leads the charge against the Outsiders.
Simba leads his pride against the Outsiders.
After a lengthy battle, Simba and Zira confront each other directly. Just as the two are about to clash, Kiara and Kovu leap into the middle of the confrontation. At first, Simba tells Kiara to step aside to allow their fight to continue, but his daughter tells him that the fighting needs to stop. After asking his daughter to stay out of the fight, Kiara reminds Simba of what he once told her when she was a cub: that they "are one", which includes the Outsiders and both prides are no different from each other. As Simba was about to protest, his daughter interrupted him and say the outsiders are lions like them. Simba was then asked by Kiara as to what differences does he see. After taking a good look of the Outsiders and the Pridelanders, Simba realized that Kiara is right. Simba then comes to realize what Timon and Pumbaa meant by letting go of the past as he now understands the advice his two friends gave him from when he was a cub. Also, Simba reconciles with Kiara as he embraced her.
The Outsiders, also seeing the wisdom in Kiara's words and realizing their leader's willingness to kill her own daughter for defecting (and at the same time, the truth about Scar), abandon Zira entirely and join the Pridelanders. Simba urges Zira to put the past behind her, so that peace may come between them for a better life (using the words Timon and Pumbaa once told him); however, she is too overcome with her hatred and worship of Scar to accept his understanding. Zira, infuriated, tries to leap at Simba when he is momentarily distracted as the dam breaks, only for Kiara to tackle to stop her. The two lionesses tumble into the gorge, which rapidly begins filling with water. Simba jumps down the cliff after them while Zira, despite Kiara's offers of aid, slips and falls to her death into the swirling torrents of the river below. Simba reaches Kiara and gives her his paw to help her back up the cliff.
After Simba and Kiara climb back up to safety, he apologizes to Kovu for banishing him out of spite as he accepts him and the other Outsiders back into the pride, finally trusting Kovu and that he truly loves Kiara. The two united prides head back to Pride Rock, where Rafiki affirms Kiara and Kovu are married. In celebration, Simba, Nala, Kiara, and Kovu walk up to the promontory of Pride Rock and roar out across the kingdom, along with the rest of the pride, the rest of the animals of the Pride Lands celebrating below. The disembodied voice of Mufasa then congratulates him warmly for his wise decision, his deep voice rumbling through the air. "Well done, my son. We are one."
The Lion King 1½[]
Teenage Simba with half a mane on his head in The Lion King 1½.
In the 2004 direct-to-video interquel The Lion King 1½, Simba appears as the tritagonist. He briefly appears in the movie's opening with the unveiling ceremony where the animals are bowing, although unknown to Mufasa or Rafiki, the real reason they were bowing is that Timon forced Pumbaa to fart in order to clear the crowd and they were trying as best as they could to block out the stench. More is revealed about Simba's life in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa after his exile.
Simba proves to be one chaotic cub, as he scales tall and dangerous trees and swims over waterfalls, not caring about the danger he is in and Timon's frantic efforts to keep him in line. He also has a tendency to wake up at night, thirsty or "needing to go" and in one scene, he mentions that he had a "bad dream", either about his father's death or getting killed in the stampede trying to get to safety, leading to him sleeping beside Timon and Pumbaa.
Later on, Simba has become a teen. He's a lot closer to Timon and Pumbaa. Simba has beaten Timon in every kind of bug-eating contest. One day he is challenged by Timon to a snail slurping contest. Simba manages to beat Timon once again after he belches after he slurps one last snail. The adolescent cub walks away from victoriously. Soon enough, he reunites with Nala, and while they are having a date, Timon and Pumbaa lie in the background attempting to break them up. Simba then leaves the next day to reclaim the throne and get help from Timon and Pumbaa. Before he reclaims the throne, he thanks Timon and Pumbaa; stating "I couldn't have done it without you guys." He is later shown visiting Pumbaa and the meerkats in their new home.
Timon & Pumbaa[]
Simba in The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa.
