Simba (2019)

Simba is the main protagonist of the 2019 live-action remake film The Lion King and the overarching protagonist of its 2024 prequel/sequel Mufasa: The Lion King. He is based on his original incarnation of the same name.
He is voiced by JD McCrary as a cub and Donald Glover as a young adult, who also played young Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Troy Barnes from Community.
==Background==
===Personality===
Simba is known as mischievous (as a cub), adventurous, brave, stubborn, heroic, protective, kind-hearted, understanding, strong-willed, affectionate, fatherly, dependable, selfless, remorseful, sophisticated, smart, outgoing, well-mannered, and polite lion.
===Physical appearance===
When Simba remained as a baby, he was chubby. Specifically, he turned out to be slender as a lion cub. Then, at last, he turned out to be brawny as an adult resembling his father Mufasa.
==Appearance==
===The Lion King===
At first, Simba is seen as an infant at Pride Rock nesting in Sarabi's arms before he’s being presented to the different animals of the Pride Lands by Rafiki.
Many months pass and Simba grows into a lively young cub. One morning, he wakes his father and begs to take him on patrol around the Pride Lands. Mufasa takes him to the top of Pride Rock and shows him that everything the light touches is their kingdom. Suddenly, Mufasa says that Simba will be king one day and that everything the light touches will be his to protect. Simba wonders how far the kingdom's borders extend, and Mufasa forbids him to visit a shadowy place called the Elephant Graveyard.
The two of them depart Pride Rock and walk through the open grasslands, with Mufasa educating Simba about the Circle of Life. Just then, Mufasa's majordomo Zazu shows up and begins to give his morning report to him. As Zazu drones on, Mufasa applauds Simba to practice his pouncing. Simba pounces on Zazu, knocking him to the ground, and Mufasa congratulates him for a job very well done. Then, all of a sudden, Zazu reports there are hyenas in the Pride Lands, to which Mufasa promises he’ll take care of the threat. He tells Zazu to take Simba home, despite the cub's protests.
With Mufasa gone, Simba follows Zazu back to Pride Rock. He attempts to catch a beetle, but he fails. Simba's relative Scar comments on his hunting skills, and Simba declares he’ll be the king of the Pride Lands one of these days. Afterwards, Scar subtly informs Simba there is an Elephant Graveyard beyond the borders of the Pride Lands, where only adult lions are permitted to venture.
Simba rushes to where his best friend Nala is being bathed by her mother Sarafina and urges her to come to the water hole to play with him. However, before the cubs can depart, Sarabi instructs Simba to bring Zazu with them.
With Zazu flying overhead, Simba and Nala journey to the watering hole. Along the way, Zazu informs them they’ll be married one day, to which both cubs react with disgust. Then, all of a sudden, Simba asserts he will not have to marry anyone, as he’ll be the king. Zazu quarrels Simba cannot break tradition, to which Simba declares he can do everything his way. The cubs race away through a crowd of animals at the watering hole.
After ditching Zazu, Simba and Nala scuffle and accidentally fall into the Elephant Graveyard. They begin to explore the area, though Nala warns Simba they must return home. Just then, Shenzi and her clan of hyenas show up and surround the cubs. Zazu interjects, warning Shenzi she will start a war with Mufasa if she assaults Simba, but Shenzi declares hyenas and lions have been at war since the beginning of time.
The hyenas assault Simba and Nala, who flee into a network of tunnels. Eventually, they break free and find themselves surrounded by the hyenas one more time. However, before they can be devoured, Mufasa shows up and fends off the clan. He warns Shenzi if she ever comes near his son again. And then, he leads the cubs away to safety.
Once back in the Pride Lands, Mufasa tells Zazu to take Nala back to Pride Rock. Afterwards, he reprimands Simba for deliberately disobeying him and tells him he is only brave when he has to be and when there's no other choice. Simba asserts Mufasa is not scared of anything, to which Mufasa admits he's frightened to lose Simba. The two of them have a playful scuffle afterwards, and Simba asks his father if they will always be together. Mufasa answers by educating Simba about the Great Kings of the Past, who live among those stars and look after the lions of the Pride Lands. Then, he promises to constantly look after his son.
The next morning, Scar brings Simba to a gorge and tells him to practice his roar in order to make his father proud. After Scar departs, Simba roars deeply, frightening off a lizard. No sooner has he done this when a stampede of wildebeest bursts into the gorge. Simba flees the stampede, taking refuge on a dead tree.
Shortly afterwards, Mufasa shows up and rescues Simba and places him on a small ledge out of harm's way. Just then, Mufasa is knocked down by a wildebeest, much to Simba's shock. Fortunately, Mufasa jumps out and begins to climb up another ledge. Relieved, Simba starts to climb up the ledge he's on in an attempt to join his father at the top. However, seconds later, Simba glances around and sees Mufasa fall back into the stampede (unaware that Scar knocked Mufasa back into the stampede).
