Simba is a fictional character inDisney'sThe Lion Kingfranchise. First appearing as a lion cub inThe Lion King (1994), the character flees his homeland when his father, KingMufasa, ismurdered by his treacherous uncle,Scar (Taka), who also guilts Simba into believing he is responsible for Mufasa's death. Several years later, Simba returns home as an adult to reconcile hischildhood trauma, confront Scar, and reclaim hisbirthright as King of the Pride Lands. He subsequently appears in the sequelsThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride andThe Lion King 1½.
Created by screenwritersIrene Mecchi,Jonathan Roberts, andLinda Woolverton, Simba underwent several changes as the film's story was revised, including making him a more sympathetic character and establishing hisfamilial relation to Scar. Although conceived as an original character, Simba was inspired byMoses andJoseph from theBible, as well asPrince Hamlet fromWilliam Shakespeare'sHamlet. Despite sharing similarities with thetitle character from theanime television seriesKimba the White Lion, Disney maintains that Simba was not inspired by Kimba.Mark Henn andRuben A. Aquino were supervising animators for the cub and adult Simba, respectively, with both animators researching live lions and drawing inspiration from the character's voice actors. Simba was originally voiced by actorsMatthew Broderick andJonathan Taylor Thomas as an adult and cub, respectively; various actors have voiced the character in sequels, spin-offs, and related media.
Simba has received a mixed reception from film critics, some of whom praised his design but found him uninteresting as a main character. However, several publications have ranked Simba among Disney's most iconic characters, and consider him to be one of themost famous lions in popular culture. The character's likeness has been used in severaltie-in products, including merchandise, television series, and video games. In 1997,The Lion King actorsScott Irby-Ranniar andJason Raize originated the role onBroadway. In 2019,Donald Glover andJD McCrary voiced the character in aphotorealistic remake of the film.
Simba first appears inThe Lion King as a cub, the son of KingMufasa andQueen Sarabi.[1] As Mufasa's heir, Simba is destined to become the next King of the Pride Lands.[2] However, Simba's jealous uncleScar plots against him in order to seize the throne for himself, betraying and killing Mufasa after he rescues Simba from awildebeest stampede, and then deceiving Simba into believing he is responsible for Mufasa's death.[3] Crippled with guilt, Simba flees to the jungle where he befriendsTimon and Pumbaa, ameerkat andwarthog who raise him and teach him to live the carefree lifestyle,[3][4] but, for some reason, Simba hadn't noticed that he continuously struggles to ignore his past just for close attention.[5] Years later, Simba's childhood friendNala finds him and convinces him to return to the Pride Lands which has grown barren and starving under Scar's rule.[3] After being visited by Rafiki and Mufasa's spirit who reminds him of his responsibilities, Simba confronts Scar who finally admits to killing Mufasa and defeats him, reclaiming his rightful place as king.[6] With order restored and Scar killed by the hyenas, Simba and Nala have a child, thus ushering in hope for the future of the Pride Lands.[7]
InThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Simba and Nala commemorate the birth of their daughter,Kiara, who Simba is overprotective of since she grows up to be adventurous and rebellious like he was as a cub. Simba discovers that Kiara has visited the forbidden Outlands – home to an enemy pride of Scar's exiled followers known as the Outsiders – and befriendedKovu, the younger son of the pride's leader,Zira. Unbeknownst to them, Zira is grooming Kovu to avenge Scar by usurping Simba. Several years later, Kovu rescues Kiara from awildfire started by Kovu's siblings, Nuka and Vitani. Simba reluctantly lets Kovu, who claims to have left the Outsiders, live with them, but continues to act coldly towards him. Witnessing Kiara and Kovu's growing friendship, Simba decides to spend a day getting to know Kovu. Realizing that Kovu is beginning to side with Simba due to his feelings for Kiara, Zira ambushes Simba and convinces him that Kovu orchestrated the attack. After narrowly escaping with his life, Simba exiles Kovu and forbids Kiara from seeing him, prompting her to leave. When a battle ensues between the Pride Landers and Outsiders, Kiara and Kovu return to stop them, with Kiara helping Simba and the prides reconcile their differences peacefully. Zira attacks Simba as he is about to accept the Outsiders back into his pride, but he she is intercepted by Kiara, causing the pair of lionesses to tumble over the edge of a cliff. Having landed safely on a ledge, Kiara offers to help Zira, who is struggling to hang on. However, Zira, consumed by resentment, refuses help and falls to her death. Simba finally accepts Kovu into the pride and reconciles with his daughter.[8]
InThe Lion King 1½, Simba appears as a less prominent character because the film's primary focus is on Timon and Pumbaa's behind-the-scenes role and involvement in the events ofThe Lion King.[9][10] Although the two films technically share the same story and timeline, the plot ofThe Lion King 1½ focuses more on Timon and Pumbaa. Themeerkat andwarthog unknowingly coexist alongside Simba, and the story fills in the two characters'backstories and events that led up to their long-lasting friendship, coinciding with and often initiating the events that affect Simba's life during the first film. These events include the commemorative bow that occurs during the opening "Circle of Life" musical number and the collapsing of the animal tower that takes place during "I Just Can't Wait to Be King".[11] The film also explores, in further detail, the relationship among the three characters as Timon and Pumbaa struggle to raise Simba asadoptive "parents" and disapprove of his relationship with Nala, portraying Simba as he grows from an energetic young lion cub, into an incorrigible teenager and, finally, an independent younglion.[12]
