‘The Lion Guard’ Roars at Disney Junior

Category: Television and Streaming

When Disney Channel premiered the movie The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar in November 2015, fans of The Lion King had a treat with the next generation of lions and their friends. The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar focused on Simba’s son Kion who in inherited the ability to “roar” up a storm. Kion was entrusted with assembling a new Lion Guard, which he promptly did. But Kion created a different Lion Guard than those in the past. With the exception of himself, his Lion Guard does not consist of lions. After all, his father told him to assemble the fiercest, bravest, fastest, strongest, and keenest of sight. So he looked to his friends and found his special Lion Guard.

Now the series hits the airwaves with Kion and his friends encountering various situations and proving their worth. The Lion Guard protects the Pride Lands, and under Kion the new guard consists of Bunga, a fearless honey badger; Fuli, a confident cheetah; Beshte, a happy-go- lucky hippo; and Ono, an intellectual egret. Each character is loveable and together they make quite a group.

While this series is aimed at ages 2-7 and their families, adults won’t be bored. The Lion King has been beloved for generations since it debuted in 1994. And the subsequent films, The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (1998) and The Lion King 1 ½ (2004), not to mention the TV series, have characters everyone enjoys. Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki and others are instantly recognizable by viewers.

The experts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park in Orlando consult on the show, making this as interesting for adults as it is for kids. Each episode will include some Swahili words and phrases along with fun original songs. The goal of the show is to teach lessons about teamwork, diversity, and community. Kion’s little ragtag group is adorable and work together to solve problems and protect the Pride Lands, all while entertaining viewers.

Rob Lowe voices Simba and Gabrielle Union voices Nala. Little Kion is voiced by Max Charles, who voiced Sherman in The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show.

The Lion Guard premiers on Disney Junior on The Disney Channel January 15, 2016.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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