Character Profiles
Click on any of the small pictures for information and images of that
character.
Character synopses, histories, and relationships are sourced from
The
Lion King,
The Lion King 1 1/2, and the hardcover children's
book
A
Tale of Two Brothers released in 1994 by Disney, written by Alex
Simmons. This book is not strictly "canon" anymore, in that some of its
content (namely the cub Kopa, Simba and Nala's son) has been contradicted
by the release of
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. However, its
accounts of the events prior to the beginning of
The Lion King with
regard to the origins of Mufasa, Scar, Zazu, and others, remains
uncontested. Therefore it is still considered "canon" on those
points.
This site shows only the principal named characters from
The Lion
King. For an authoritative listing of all canon characters from all
the Disney movies, TV shows, books, and comics based on the
Lion
King universe, see the
TLK Compleat Character List compiled by
Criswell.
The Lion King Characters
Simba
Meaning:
lion (Swahili)
Species: Lion
Simba is a rowdy, independent little cub who likes to romp and play. When
Simba's father dies, it leaves Simba unsure about who he is. Then Rafiki
shows Simba his reflection in a pool and the young lion understands that
his father's courage and wisdom are a part of him, too. — ©
1994 Skybox
| Voices: |
Jonathan Taylor Thomas (cub)
Matthew Broderick (adult)
|
| Animators (cub): |
Mark Henn (supervisor)
Tom Bancroft
Broose Johnson
T. Daniel Hofstedt
Danny Wawrzaszek
|
| Animators (adult): |
Ruben Aquino (supervisor)
Randy Haycock
Joe Ekers
Michael Cedeno
Dale Baer
Lorna Cook
|
|
Simba is the only son of
Mufasa, the King of the
Pride Lands and ruler of Pride Rock. His mother is the Queen
Sarabi, and he is the nephew of the King's brother
Scar, who sees a political opportunity in the young cub's
trust in him. Working to his disadvantage as well as defining his
character is Simba's mischievous, adventuresome spirit, which he indulges
at every chance with his friend
Nala, often getting
into trouble from which the King's majordomo
Zazu is
charged with rescuing him.
Blamed for his father's death in a disastrous wildebeest stampede
engineered by Scar and the
Hyenas, and exiled to the
jungle far from Pride Rock, Simba is befriended by
Timon and
Pumbaa, the unlikely
pair of outcasts living the easy life in the land of crystal waterfalls
and tasty bugs. He'd be perfectly happy to live there forever, if not for
a chance meeting with Nala that calls him back home to face his
destiny.
lionking.org images featuring Simba
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Original Fan-Art featuring Simba
Nala
Meaning: gift (Swahili—dubious)
Species: Lion
Every bit as rambunctious as Simba, Nala is ready to go wherever he goes
or do whatever he does. Best buddies, the twosome are taken aback when
Zazu tells them they are to be married. What a yucky idea! But time
changes things, and when they meet again, they realize their friendship
has deepened into love. — © 1994 Skybox
| Voices: |
Niketa Calame (cub)
Moira Kelly (adult)
|
| Animators (cub): |
Aaron Blaise (supervisor)
|
| Animators (adult): |
Anthony DeRosa (supervisor)
Bob Bryan
Gilda Palinginis
|
|
Nala's mother is
Sarafina, one
of the pride's lionesses and a friend of
Sarabi; the
question of who her father is remains one of the mysteries of
The Lion
King universe (though directors Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers have
personally, though reluctantly, acknowledged that it must be either Scar
or Mufasa). Nala is a close friend and playmate of
Simba, with whom she's never afraid to go exploring or
get into mischief.
The Pride's traditions dictate that Nala and Simba will one day be Queen and
King together; but when Simba is lost after Mufasa's death, she devotes her
life to providing for the pride as the Pride Lands fall into ruin.
Scar eventually comes to see Nala as a prize, a Queen to
his own throne (a subplot that is more fully explored in the Broadway Musical
than in the movie); but she spurns him and chooses instead, in desperation,
to leave Pride Rock and search for help from outside. The last thing she
expects, though, is to find Simba alive again.
lionking.org images featuring Nala
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Original Fan-Art featuring Nala
Mufasa
Meaning: none (proper name; last king of the Bagada people of
pre-colonial Kenya)
Species: Lion
Regal, commanding and majestic, Mufasa is a great king with a kind,
generous heart. Concerned with teaching his son Simba to be a wise,
responsible adult and king, Mufasa can seem a bit stern at times, but it's
only because he loves Simba and wants to keep the youngster on the right
track. — © 1994 Skybox
| Voice: |
James Earl Jones
|
| Animators: |
Tony Fucile (supervisor)
Phil Young
Chris Wahl
Brad Kuha
|
|
Mufasa's lineage is known only through
A Tale of Two Brothers, a
children's book published at about the same time as the original 1994
release of
The Lion King. In this book, Mufasa's father is named
Ahadi, his mother is Uru, and his brother
Scar has the
cubhood name of Taka.
