Return to the Pride Lands/Trivia

*This episode serves as the final episode of Season 3 as well as the series finale.
*This episode serves as a television sequel to The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, taking place an unspecified amount of time after the events of the film. Said events of the second act of the film during the Lion Guard's absence are detailed in a painting made by Rafiki, and narrated by Kiara and Kovu.
**This episode is the first and thus far only piece of Lion King media to take place after The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
*Coincidentally, this is the only episode where Thurston's name shows up in the end credits.
*This is the second time in the show's history that Lacey Chabert and Jason Marsden reprise their roles as Vitani and Kovu from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. 
**Similarly to how Jason Marsden voiced Kovu as an adult in the film and returned to voice him as a cub in the series, Lacey Chabert voices an adult Vitani in the series finale after previously voicing Vitani as a cub in the film.
***Nika Futterman and Andy Dick do not reprise their roles as Zira and Nuka in the finale due to the characters' deaths in the film prior to the episode. 
****Ironically, Nuka is not mentioned or referenced at all in this episode, nor is he seen during the cave paintings describing the events prior.
**In addition, Neve Campbell does not return to voice an adult Kiara in the series. Instead, Kiara is once again voiced by Eden Riegel, who voiced her as a cub and an adolescent in the series.
*The title of the final episode was revealed ahead of time in 2018 in a tweet by writer Kendall Michele Haney. https://twitter.com/kendallmhaney/status/981628438543982592
*This is the third episode to feature Pride Lands in the title, after Battle for the Pride Lands and Journey to the Pride Lands Coincidentally, all three of these episodes are featured in the 3rd season.
*This is the second episode to feature "return" in the title the first being The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar. Ironically, the series begins and ends with the word "return" in the title.
*This episode revealed that sometime after Scar's second defeat, and the ascension of Jasiri, Mzingo and his parliament reformed and returned to his status as an ally of the hyenas. It's unknown whether or not Reirei and Kiburi (who do not appear in this episode) reformed, or stayed neutral.
*This episode had an average of 463,000 viewers.http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-11-3-2019.html
*This is the third and last time Beshte gets sunburned, the other two times were in Swept Away and Journey of Memories.
*Kiara, Vitani, and Kovu are all young adults in this episode, however the Lion Guard remain young adolescents in the final episode.
*Several parts of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride are completely omitted in the retelling. Kovu does not mention that he was supposed to assassinate Simba, nor does anyone mention the Outsider ambush, or Simba banishing Kovu after believing he was responsible for the ambush. In addition, (along with the above), Nuka is not referenced in this episode, nor is his death even referred to. Kiara and Kovu's romance is also made subtle despite them being described to be the future King and Queen. It's likely that those notes were obscured due to being too overt for a Disney Junior show.
*There appears to be a continuity error within this episode and the events of Simba's Pride. In this episode, Rafiki mentions that after the events of Lions of the Outlands, Zira began her plan to kill Simba and take over the Pride Lands, which is shown in the second half of the film. However, in the first half of Simba's Pride, (which took place before Season 1), Zira already devised her plot to take down Simba after Kovu met Kiara. Naturally, by the events of Lions of the Outlands, Zira would've continued raising Kovu against Simba and Kiara and by the time she would've been roared to the termite mounds, Kovu's training would have still been in progress.
* Sophie Reynolds was accidentally credited as "Sofie Reynolds".
* Gary Anthony Williams is also credited as Mufasa, despite him having no speaking lines.
*This is the only episode of the series to have no new original songs as Long Live the King is a reprise of Long Live the Queen.
**When the Lion Guard reunite with their families and friends after returning to the Pride Lands, the same music plays from when they originally left the Pride Lands in the premiere episode. 
* This episode marks the 32nd and last time Kion uses the Roar of the Elders, however he is indicated to have kept it after the events of the series as he becomes King of the Tree of Life afterward.
**This episode is also the first and only time Vitani uses the Roar of the Elders.
*This is the first and only episode where other animals see a Great Lion of the Past, in this case, Askari.
**This contradicts the The Rise of Scar, where Makini states that only the lions in Simba's pride and the Royal Mjuzi have the ability to communicate with the Lions of the Past.
*This finale aired on the 4 year anniversary of Return of the Roar, the book based off of the pilot episode.
*Not counting the Pride Landers chanting Long live the King! and Long live the Queen!, as well as the The Lion Guard Chorus singing Long Live the King, Kion and Rani share the last lines of the show: "Ready?" "Yes, I am."
*This currently marks Lynette DuPree's last performance in the show, who voiced Ma Tembo before she passed away in February 2023.
*Not counting the one-hour specials, this finale serves as the longest episode of the series, running at 24 minutes and 32 seconds as opposed to the regular 22.5 minute runtime.
*This marks Ford Riley's final contribution to the Walt Disney Company, as he no longer works for the company due to his contract ending alongside the series.
===Appearances Trivia===
*This marks Basi's seventh appearance.
*This marks Madoa's fifth appearance.
*This marks Kulinda and Ona's second appearance in the series.
*This marks Kovu and Vitani's second appearance in the series, excluding their cave painting appearance in Cave of Secrets and being mentioned in Journey to the Pride Lands.
*This is the final apperance of, Kion, Bunga, Fuli, Beshte, Ono, Anga, Azaad, Janja, Jasiri, Cheezi, Chungu, Madoa, Mzingo, Mwoga,  Simba, Nala, Kiara, Tiifu, Zuri, Kovu, Vitani, Zira, Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa, Basi, Mbeya, Shingo, Hadithi, Kulinda, Ona, Johari, Zito, Mtoto, Ma Tembo, Sable Antelope 1, Boboka, Baby Baboon's Mother, Baby Baboon, Big Baboon, Gumba's Mother, Mufasa, Laini, Thurston, Vuruga Vuruga, Mtoto's Mom, Twiga, Male Crocodile, Makuu, Askari, Makini, Rani, Tangaagim, Cek, Rama, Female Polar Bear, Baliyo, Nirmala, Surak, King Sokwe, Shujaa, Tsah, Sasem, Pinguino, Zazu, Binga, Fikiri, Kitendo, Majinuni, Hafifu and Janna in the series.
==References==
Category:Trivia
Category:Season Three Trivia