Simba makes occasional appearances in the Timon & Pumbaa animated TV series. This includes the direct-to-video film Around the World with Timon & Pumbaa, in which Timon drags him out to try to revive Pumbaa's lost memory. In the episode "Congo on Like This", Timon and Pumbaa (especially Timon) suspect that Simba may have reverted to his carnivorous nature, but the threat is soon established as a disguised wolf trying to lure Timon and Pumbaa away from Simba. The episode "Shake Your Djibouti" features Simba again where Timon and Pumbaa are forced to train Simba to protect them from a laboratory monster as they fear he has lost his edge, but Simba soon establishes that the 'monster' is actually friendly. In "Gabon with the Wind", he appears only as a cardboard cutout. He makes another pictured appearance in "Palm Beached" and appears in a water reflection in "Zazu's Off-by-One Day". Simba is also alluded to in "Doubt of Africa", as Timon, while telling Pumbaa that he doesn't see the point of helping out a widowed tigress if they don't get anything in return, says "Why don't we find a lion cub we can raise? Now that's an idea, he can be on our side", referencing the time they found Simba and raised him.
Another episode entitled "Rome Alone" sees Simba being captured by Romans, who force him into gladiatorial battle with another lion named Claudius when he refuses to eat Timon and Pumbaa, but he gets out of the battle when Claudius falls asleep before the fight after Timon and Pumbaa keep him up all night trying to bribe him to forfeit the contest. In the episode "Once Upon a Timon", Simba is implied by Zazu that while he is now king of Pride Rock, he still has his adjustments to the Hakuna Matata lifestyle due to having lived with Timon and Pumbaa for so long. Simba arrives during the episode's climax and persuades Rafiki to finish telling the story of how Timon became an outcast (having had an appointment with Zazu that Zazu neglected because he wanted to hear Rafiki's full story about Timon's past).
Simba also appears in a music video of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" starring Timon and Pumbaa, which appeared at the end of the show's third episode.
House of Mouse[]
Simba with Nala in House of Mouse.
Simba made numerous appearances in the House of Mouse television series as a guest at the club. He is sometimes seen as a cub or as an adult.
In "The Stolen Cartoons", Simba is looking confused as Rafiki was seen bathing in his soup.
In "Timon and Pumbaa", Simba complains about Timon and Pumbaa's popularity with Nala looking surprised, saying "Those guys always get all the attention!"
In "Jiminy Cricket", Jiminy tells a cub Simba and Nala not to see nothing in the Elephant Graveyard, as they hide behind the table frightened.
In "King Larry Swings In", a cub Simba was seen in a flashback and fell from the cliff of Pride Rock after Donald accidentally dropped him.
In "Ask Von Drake", a cub Simba was featured alongside Mufasa during Ludwig Von Drake's headcount of all the character guests.
In "Goofy for a Day", Simba is seen asked by Goofy, and Max presented him with some heated cold cuts during the "Soup or Salad, Fries or Biscuits, Extra Olives, Donuts" song.
In "Mickey vs. Shelby", he was also featured in re-used crowd shots of guests fleeing the club on several occasions.
In "House Ghosts", a cub Simba and Nala were seen hearing Mickey says B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bones) when Ed laughs and stole their share of meat, which is used again in Mickey's House of Villains.
Simba also makes brief appearances in the film Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, He was also seen singing "The Best Christmas of All". He is briefly seen as a cub in Mickey's House of Villains.
The Lion Guard[]
Simba in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar.
Simba appears in the 2016 TV series The Lion Guard which takes place in the middle of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and centers around his and Nala's second-born cub and only son, Kion.
First appearing in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Simba is first seen reciting the speech Mufasa gave to him early on in the original film, to his daughter, Kiara. In the middle of the speech, however, Kion and his best friend, Bunga, barge in and run wild. This increases Simba's concern over Kion's immaturity, and he voices his hopes that his son will eventually "grow up". Later on, while at Pride Rock, Simba and Nala are told by Rafiki that Kion has been blessed with the "Roar of the Elders": a power given to the second-born of each Lion King, which indicates the new leader of a team of protectors known as the Lion Guard. Simba feels Kion is not yet ready for such responsibility, but he eventually agrees to inform Kion of his newfound responsibility, and asks his son to assemble the Pride Lands' finest, the strongest, fastest, bravest, and keenest of sight, to join the guard, assuming that Kion knew he meant lions. Instead, Kion assembles a diverse group of animals (Bunga, Ono, Beshte, and Fuli), much to Simba's disapproval. In the end, however, Kion and his friends are able to prove their worth by rescuing Kiara from a stampede and fending off troublesome hyenas led by Janja. Because of this, Simba finally agrees with Rafiki's testament, confidently declaring it is time for the Lion Guard to rise again.
