The Lion Guard Pilot

## Plot

The series starts just like the movie did, with the sun rising over the Pridelands. And just like that, I'm hit with a serious case of nostalgia less than ten seconds in. I think the show was animated in Flash, like *My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic* was. It looks okay I guess. Simba is trying to teach Kiara the same lesson his father taught him when he was young, but he's interrupted by his son Kion and his best friend Bunga, a honey badger. He tells them to play somewhere else while he teaches Kiara about ruling the Pridelands. Unlike his parents and his sister when they were young, Kion is a stickler for the rules. That actually makes sense to me, given that when they disobeyed the rules, they almost died. The same thing even happens yet again here, just not to Kion. He has no idea what he's going to do with his life. As he and Bunga compete over a baobab fruit in a game, they run all over the Pridelands. I love the song that plays. I might've had it on repeat when Disney released a sneak peek of the show. They startle Ono the cattle egret's flock, run by Rafiki in a tree, jump on Beshte and his pod of hippos, accidentally run over Ushari the snake, and come across Fuli the cheetah running really fast. Eventually, the baobab rolls into the Outlands. Kion says they shouldn't go get it, since his dad told him that he's not allowed to go into the Outlands, but Bunga jumps in, and we learn that he's the adopted nephew of Timon and Pumbaa. In a nearby cave, Janja and his clan of hyenas are hungry, and they decide to eat Bunga. Kion tells them to put him down, and when he roars, it's really loud, and it causes the clouds to become heads of lions that also roar. It also causes a mark shaped like a lion head to appear on his left shoulder, but no one notices it, and it disappears soon after. As the hyenas stare in shock, Bunga escapes. Kion's roar was heard all across the Pridelands, and Rafiki tells Simba and Nala that it is time. He tells Kion and Bunga that the roar was the Roar of the Elders. When Kion uses it, the Lions of the Past roar with him. Simba tells him that his new power makes him the fiercest animal in the Pridelands. Rafiki says that Simba has to be the one to tell Kion about the Lion Guard. He leads them to the base of Pride Rock, where a cave is hidden behind a wall of vines and leaves, like in *Tangled*. This is the lair of the Lion Guard. There are paintings all over the walls. The Lion Guard is the team that protects the Pridelands and defends the Circle of Life. Kion asks what happened to them. Simba explains that the second born lion of the royal family always inherits the Roar of the Elders. When Mufasa was king, Scar was the leader of the Lion Guard. However, the Roar made Scar feel powerful, and it went to his head. He decided that he should be king, and asked the other members of the Lion Guard to help him overthrow Mufasa. When they refused, he used the Roar to kill them. Because he used it for evil though, he lost the power. Rafiki says the Roar can be used for great good, but it can also lead to terrible evil. Kion says he'd never be like Scar. Simba tells him that starting today, he's the leader of the new Lion Guard. He has to assemble the Pridelands' bravest, fastest, strongest, and keenest of sight. He heads out and says he'll make his dad proud. Bunga follows him, and Kion asks him to join the Guard, because he's the bravest animal he knows. Mzingo the vulture overhears them and decides to tell Janja. Kion and Bunga hear someone calling for help, but it turns out that one of Kiara's friends, Zuri, just had her claws stuck on a log. Bunga tells her, Tiifu, Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa that Simba just put Kion in charge of the new Lion Guard, and he's going to be on the Guard too. Kiara doesn't think they can protect the Pridelands. Mzingo talks to Janja and his clan by a volcano. They've heard stories of the Lion Guard. With them patrolling the Pridelands, it would be impossible for the Outlanders to take however many animals they want for food. Janja decides to strike right away before the Lion Guard is ready. Kion asks Ono to join the Guard as the keenest of sight, and Beshte as the strongest. Fuli is busy being chased by baboons, and Kion comes up with a plan to get them off her back. He asks them all to join the new Lion Guard, but Fuli doesn't think he can be fierce. He tries to show them the Roar of the Elders, but all that comes out is a cute little squeak. Zazu, Simba, Kiara, and Tiifu show up. Kiara told Simba what Kion was doing, and she leaves with Tiifu to practice tracking gazelles. Kion confirms that he's asked Bunga to join the Guard. Simba thinks he's just playing a game with his friends, and points out that the Lion Guard has always been made of lions, and believes that a Guard with just one lion can't protect the Pridelands. Kion says that Fuli is the fastest, Beshte is the strongest, Ono