After the wildebeest are vanished, Simba climbs back down to the floor of the gorge, where he searches for his father's body. As he grieves, Scar approaches and blames Simba for Mufasa's death. Then, he urges Simba to run away, and the cub complies at once. Shenzi and her clan pursue the cub afterwards, only to ditch him over a ledge. Shenzi orders her lackeys, Azizi and Kamari to make sure the cub is dead, but they don't follow through, as they believe the fall is too high for a cub to survive. However, unbeknownst to the hyenas, Simba survived the fall by landing on a ledge.
Afterwards, right after Mufasa's funeral and when Scar becomes king of the Pride Lands with the help of his hyena army, Simba crosses a desert and passes out beneath the scorching sun. However, just as the vultures begin to pick at his body, a meerkat named Timon, and a warthog named Pumbaa show up and fend off the flock. Pumbaa wishes to keep Simba as a pet, and Timon concurs after realizing Simba can protect them once he’s older.
Once Simba wakes up, he tells the two of them he has done something terrible. They urge him to forget his past and embrace the present with no worries. They lead him to their jungle home and take him in as one of their friends. He grows up with them, leaving his past behind.
As a young adult, Simba attempts to play with his jungle pals, but they keep away from him on purpose. Timon and Pumbaa gently explain that he's a predator now and that many animals are frightened to spend the day with him. That evening, they sit together and wonder what stars are. Simba passes on his father's story about the Great Kings of the Past, only for Timon and Pumbaa to laugh at this story, deliberately hurting Simba's feelings. He walks off, displeased.
The next day, Simba rescues Pumbaa from a lioness. He battles her, but she gains the upper hand pins Simba to the ground. Recognizing this move, Simba realizes the lioness is Nala. The two of them have a joyous reunion. Then, Nala tells Simba he must return to the Pride Lands, as Scar has taken over and become a tyrannical king. Unwilling to embrace his past, Simba invites her to take a tour of the jungle instead. They stroll through the jungle together, with Timon and Pumbaa watching depressed.
Eventually, Nala encounters Simba about why he has not come back to Pride Rock, and Simba explains he is not the rightful king. Nala quarrels Scar is a tyrant, but Simba refuses to return home with her. Disappointed and frustrated, Nala bids him farewell and departs.
Simba wanders off, muttering to himself he doesn't have to return to the Pride Lands. Along the way, he runs into Rafiki (who discovered Simba was alive after he found a piece of Simba's mane), who reveals he knew Mufasa one time. He promises to show Simba his father is alive indeed, and Simba follows him on a run through the jungle. Eventually, Rafiki pauses beside a pool and urges Simba to look into the water. Simba declares he can only see his reflection, to which Rafiki assures Mufasa lives in him.
Just then, Mufasa's ghost appears, talking with Simba through a lightning storm. He tells his son to return to the Pride Lands and take his place in the Circle of Life. Moved by his father's words, Simba concurs to head back home.
Simba races home, catching up with Nala along the way. They show up in the Pride Lands all barren, with Timon and Pumbaa showing up shortly after. Timon and Pumbaa divert the hyenas, while Simba and Nala hustle to Pride Rock. Once there, Simba sees Scar demanding Sarabi must be his queen. She declines and Scar assaults her ferociously.
Simba butts in, guarding his mother and telling Scar to get away from her. Scar realizes Simba is alive and declares the hyenas recognize him as the rightful king now. Nala claims the pride stands with Simba, and Simba offers an option: step down or fight. Instead of giving in, Scar blames Simba of killing Mufasa and calls him a wimp. He backs Simba to the edge of Pride Rock until he is hanging only by his claws and confesses he killed Mufasa, actually.
Furious, Simba attacks Scar and demands he must tell the pride about his crimes. Scar declines, but the pride sees through his fibs and assaults. The hyenas jump to Scar's defense, but the lionesses overpower them at last.
In the meantime, Simba chases Scar to the top of Pride Rock, where Scar attempts to put the blame on his hyena minions. Simba doesn't believe Scar's story and tells him he departs the Pride Lands forever instead. In answer, Scar assaults Simba, and the two of them fight. Simba overpowers Scar and heaves him from Pride Rock where Scar is killed by the hyenas.
With Scar no longer alive, Simba takes his place as the king of Pride Rock. The kingdom returns to its former glory soon enough, and Simba presents his newborn cub to the Pride Landers.
===Mufasa: The Lion King===
Simba is set to reappear in this film, in which he and Nala have a daughter named Kiara.
==Trivia==
*Chance the Rapper was considered for the role of Simba in the remake. He eventually was cast as a bushbaby neighbor of Timon and Pumbaa's.
*When Simba returns to Pride Rock in the remake, unlike the original film, he roars to show he is ready to face who he is, with Timon and Pumbaa witnessing him leave, thus removing the scene from the original film where Nala asks where he is, with Raifiki saying he returned to the Pride Lands to challenge Scar.
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