Since its 1994 Walt Disney debut, everyone has likely heard of
The Lion King, especially
The Lion King characters. The development of
The Lion King characters did not change all that much from the 1994 film version to its debut on Broadway in 1997. After its movie premiere,
The Lion King characters started to take on a world of its own.
The Walt Disney Company continued in the success of
The Lion King's characters by releasing two direct-to-video movies.
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride was released in 1998, with a special DVD version in 2004.
The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata was released in 2004 as well. The Lion King characters Timon and Pumbaa, the meerkat and warthog respectively, were
The Lion King characters featured in the third installment.
King of Collectibles
The
Lion King characters were not only crucial to the film and Broadway versions, but just fun to watch. After the 1994 film debut
The Lion King characters were everywhere!
Soon after the film's premiere and success in June 1994,
The Lion King characters started popping up as collectibles in the form of coloring books, plush toys, a bobble head, fast food toy, finger puppets and even a toothbrush. For children,
The Lion King characters are fun, cool and entertaining.
Lion King Characters of the Jungle
The
Lion King characters were set in the deep African savannah. There are several primary
Lion King characters. Simba, which means lion in Swahili, is the rambunctious young lion cub who is the young prince to King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, rulers of Pride Rock. He's not really sure who he is, but in the interim, just likes to run around and have fun. The most commanding of
The Lion King characters is King Mufasa. He is regal and proud and tries to teach his young son about being responsible. King Mufasa doesn't realize that his brother is jealous of him, as he is too naïve and nice to see the reality. Queen Sarabi is a gentle and loving, yet strong mother who tries to watch out for her young son and welcomes his return after the King is killed. Nala is Simba's best childhood friend and a female lioness. She's rowdy like Simba, yet a bit more cautious. When Simba leaves, she is left alone to be taken advantage of from the evils of the jungle. Once she leaves too, she's happy to find Simba alive. They soon fall in love and become Queen and King after their return to the Savannah.
Another one of
The Lion King characters is Scar, Mufasa's evil younger brother who tried to intercept the transition of Simba from prince to king. Scar wants to rule the jungle for his own tyrannical purposes. Hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed are other
Lion King characters who are part of Scar's evil troupe. They are funny, argumentative (to each other) and always looking out for their next meal.
Pumbaa is the clumsy, warmhearted warthog who befriends Simba when he escapes the jungle as he is blamed for his father's death. Timon, another one of the
Lion King characters, is a funny, talkative meerkat who also spends time with Pumbaa and Simba.
Other
Lion King characters include Zazu, King Mufasa's trusted advisor. He's a hornbill (bird) who is easily upset, but dignified and trustworthy. Rafiki, a mandrill, is the old, wise baboon and tribal medicine man who is independent. The name Rafiki means friend in Swahili, and he was that indeed. He anointed Simba as a newborn and helped guide him on this path to being king.
The Lion King is a great introduction for children learning about relationships, love, danger and trust.
The Lion King characters are childlike in themselves, so children are not surprisingly drawn to all of the wonderful characters. Rent or buy the film version or buy the children's book
A Tale of Two Brothers released in 1995 by Disney. Then, as a special treat, take them to see the stage performance. Your children will love this experience, and there's nothing like a happy child!