The Lion King was conceived in 1988.[13] Although considered an original story[14][15][note 1] that follows a young lion, Simba, becoming an adult and learning to take responsibility for his actions,[20][21] the film's creators drew inspiration for the character from various sources, namely severalcoming-of-age stories and thebiblical figuresMoses andJoseph.[22][23] The film underwent several title changes, one of the earliest of which wasKing of the Jungle.[24] According to producerDon Hahn, this title was intended to serve as anallegory about Simba needing to survive and grow up in both a literal andmetaphorical jungle.[25] However, they renamed itThe Lion King upon realizing lions don't live in jungles, and wanting to shift focus to a simpler story about a lion becoming king.[26] Some filmmakers nicknamed the film "Bambiin Africa" due to similarities betweenThe Lion King and Disney's ownBambi.[27] The name "Simba" is theSwahili word for "lion".[28][29] Unlike Disney's three previous romantic filmsThe Little Mermaid,Beauty and the Beast, andAladdin,The Lion King focuses on Simba's relationship with his father.[30]
In April 1992, the filmmakers hosted a "brainstorming session" in which much of the film, including Simba's personality, was re-written.[30] Story supervisorBrenda Chapman realized they had written a proud, unlikeable character.[31] Originally, Simba was intended to remain with his pride afterMufasa's death until this was revised to make him a moresympathetic character.[30] Additionally, one of the earliest iterations of Scar was a rogue lion unrelated to Simba,[25] whereas Simba was meant to be raised by Scar in another version.[32][33] According toDisney Theatrical Group presidentTom Schumacher, Scar was planned to kill Simba and Mufasa at the same time, only for other characters to mistake him for saving Simba from the stampede.[34] Instead of meetingTimon and Pumbaa, this version of Simba would have grown up a slacker under Scar's reign, making him easier to overthrow.[35][36] A short scene depicting a young Simba wandering the desert before meeting Timon and Pumbaa was also cut.[37]
ScreenwriterLinda Woolverton, one of the writers credited with creating the character,[38] joined the film to revise its screenplay, which included providing Simba with a stronger adversary by changing the rogue lion into Simba's uncle.[39] She felt the change contributed moreShakespearean elements to the story.[39] The character has often been compared toPrince Hamlet fromWilliam Shakespeare's tragedyHamlet.[40] In an earlier version of the script, Simba was meant to lose his final fight to Scar, being thrown from Pride Rock before his uncle ultimately dies in a fire.[25][41] Nala's younger brother Mheetu, who Simba was to have rescued from a stampede, was also written out of the film,[25] as well as a trio of Simba's childhood friends.[42] For a while, the story team struggled to come up with a convincing reason as to why Simba would believe he was responsible for Mufasa's death, without killing him.[43] Story artistChris Sanders explained that the key to this was eventually accepting that a young child in an extremely emotional state would simply believe what their uncle told them.[43]
Addressing online speculation that Simba and Nala could potentially be related since Mufasa and Scar are the only adult male lions identified in the film, Woolverton acknowledged that although it is possible, she had never written Simba and Nala as cousins or siblings.[44] Although Woolverton admitted that songs such as "Hakuna Matata" were non-essential to the plot and arrived later during the writing process, she confirmed that it helps demonstrate Simba during his "lost boy" phase.[45] Some of Disney's marketing team doubted Simba's marketability, since most of Disney's lead characters at the time were female or princesses.[46]
ActorMatthew Broderick provided the speaking voice of adult Simba.[42] The first actor cast forThe Lion King,[15] Broderick learned that Disney was interested in him for the lead role while he was vacationing in Ireland,[47] to where Disney sent him sketches of Simba.[48] The filmmakers hired him based on his performance in theteen comedy filmFerris Bueller's Day Off.[47][49] According to Hahn, Broderick was cast because his voice invoked a character who could be irresponsible yet likeable enough to redeem himself.[50] Minkoff recalled that the actor was able to humanize the character, preventing the hero from "becoming 2-dimensional" using a combination of sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and humor.[30] Having been involved in the film since early development,[47] Broderick said he had always assumedThe Lion King was an adaptation ofHamlet,[33] elements of which were most prominent when he was first cast.[47] Broderick worked on the film on-and-off for two-three years,[51][42] often re-recording his work to match what the animators had drawn several months later.[47] He also slightly lowered his pitch to establish Simba's maturity once he decides to become king.[52] Although Broderick recorded most of his lines alone, he briefly recorded with an actress who had originally been cast as Nala until she was ultimately replaced withMoira Kelly, which Broderick only learned had happened at the film's premiere.[47] The actor said he sometimes felt left out when recording his lines, which were more somber in comparison to the film's supporting cast.[49]