In "The Rise of Makuu", Kion is unsure of the upcoming Mashindano between crocodile leader Pua and challenger Makuu. Kiara asks if Simba could intervene, but he states that while he is king, he must respect the traditions and ways of other animals in spite of his authority. The family witnesses as Pua and Makuu fight fiercely and evenly before the older Pua starts to wear down and ultimately submit upon being pinned down. With the battle over, Simba acknowledges Makuu as the new leader of the crocodiles and Pua for his service to Pride Lands.
In "Can't Wait to be Queen", Simba travels with Nala and Zazu to a funeral. He is set to give a tribute to a fallen elephant but must do so in the language of the elephants, which he has a hard time doing, but Zazu attempts to remind him of his other more pleasant royal duties.
In "Bunga and the King", however, Simba and Bunga find themselves trapped in a massive sinkhole. As they try to free themselves, their equal stubbornness causes them to clash. In spite of this, they soon find something in which they can relate after realizing they were both raised by Timon and Pumbaa, establishing themselves as "half-brothers" in response to this. The episode is also significant in establishing Timon and Pumbaa as not only Simba's best friends but surrogate parents, as well.
In "The Trail to Udugu", Simba serves as the temporary leader of the Lion Guard whilst Kion goes on a journey with Nala and Kiara. Initially, Simba attempts to fully command the Lion Guard but soon comes to accept that he has to trust them to deal with their relevant roles in a crisis on their own.
In "The Savannah Summit", Simba gathers other leaders within the Pride Lands to discuss unity between the diverse species and the future of the kingdom. Significantly, Simba invites the crocodile leader Makuu, who is universally hated by Pride Landers because of his heartless behavior. However, Makuu makes a legitimate effort to prove his worth, something only Simba believes in for the majority of the summit.
In "Let Sleeping Crocs Lie", Ono and the guard accidentally wake Makuu and his float during their dry season hibernation. Unable to go back to sleep, Makuu seeks Simba's guidance for finding a suitable watering hole for him and the crocs to remain for the dry season. During the search, Makuu is challenged by his rival, Kiburi, for leadership amongst the crocodiles. Unbeknown to Simba or even Makuu, the challenge is a coverup; while Simba is distracted by the fight, Kiburi's followers are to ambush the king and kill him. With Simba gone, Kiburi will rule the Pride Lands. The plan fails, however, and Simba banishes Kiburi upon learning the truth. However, Simba questions how Kiburi and his float could have orchestrated such a scheme on their own, given their limited intelligence. This leads him to believe they were not the true masterminds behind the plot.
In "The Scorpion's Sting", Simba gets stung by a scorpion and gets sick. Rafiki asks Makini and the Lion Guard to go get volcanic ash which will cure Simba. In doing so, they learn that the sting was part of an orchestrated plot by Scar (who has been 'reborn' as a flaming spirit) to kill Simba.
In "The Wisdom of Kongwe", Simba and Kion talk to Mufasa together for the very first time and tell him that Scar is back. Mufasa reminds Simba that if he beat Scar once he can beat him again. Simba sends Makini and Fuli to find Kongwe the oldest animal in the Pride Lands for her wise advice.
After finding out about Scar's return, Simba asked the Lion Guard not to tell any of the Pride Landers about it, as he feared that if they knew, they wouldn't feel safe in the Pride Lands anymore and want to leave. Unfortunately, in "The Fall of Mizimu Grove", everyone does find out when Scar appears before them. Simba tells them that even though he doesn't want to lose any of them, he will always respect their decisions and leaves them to discuss whether or not they should leave. However, after Kion tells them that they'll be stronger if they stay together, all the herds decide to stay in the Pride Lands much to Simba's joy.
In "Battle for the Pride Lands", Simba comes to congratulate Kion and the Lion Guard for once again beating Scar's army. He tells them that even though they have proven they can defend the Pride Lands, it still hasn't stopped Scar and his army. Simba decides it's time to take the fight into the Outlands. That evening, Kion tells Simba that he doesn't know if they'll be able to defeat Scar, but Simba tells his son that he knows he and the Lion Guard will triumph (showing that he has great faith in him). A short while later, Scar's army sets Pride Rock on fire. Luckily, Hadithi and Anga are able to fly Simba, Nala, and Kiara to safety. Moments later, Scar appears above Pride Rock; Simba is terrified when Scar says that Kion and the Lion Guard have been lost in the fire but at that moment, the Lion Guard appears alive and completely unharmed. After Scar has been defeated for good, Simba and the rest of the family are very troubled when they see that Ushari's bite has scarred Kion, even more so when Rafiki tells them that there is no cure for him in the Pride Lands. Rafiki then says that Kion can get better if he goes to the Tree of Life, a location far away from the Pride Lands. As the Lion Guard is about to set off on their great journey, Simba wishes them safe travels and tells Kion that they will miss him very much.