As a king and leader, Mufasa holds a deep understanding of the forces that
make the Pride Lands balanced and healthy. His duties as King of Pride
Rock include managing the hunting by his own pride and other creatures,
and resolving disputes over feeding and watering grounds, to ensure the
land's resources are not exhausted; he also must patrol the boundaries to
drive out interlopers and prevent such crimes as killing for sport. Of
course, he's also responsible for raising his son
Simba to be a wise king like himself—a
responsibility that Simba may not yet be ready for.
Mufasa's greatest weakness is his trust and kindness, for because of it
the bitterness and jealousy that Scar feels toward him appears as nothing
more than common sibling rivalry. But Mufasa does not suspect his brother
of being so consumed by these feelings that he would actually go so far as
to plot Mufasa's murder in order to usurp the throne.
lionking.org images featuring Mufasa
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Original Fan-Art featuring Mufasa
Scar
Meaning: none (proper name; taken as a nickname after "Taka",
or "scar")
Species: Lion
As Mufasa's brother, Scar was next in line for the throne until Simba's
birth, and he is obsessed with the need to possess it. Although Scar hides
his plot with concern for Simba's safety, this evil, cunning betrayer is
really Simba's and Mufasa's enemy-- a fact which the great-hearted Mufasa
realizes too late. — © 1994 Skybox
| Voice: |
Jeremy Irons
|
| Animators: |
Andreas Deja (supervisor)
Doug Frankel
Jean Morel
Mark Koetsier
Alex Williams
|
|
The younger brother of King
Mufasa and second son of
Ahadi and Uru (as told in
A Tale of Two Brothers), Scar was known
as Taka until an incident in which he ran afoul of some Cape Buffalo (in a
botched attempt to embarrass his brother Mufasa) and was struck on the
face with one of their horns. He took the name Scar at the urging of his
father to remind himself of the price of pride. However, this lesson is
lost on him in later years, once Mufasa becomes king; Scar, ever the more
conniving and subtle thinker of the two brothers (though by far the less
concerned with the well-being and good governance of the Pride Lands),
increasingly becomes convinced that the throne of Pride Rock is his by
right. When
Simba is born, Scar loses his position in
line to inherit the throne from Mufasa; so owing to a pact he had made in
his youth with the three
Hyenas, he develops a plot
to kill his brother and nephew and seize the kingship by force.
lionking.org images featuring Scar
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Original Fan-Art featuring Scar
Zazu
Meaning: none (proper name)
Species: Hornbill
Mufasa's trusted advisor, Zazu is a prim and proper hornbill with a strong
sense of personal dignity. Although Zazu's feathers can be easily ruffled,
he is dedicated to Mufasa. The honorable hornbill would give his right
wing for the lion king and stays with the pride through good and bad
times. — © 1994 Skybox
| Voice: |
Rowan Atkinson
|
| Animators: |
Ellen Woodbury (supervisor)
Randy Cartwright
Barry Temple
Michael Swofford
|
|
Zazu is the steward and majordomo to the King of Pride Rock, as his family
has been since the time of Ahadi, when (as is told in
A Tale of Two
Brothers) Zazu's mother Zuzu was recommended by
Rafiki to the king's service as a lookout and carrier
of messages keeping the king informed of happenings within his
lands.
Under the kingship of
Mufasa, Zazu's position is one
that fills him with pride and courtly manners. It's his job to report to
the king on any potential disputes or crises over hunting, feeding, or
watering rights, or any encroachment by outsiders who must be driven out
of the Pride Lands. He takes this job quite seriously, and even the
formal-minded Mufasa finds Zazu's fussiness amusing enough to make him the
butt of occasional jokes. Yet Zazu is supremely loyal to the king, taking
on all responsibilities without complaint, even when asked to babysit
Simba and
Nala on their
adventures.
lionking.org images featuring Zazu
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Original Fan-Art featuring Zazu
Timon
Meaning: none (proper name)
Species: Meerkat
Timon is a hyperactive meerkat with a motor mouth. Whether he's making
good-natured jokes at Pumbaa's expense or pitching his free-wheeling
lifestyle to Simba, Timon always has a fast line. But behind the patter is
a loyal little guy who'd give his last wisecrack to help a friend.