Disney auditioned dozens ofchild actors for the role of young Simba, searching for an actor who could embody "a scrappy young kid".[53] ActorJonathan Taylor Thomas was cast as the speaking voice of young Simba.[54][55] He was 12 years-old at the time.[56] Thomas did not alter his voice for the character,[53] but simply spoke "with a real kid spirit" since Simba had been described to him by the film's directors as "energetically cocky".[56] Thomas recorded his lines in hour-long sessions over the course of a year and a half.[57] Because he was working by himself, he improvised much of what other characters were supposed to be saying to his character due to the lack of other actors on set.[58][57] Due to his busy schedule, Thomas recorded some his dialogue on theHome Improvement set, thesitcom on which he was starring at the time,[57] since both productions were filmed onDisney's Burbank lot.[53] His recording sessions were video recorded, which animators used to incorporate some of Thomas' expressions and mannerisms into their drawings,[57][59] namely the actor's "sly smile".[58] His appearance and personality served as creative inspiration for supervising animatorMark Henn in particular.[14] The actor found Simba's curiosity similar to his own.[57] He also likened Simba to hisHome Improvement characterRandy Taylor, describing both as curious, intuitive, confident, and quick-witted.[58] Hahn recalled "rough[ing Thomas] up" during certain recording sessions when his character was intended to sound active or out of breath, in order to deliver a convincing performance.[53]
Although Broderick recorded his character's songs twice, the studio opted not to use his vocals in the final film, which the actor attributed to Disney being interested in a poppier sound than he was capable of delivering.[60]Toto lead singerJoseph Williams and actorJason Weaver provided the singing voices of adult and young Simba, respectively.[61] Williams was originally hired to record all ofAladdin's vocals.[62] However,Aladdin's songwriters preferred a more theatrical voice over Williams', and ultimately replaced him with actorBrad Kane.[62] Several months later, Disney's music supervisor Chris Montan invited Williams back to record somedemos, which ultimately became the songs used inThe Lion King.[63] Although Williams speculated that he would be replaced similar toAladdin, all of his vocals were retained in the final film.[62] Williams claims Broderick was upset that Disney had decided todub him.[64] He recorded "Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight" for the film.[65]
Impressed by Weaver's performance as a youngMichael Jackson in theminiseriesThe Jacksons: An American Dream, songwritersElton John andTim Rice recruited him to record "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata" whileThe Lion King was still in its early stages and little animation had been completed.[66][67] Weaver said the songwriters approached his mother about wanting Simba's singing voice to have "a young Michael Jackson vibe".[68] Weaver recorded "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" only a few days after completing the miniseries, with John in particular vouching for his involvement inThe Lion King.[69] His meeting with Disney in Burbank was intended to only be an audition but he ultimately recorded "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" in two takes, completing his work before he had to fly back to Chicago.[68] His recording from the audition was ultimately retained for the final film, which Weaver said they had prepared for extensively prior.[68] Impressed by his performance, the directors considered offering Weaver the speaking role as well before learning that negotiations with Thomas had already been finalized.[70] Disney originally offered Weaver $2 millionUSD for his work onThe Lion King, but Weaver's mother declined in favor of a deal securing $100,000 upfront and lifetimeroyalties.[71][72] Weaver receives a portion of the film's revenue every time it is re-released, and his total earnings have since exceeded Disney's initial offer.[73] Weaver was not invited to the film's premiere and did little promotion for it, which he attributes to Disney's desire to use the bigger names in the cast to promote the film.[68] Voice actorFrank Welker provided the roars of adult Simba and all other lions, simulating the effect using a trash can.[74]
Disney has long deniedaccusations thatThe Lion King is based on the anime seriesKimba the White Lion, despite similarities between the names "Simba" and "Kimba", as well as someconcept art depicting Simba as awhite lion.[75][76] The studio maintains that any parallels are coincidental.[77][78] However, Broderick said he thought he had originally been cast in an American remake ofKimba because the characters seemed so similar to him at first.[79] Because Disney was prioritizingPocahontas overThe Lion King, the former of which most of their experienced animators gravitated towards since the studio considered it the more promising of the two projects,[80][81] Simba was one of the fewLion King characters animated at the studio's main California location.[31] This proved challenging for the production team because Simba shares several scenes with characters who were animated inFlorida.[31]
ActorJonathan Taylor Thomas voiced young Simba and served as visual inspiration for his animators.