Simba and Nala reunited with Kion.
In "Return to the Pride Lands" (which happens sometime after the events of The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride), Simba and Nala are together on Pride Rock when Kion finally comes home. They are overjoyed to see him and Simba welcomes him home as they embrace him. The rest of the Lion Guard comes up and Simba asks how their journey went. He also thanks Azaad for helping them get home so fast. Rafiki, Kiara, and Kovu explain to Kion and the Lion Guard what happened while they were gone regarding Zira and the Outsiders. The reunited family spend the whole day with Kion, then at night, they talk to Mufasa.
Watching Kion's wedding/coronation.
The next day, Simba watches as Kion and Vitani's Lion Guards compete to see which is better and fit to serve as Lion Guard of the Pride Lands, to which Kion decides to let Vitani win and let go of his Roar. After mastering the power of the Roar, Kion and his Lion Guard decide to become protectors of the Tree of Life and join the Night Pride. The Royal Family, as well as all the Pridelanders, Jasiri and her Clan, the Night Pride, and the animals of the Tree of Life, gather there to see Kion's coronation ceremony (which doubles as a wedding.) Simba proudly watches as Kion is crowned King of the Tree of Life and marries Queen Rani.
Other appearances[]
Simba, as a very young cub, makes a brief cameo in the episode Safety Smart: Goes Green of Timon and Pumbaa's Wild About Safety, in which Timon misunderstands a CFL light bulb as a "cute fluffy lion." Then, an angry Sarabi comes to get back to her son.
Simba also appears in the animated blooper reel featured in the Diamond Edition release of The Lion King. One outtake featured Simba continuously botching the pronunciation of "Hakuna Matata". Another featured Simba trying to wake Rafiki in the midst of their scene during the latter half of the film. The final outtake on the short showed Rafiki accidentally dropping an infant Simba off the ledge of Pride Rock.
Simba (as a cub) makes an appearance being pursued by Scar and the hyenas in the episode "Hyena Havoc" of Disney Crossy Road: The Animated Series.
In Ralph Breaks the Internet, a screenshot depicting Simba, Timon and Pumbaa can be seen around the Sorcerer Hat at the Disney Animation pavilion in "Oh My Disney".
In the series finale of At Home With Olaf, a short clip of The Lion King featuring Simba appears during a montage of heartwarming moments from Disney films playing in Olaf's song "I Am with You".
In Once Upon a Studio, Simba and Nala, as cubs, appear outside the Disney Animation Studio building after Goofy accidentally breaks the camera, seemingly ruining the shot, in which Grumpy sarcastically remarks "Well, that was fun!" and Eeyore lamenting "Maybe we can try again in another hundred years." as they, alongside many of the others, start to go back inside the studio in disappointment. However, when Alan-A-Dale starts to playing "When You Wish Upon a Star", they join in with everyone else's singing as they are able to successfully take a group photo.
In Wish, Simba (as an infant) and Rafiki were among the Disney animated characters that appeared during the credits.
Video games[]
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode[]
Simba in his cub form appears together with Nala in the mobile fighting game, he is mainly the second who has a duo and also attacks with his claws while Nala uses his roar which he did not do that in the original film, his roar weak and the way to roll with Nala are present as important Skills.
Kingdom Hearts series[]
Simba is a recurring character in the Kingdom Hearts series. In Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories, he is featured as the first obtained summon.