— © 1994 Skybox
| Voice: |
Nathan Lane
|
| Animators: |
Michael Surrey (supervisor)
Brian Ferguson
James Lopez
Mike Show
|
|
Once a member of a large and thriving colony of meerkats far from Pride
Rock, Timon was never in his element digging and guarding the holes as a
unit with his fellow meerkats. One too many incidents in which his
daydreaming and misplaced ingenuity brought real danger down upon the
colony caused his
Uncle Max to
kick him out from the clan. Despite protests from his
Ma, Timon set out to seek adventure and fulfillment out
in the greater world. After a chance meeting with the mystic mandrill
Rafiki, who taught him the feel-good philosophy of
hakuna matata, Timon met an unlikely partner in the blundering
warthog
Pumbaa, with whom he sought for the perfect
responsibility-free home. They found it in the jungle that lies across the
desert from the Pride Lands, and a steady diet of multicolored bugs kept
him and Pumbaa well-fed with no need to hunt or forage.
When
Simba is exiled from the Pride Lands following
his father's murder, he is rescued from near death from exhaustion by the
carefree duo, who pass on to him their "put your behind in your past"
philosophy (which fits in perfectly with his need to forget about the
ghosts of guilt that haunt him). Simba grows into a kingly lion on the
same diet of bugs that Timon and Pumbaa eat, but only the unlooked-for
arrival of Nala threatens to bring to an end the fellowship of the three
outcasts. Timon refuses to believe there's anything more to life than
hakuna matata, but eventually his loyalty to his friends wins him
over and he plays an instrumental role in the retaking of Pride
Rock.
lionking.org images featuring Timon
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Original Fan-Art featuring Timon
Pumbaa
Meaning: dull-witted, stunned (Swahili)
Species: Warthog
A well-padded warthog, Pumbaa is a bit clumsy and dimwitted, but his
empathy and intuition make up for his slow thought processes. Sympathetic
and warm-hearted, Pumbaa is ready to trust anyone-- even a carnivore like
Simba. And when Simba confronts his destiny, the loyal warthog is the
first to follow. — © 1994 Skybox
| Voice: |
Ernie Sabella
|
| Animators: |
Tony Bancroft (supervisor)
Ron Husband
Tim Allen
Dave Pruiksma
|
|
The amiable warthog Pumbaa is cursed with the ultimate in social stigma:
uncontrollable flatulence. His family background is a mystery, but his
story from the point when he meets up with the meerkat
Timon tells us all there is to know about his sad exile
from the company of those who can't abide his smell. Dull-witted but
packed with common sense, Pumbaa uncomplainingly shoulders the burdens of
Timon's selfish quests, as the most important thing to
him—surpassing all else—is loyalty to his friends. He wants to
be useful, and he wants to be wanted; and what else, aside from his
strength, can he offer a friend?
Pumbaa's steadfastness makes him the partner anyone would wish to have
when the time comes for
Simba, who had been raised by
Timon and himself in the luxurious ease of the jungle, to return home to
Pride Rock and challenge his usurping uncle
Scar.
Pumbaa unhesitatingly follows Simba and
Nala into
battle—for he knows the value of duty,
hakuna matata or not.
His loyalty to the needs of his friend Simba eventually overpowers Timon
into following Pumbaa's honorable example.
lionking.org images featuring Pumbaa
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Original Fan-Art featuring Pumbaa
Sarabi
Meaning: mirage (Swahili)
Species: Lion
Sarabi, Mufasa's wife and Simba's mother, is kind, gentle and loving.
She's also wise to her little son's tricks. Courageous Sarabi holds her
own through Scar's destructive rule, and is proud when her son comes back
to battle the evil ruler and claim his rightful place as King.—
© 1994 Skybox
The head of the lionesses of Pride Rock, Sarabi is the Queen to King
Mufasa and the mother of
Simba.
She's a responsible mother, watching out for her son and making sure he
doesn't get into any trouble that he can't get out of, as well as making
sure he keeps clean.