is the keenest of sight, and Bunga is the bravest. He leaves to think and have some time to himself. Kiara and Tiifu see Janja's clan and Mzingo by the herd of gazelles. Tiifu leaves to warn Simba, and Kiara keeps watching them. While Kion is doubting himself and his ability to use the Roar and be a leader, *Mufasa* suddenly appears in the sky and introduces himself, voiced by the one and only James Earl Jones. He tells Kion that Simba is worried, but only because he loves him. Being leader of the Lion Guard won't always be easy. Kion doesn't want to end up like Scar. Mufasa tells him to not be afraid and to trust his instincts, and that he and the Roar will be there for Kion whenever he needs it. The lion head reappears on Kion's shoulder again, seemingly for good this time, marking him as the fiercest animal in the Pridelands. Bunga shows up and tells him that Janja's hyenas are attacking the gazelles. Beshte, Fuli, and Ono are watching them. Mzingo is telling them which ones to target next. They've already killed enough gazelles to feed themselves, so they should've stopped attacking by now. Kion says they'll keep going until the whole herd is dead. Oh my gosh, a Disney show, heck, a Disney *Junior* show that actually used the word dead! And in their first episode too! They don't care about the Circle of Life. They want to throw the Pridelands into chaos. It's up to the Lion Guard to stop them. It doesn't matter if they're not all lions. They're the Pridelands' fiercest, bravest, fastest, strongest, and keenest of sight. This isn't a game. They need a plan to take on the hyenas, and Kion has one. The others agree to join the Lion Guard, and Kion marks them with their own lion heads on their left shoulders, or in Ono's case, his wing. They lead all the hyenas into each other, and Beshte slams into them, which sends them flying. Tiifu shows up with Simba, Nala, and Rafiki. They see the new Lion Guard chasing the hyenas away. However, the startled herd of gazelles is charging right towards Kiara, who is hiding behind a rock. She hurts her paw when one of the gazelles steps on it. Ono sees her and tells Kion. Fuli can get there quickly, and Bunga rides on her like he did at the beginning of the episode. Ono shows them where Kiara is. Bunga jumps on the gazelles to get closer, and uses pheromones to scare them away. Yes, they treat it as a fart, but real honey badgers actually do have pouches that apparently smell suffocating, and it's possible that they use this to assist in calming bees while raiding a hive. And no, despite popular belief, I don't think that there's any proof that honeyguide birds actually guide honey badgers, or anything else, to beehives. Man, the zoology lessons at my middle school about symbiotic relationships were really out of date. Sure, the Disney films and shows get plenty wrong too, but that's either a case of artistic license, or someone didn't know any better, or it's part of a joke, like all cats hating water or cheetahs having soft fur, when in reality, they don't. Anyways, Kiara thanks Bunga for saving her. Ono tells Kion that she's safe, and he decides to give Janja and his hyenas something to remember. Simba and Kiara realize that Kion knew what he was doing when he picked the members of the Lion Guard. He uses the Roar to scare the hyenas away.

## Review

I do like this show, but I understand why some people might not. I honestly think it would be better if it took place after *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride*, with Kion as Kiara's new younger brother that she can give advice to, or even as her and Kovu's son. Then there wouldn't be any weird continuity problems, and we'd finally learn what happened after that movie ended, instead of getting weird interquels. I personally like seasons 2 and 3 more than the first one, partly because they're a bit darker and more serialized. I think I'll do that thing I sometimes do with longer and more filler heavy shows where I just summarize important parts of episodes, and only look at ones I really like or end up being important to the overall plot. I really like the theme song and the end credits music. There are some weird design choices, like Simba and Nala being smaller than they were in the films, and Timon being larger, but that's probably so they can be visible in the frame when they're next to the child sized characters. Also, Rob Lowe of *The West Wing* fame voices Simba here, instead of Matthew Broderick, his adult voice actor in the films, or Cam Clarke, his voice actor in other material, like video games. It did bother me a bit at first, but I like Rob Lowe, and I got used to it. It does kind of bug me that they either couldn't or didn't get Cam Clarke to voice Simba though, because he ended up voicing a vulture later on. Maybe they thought he was too old for the role? Which doesn't explain one or two of their casting choices in regards to two of the singing voices for two songs during season 3, but whatever.