In Kingdom Hearts II, he took on a much larger role since he was an ally and party member. This was largely due to the fact that his homeworld, the Pride Lands, was visited by Sora, Donald, and Goofy. His role was similar to that of the film: Nala, along with the trio, encouraged Simba to return to Pride Rock and overthrow the tyrant king, Scar. Simba concurred to this after his father's spirit, Mufasa, rebuilt his confidence. He returned to his kingdom to find out that Scar turned into a Heartless, so after a battle, Scar was defeated and the hyenas were expelled, permitting Simba to take his rightful place as king. However, Simba's confidence in his leadership capabilities dabbled when Scar's ghost returned to terrorize and torture Simba. Sora eased his worries and helped him defeat Scar's ghost so that there was nothing holding Simba back anymore, including when the ghosts of Scar fused together into the powerful Groundshaker Heartless to try and take Sora and Simba down, but they were able to defeat it. As a party member, he attacks enemies with his fangs and claws, has good physical stats and, similarly to Tarzan in the first game, he can cure with healing herbs.
In Kingdom Hearts III, Simba returns as a Link summon, King's Flare. This attack brings forth a large fiery Simba with Sora on his back. He attacks by pouncing on enemies with the Firaga Leap and roaring with the Firaga Roar, causing high fire damage to the enemies around him. For his finisher, Simba curls into a ball as fire surrounds him, creating a miniature sun that incinerates enemies in the area.[1]
Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion[]
As a cub, Simba is one of the many Disney animated characters having been sent to the Wasteland by Mizrabel. He is later found by Mickey Mouse and brought to the Fortress. Afterward, Simba asks Mickey to find his friends Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu.
Disney Dreamlight Valley[]
Simba joined this game with the April 5th, 2023 update shortly after the addition of Mirabel Madrigal and Olaf in the February update as part of celebrating The Walt Disney Company's Centennial Anniversary. He'll be joined by Nala in the update and they can be unlocked one after the other once helping them in their home realm with fixing up the area and scaring off some hyenas that were stalking them. The Star Path accompanying them will be celebrating the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Timon and Pumbaa, who were seen in promotional material, have yet to be announced as to when they will join the game as there is still no word on them in the 2024 roadmap.
Once Simba is unlocked, his first friendship quest regards having the player provide a little Hakuna Matata in the Valley, such as getting a relaxing oasis from Scrooge to place in the Peaceful Meadow. His next quest regards having a big get together with Maui, Goofy, and Minnie, with the player providing a large seafood platter and a copy of the cake the Three Good Fairies attempted to make for Aurora as food for the party. His last two friendship quests involve restoring the Dreamlight Fruit to the Valley, which once harvested, can be used to create a few recipes that couldn't be made without it as the Dreamlight Fruit was a mandatory ingredient for the meals.
The first quest involves reopening the Herbalist's Room in the Vitalys Mine, where the player would need to make two potions to get a hold of some Dreamlight Fruit seeds to plant a new tree in the Sunlit Plateau. Once the seeds were acquired, it would take about three days for the tree to fully regrow upon being planted by the lake on the far side of the plateau. Once regrown, Simba resumes his duty to protect it, making it clear to his uncle Scar that the tree is his responsibility and Scar better not harm it, which Scar agrees to.
The second quest to restore the Dreamlight Fruit trees to the Glade of Trust, Frosted Heights, and Forgotten Lands required applying a magical fertilizer to the Royal Watering Can and watering 5 flowers in each biome. Once enough flowers were watered, the trees were restored, and Simba is grateful for all the help.
Following Timon and Pumbaa's addition to the game, once Simba and Nala's Level 10 Friendship Quests are completed, Simba mentions missing his two Hakuna Matata buddies and believes they are back in the Lion King realm in the Dream Castle. The player decides to head back to the realm to find Timon and Pumbaa and bring them to the Valley as well to reunite with Simba and Nala.
Other games[]
Young Simba also made an appearance in the Nintendo DS game Disney Friends as one of the characters the player has to care for as a babysitter.
Disney Universe also featured Simba as an add-on costumed character. The train that the player(s) ride on in the final level of Upper Pride Lands also resembles Simba as a cub.
Musical[]
Jason Raize as Simba in the musical adaptation of the film.
Following the success of The Lion King, Julie Taymor created the musical The Lion King.
In this production, we have an insight into events that weren't explored in the original film, as Simba, young and old, is in nearly all the musical numbers. But in the Broadway production, we see a slightly extended role, which includes scenes like Timon being trapped above a lake full of crocodiles, which was Simba's fault; as the situation reminded him of the day his father was killed by his uncle Scar, and sings an additional song called "Endless Night".