The role of Simba's supervising animator was divided betweenRuben A. Aquino and Mark Henn, the former of whom was the first animator hired forThe Lion King.[30] Henn served as the supervising animator of Simba as a cub,[82] and Aquino animated him as an adult.[83][84] Aquino and Henn worked on the character from Disney's California and Florida studios, respectively.[20] According to Aquino, animatingfour-legged creatures is difficult because artists are required to draw twice as many legs as human characters, while still incorporating human-like qualities.[85] For assistance, Aquino drew inspiration from Disney's previous animal films such asBambi,Lady and the Tramp, andThe Jungle Book.[85] Aquino based his early drawings of Simba on Broderick,[86] whose voice he said offers the character "a lot of humor and vulnerability ... which really gave me something to go on and made it easier for me to flesh out my performance".[85] Aquino would quietly sketch Broderick live during his sessions, which would end up informing each other's performances.[48] Because the adult version of the character is introducedmildly depressed, Aquino originally drew him with sad, soulful eyes and a disheveled mane, but redesigned him to look more heroic at Hahn's request.[86] As a result, Simba ended up resembling Mufasa.[86] To make sure the character looked believable, Aquino studied live lions loaned to the studio and consulted with zoologists.[86]
Henn animated Simba's scenes from the beginning of the film until approximately the "Hakuna Matata" sequence,[87] including Simba's first appearance as an adult towards the end of the musical number.[20] BeforeThe Lion King, his experience as a supervising animator was limited to predominantly female characters, having previously worked onAriel fromThe Little Mermaid,Belle fromBeauty and the Beast, andJasmine fromAladdin.[20][88][89] He initially campaigned heavily to animate the film's villain, Scar, because he wanted to do something different than theprincesses he had become known for,[20][90] but Hahn convinced him to work on Simba due to his experience with main characters.[91] Hahn reminded Henn that the success of the entire film hinges on Simba's design, since he is considered the most important character inThe Lion King,[20][90] and the animator found it a welcome departure fromleading ladies nonetheless.[91] Aside fromAndreas Deja who ultimately animated Scar, Henn was the most tenured animator onThe Lion King, whose roster mostly consisted of newer or first-time animators.[91] Simba proved to be a challenge because Henn was tasked with creating an animated character who would both appear and behave like a real lion cub for the first time.[92] To achieve believability, Henn visited zoos, studied live lion cubs that were loaned to the studio for research, and consulted with wildlife professionals.[92] Henn maintained that animators can not simply use their cats as reference models due to their different anatomies.[88] Recalling their efforts to make his character as realistic as possible, Henn said that, unlike domestic cats, lion cubs “have a power ... underlying that seemingly soft exterior".[59] He was also responsible for making sure Simba's appearance remained consistent between himself, the directors, and other animators.[87]
When it came to animating the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" musical sequence, Henn insisted that Simba remain on all-fours, despite the characterexhibiting human characteristics by dancing.[87] The animators would often observe and film the actors' recording sessions, using their mannerisms as visual reference, with Thomas proving particularly influential on Simba's design and personality.[93] Henn described his version of the character as a young, cocky, inexperienced cub who had yet to mature, which he hoped would remind viewers of their younger selves.[20] Compared to adult Simba, Simba is "looser" and less physically assured, which allowed Henn to draw him "a little more awkward, his feet were a little bigger, they could be a little floppier than when he’s an adult".[20] Although Henn and Aquino did not spend much time discussing the character's design with each other, both artists referenced live lions and received input from the same research team to determine how Simba should look and behave.[20] Catherine Hinman of theOrlando Sentinel observed that the animators' extensive research resulted in "a lion cub who moves like his aristocratic cousins on the savannah but acts like the kid down the street".[94] Tom Bancroft, an animator who worked on Simba under Henn, described his supervisor as the fastest animator at Disney at the time, making it difficult for other animators to acquire their own scenes to animate as Henn would typically do them himself.[95] According to theAcademy of Art University, Henn's work on Simba "further cemented his place in [animation] history".[82]