The death of
Mufasa all but snuffs out the joy of
life from Sarabi, and under the leadership of
Scar and
the occupying
Hyenas, her stolid duty is only to the
pride and what remains of the fertile land. Ever defiant to the usurping
king, she retains Mufasa's knowledge of the balance of the Circle of Life
and tries in vain to make Scar understand the damage he's causing to the
Pride Lands; but her advice is unwanted and unheeded by the vindictive
usurper. Only the unlooked-for return of Simba stops what surely would
have been Sarabi's murder by Scar seeking a scapegoat for his own
failures.
lionking.org images featuring Sarabi
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Original Fan-Art featuring Sarabi
Rafiki
Meaning: friend (Swahili)
Species: Mandrill
Rafiki, the wise old baboon, is like a tribal medicine man or an ancient
shaman. Rafiki travels his own road, sings his own songs and knows what he
knows. After anointing newborn Simba, Rafiki wanders off on his mystical
way. He returns again to guide Simba back to the path he was meant to
follow. — © 1994 Skybox
Nobody knows where the old mandrill Rafiki came from, but his quests in
search of the secrets bound up in the land and its plants and animals drew
him to the Pride Lands in the days of Ahadi, as told in
A Tale of Two
Brothers. His role in advising the young
Mufasa
against mischievous plots by his brother
Scar made him
a permanent resident of the region, employed as Mufasa's teacher and
spiritual guide, and living in a baobab tree within sight of Pride Rock.
He is a special guest at the presentation ceremony of the newborn
Simba, whom he blesses and shows to the whole assembled
population of the Pride Lands; after this, he monitors the young prince's
growth and progress with his own mystical arts and the signs he reads in
the paintings he makes on the side of his tree.
A ghostly, flitting presence, Rafiki turns up from time to time to
dispense wisdom to those in need of it. Timon encounters him at the time
of his own exile to be taught of the philosophy of
hakuna matata;
and later, Rafiki teaches a much different doctrine to the grown Simba,
who upon being reunited with
Nala must look within
himself to discover the meaning of his heritage as the true Lion King and
inheritor of Mufasa's throne. Perhaps Rafiki is the only one who truly
understands how every creature, in his or her own way, fits into the
Circle of Life.
lionking.org images featuring Rafiki
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Original Fan-Art featuring Rafiki
Hyenas (Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed)
Meaning: demon, uncouth (Shenzi); skulk, lurk (Banzai—dubious)
Species: Spotted Hyenas
Always on the lookout for their next meal or an innocent victim to taunt,
tease or terrorize, Banzai, the male hyena, and Shenzi, the female, talk
and joke while Ed, the third troublemaker, only laughs. When they're not
arguing, these three punks can be found doing Scar's dirty work-- which is
no laughing matter. — © 1994 Skybox
| Voices: |
Whoopi Goldberg (Shenzi)
Cheech Marin (Banzai)
Jim Cummings (Ed)
|
| Animators: |
David Burgess (supervisor)
Alex Kuperschmidt (supervisor)
Tom Bancroft
Broose Johnson
T. Daniel Hofstedt
Danny Wawrzaszek
|
|
Shenzi (the female leader of the pack of hyenas), Banzai (the male), and
the moronic Ed are old enough to have terrorized the Pride Lands back in
the days of Ahadi, according to
A Tale of Two Brothers. In
Scar's youth, the trio struck a pact with the younger
lion prince to bring him into their clan, initially to circumvent and
undermine the king's restrictions on their hunting for sport, but
eventually perhaps because they saw as much opportunity in a partnership
with Scar as he did in them. It was the Hyenas who inspired the young
Scar's first stirrings of malevolent trickery against his brother
Mufasa, and his disinterest with the affairs of ruling
(aside from the appeal of its raw power) led him to spend his time growing
up among the Hyenas and their destructive schemes.
When it comes time for Scar to move against his brother and nephew, he
calls upon the aid of his Hyena henchmen, who by the time of Simba's birth
have become lazily subservient to him and his ability to provide food and
diversion for them. They're clever enough to be employed in creating a
deadly stampede that results in Mufasa's death and
Simba's exile, and they are rewarded richly with
positions of power and privilege within Scar's kingdom, even surpassing
the status of the lionesses of Pride Rock, throughout Scar's destructive
reign. However, the Hyenas are also smart enough to realize, when
Simba returns for vengeance against Scar, when the usurping king has
double-crossed them in an attempt to save his own skin; and they get the
last laugh when Scar falls at their feet, cast down and at their mercy.
They are not inclined to give him any.
lionking.org images featuring the Hyenas
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Original Fan-Art featuring the Hyenas