Jason Raize plays Simba while Scott Irby-Ranniar plays young Simba in the original Broadway cast of The Lion King. However, after Raize committed suicide in 2004, a new actor had to take his place as Simba in future showings.
Disney Parks[]
Like most characters from The Lion King, Simba does not appear for meet-and-greets. Instead, he appears in certain shows.
Disneyland[]
Simba in Mickey's Soundsational Parade.
In California, Simba makes a cameo in It's a Small World, and can be seen as an audio-animatronic atop float for Mickey's Soundsational Parade.
In Disney California Adventure, Simba makes appearances in various renditions of World of Color. In the standard version, he is seen reliving the wildebeest stampede from the film, and can also be seen during the finale.
Walt Disney World[]
in Florida, Simba appears in Disney's Hollywood Studios' Fantasmic!, during the bubble montage of Disney films and characters.
In Magic Kingdom's Mickey's PhilharMagic, where he sings "I Just Can't Wait to Be King". In the former Magic Kingdom attraction The Legend of the Lion King, the story of the film was retold using animatronic puppets and scenes from the film, and of course, Simba appears in it. In Once Upon a Time, also at the Magic Kingdom, Simba briefly appears alongside Pumbaa and Timon during Mrs. Potts' opening narration. He also appears in the "Hakuna Matata" segment of Happily Ever After.
Simba also has his own spell card known as "Simba's Roar" in the attraction Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.
Simba is also a prominent character for Disney's Animal Kingdom merchandise and promotional material. Also in the park, Simba stars in Festival of the Lion King, hosted by Timon.
Simba and other characters from The Lion King are also featured in Disney's Art of Animation Resort in Walt Disney World.
Disneyland Paris[]
An animatronic of Simba as a cub appears in the main park's daytime parade, Disney Stars on Parade on the jungle-themed unit.
Shanghai Disneyland[]
Simba makes a notable appearance during an early segment themed after The Lion King in Ignite the Dream. The segment goes through Simba's birth during "Circle of Life", his childhood through "I Just Can't Wait to be King", up until his eventual young adulthood during "Hakuna Matata".
Simba also appears on the resort property's rendition of The Lion King musical stage play.
Relationships[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- "Simba" in Swahili means "lion", so he is named after his own species.
- Interestingly, all of Simba and Nala's cubs' names begin with "K" (Kopa, Kiara, Kion).
- In some concepts, Simba is shown with blue eyes.
- When the animators were drawing adult Simba, they wanted a little twist for his appearance and personality to be like his voice actor Matthew Broderick.
- In one episode of Home Improvement, Randy (played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas) says that he always expected his father to be called a king by everyone while playing with a lion cub doll who resembles Simba. Thomas was the voice of young Simba in The Lion King. In a Halloween episode of the same series, the Taylor home is greeted by two trick-or-treaters dressed as Buzz Lightyear and Simba. Randy gives one piece of candy to the former and seven pieces of candy to the trick or treater dressed as latter.
- Simba is the first animated Disney character to have a villain as a biological relative, followed by Hercules and later Anna and Elsa in Frozen II.
- Simba's adult mane was supposedly inspired by Jon Bon Jovi's hair.
- Macaulay Culkin, Brock Pierce and Elijah Wood were once considered to voice young Simba.
- Simba has trouble speaking in other animal languages, especially elephant.[2]
- According to Timon in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Simba repeatedly got his claws stuck in logs as a cub.
- In "Lions of the Outlands", it is shown that Simba had confronted Zira prior to banishing her and was the victor.
- If you look closely at Simba as a cub, he was sometimes seen with whiskers, and sometimes without whiskers.
- While not stated outright, it is very heavily implied in the second film that Simba has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of what he went through in the first film, seeing his father die especially. Simba's nightmare where he relives the stampede and sees Scar turning into Kovu, his violent mood swings and vicious temper, which can be triggered very easily, and his paranoia over Kiara and Kovu are all major symptoms of the disorder.
- In the original animated film, Simba's adolescent form is only seen during the timeskip scene. He is given a larger role at this stage in The Lion King 1½.
Variants[]
References[]
- ↑ "KINGDOM HEARTS III – E3 2018 Frozen Trailer". YouTube (June 10, 2018).
- ↑ "Can't Wait to be Queen"
External links[]
Simba on Wikipedia- Simba on Disney.com
- Simba on Kingdom Hearts Wiki
- Simba on the Heroes Wiki
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