The sun rises over the African savanna and Hans Zimmer’s beautiful score plays. The introduction is instantly familiar, with visuals and music that take you back to Disney’s animated classic, The Lion King. And yet, this is Disney Junior’s new series The Lion Guard.
Taking place after The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, The Lion Guard focuses on Simba and Nala’s second child, a little lion named Kion. In the premier TV movie, “Return of the Roar,” Kion and Bunga, the honey badger nephew of Timon & Pumba, get into trouble when they are attacked by hyenas. But when Kion discovers the power of his roar, Rafiki puts him in charge of “The Lion Guard,” an ancient order of savannah protectors who were disbanded when Scar used his roar for evil. Now he must assemble a team to help him.
The November 22nd premiere event on Disney Channel recaptured the spirit of the original film. With all of the characters you love starring in the series, kids will love Kion’s adventures and parents won’t mind returning to the pride lands. While the characters look a little off-model from the original film with simpler designs, the colors are right and there’s even a hyena scene with colors reminiscent of “Be Prepared.”
Like Jake and the Never Land Pirates, The Lion Guard is a fun series for preschoolers that captures the essence of a classic Disney animated film. The premiere movie didn’t feature any interactive elements, meaning it never pandered to kids asking them to perform an action to help move the plot along. Like Sofia the First, The Lion Guard is all plot but also teaches valuable lessons about family and friendship.