Some journalists believe Simba's mane was based on how singerJon Bon Jovi styled his hair during the 1980s.[28][96][97] Simba spends 55% of his screen time as a cub, and the remaining 45% as an adult lion.[98] At the time of the film's release, Simba had the most screen time of any Disney hero, appearing in 49.71% of the film (or 43 minutes and 51 seconds).[98]
Vox described Simba as "the least compelling character inThe Lion King", acknowledging this might be a controversial opinion.[105]Hal Hinson ofThe Washington Post gave the character a negative review, questioning Simba as a hero and nicknaming him "the Lion Country incarnation ofFabio".[106]Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Timessaid Simba was outshone by his sidekicks, describing him as "irritatingly callow".[107]Joshua Starnes ofComingSoon.net panned Simba as a main character, describing him as the film's "weak link being both blandly designed and blandly performed".[108] Acknowledging the character's Shakespearean roots,The Baltimore Sun'sStephen Hunter called Simba a less compelling version of Hamlet,Morris the Cat, andSylvester the Cat.[109] Hunter also found adult Simba to be even less interesting than young Simba,[109] while film criticGene Siskel found the character boring.[110] Johnny Brayson ofBustle described Simba as "not as great as you remember" despite the character's popularity, criticizing his privileged upbringing, arrogance, and immaturity.[111] Jonathan Allford ofThe Guardian called Simba "a happy, slightly dislikable lion cub".[112] In 2022, Rachel Ulatowski ofScreen Rant wrote that despite differing opinions about the character, "Audiences cannot deny that Simba's design perfectly embodies his role as thetragic hero" with "an intriguing appearance that is heroic, bold, charming, but also weary and disheveled at times. The contrasting elements paint him perfectly as an exiled prince who has been through tragedy in his life".[113]
Despite the character's mixed reviews, several critics have praised Broderick's performance,[114][115][116] includingThe Washington Post'sDesson Howe.[117] Annette Basile ofFilmInk described Broderick as "excellent" in the role,[118] whilePeter Bradshaw ofThe Guardiancalled him "sumptuous".[119]Digital Spy's Mayer Nissim described Broderick's work as "wonderful".[120] Several critics and publications have rankedThe Lion King among his best films and performances.[121][122] According to the actor's biography onPBS, Broderick's work in the film and its sequels ironically delivered him "his greatest screen success (to date) in relative anonymity".[123]Gold Derby said the film earned Broderick legions of younger fans, ranking it his sixth best film.[52]MovieWeb ranked Simba the greatest performance of Thomas' career, praising his "wide range of emotions".[124] However, Janet M. Walker of theNew York Amsterdam News criticized Disney for castingwhite actors as Simba,[125] considering his parents are voiced by Black actorsJames Earl Jones andMadge Sinclair.[126]Christopher Null ofContactmusic.com panned Weaver's performance, likening his singing toMichael Jackson and saying "You almost don't want him to succeed".[116]
When the film was released, some viewersalleged that during one of Simba's scenes, he creates adust cloud that appears to spell the word "SEX" in the night sky.[127][128] In a lawsuit filed against Disney in Texas, the studio was accused of including sexualsubliminal messages in a family-oriented film,[129] while Catholic activist organizationAmerican Life League demanded an apology for including sexual material in its films.[130] AnimatorTom Sito claims the letters actually spelled "SFX", an abbreviation forspecial effects, and was aneaster egg animated by the film's special effects department.[131] Beginning in 2002, the letters were edited out of re-releases ofThe Lion King, and replaced with standard dust clouds.[127]
According to aVox writer, Simba is not as iconic as Scar or Mufasa, which they attributed to the character's perceived lack of agency and tendency to rely on instructions from other characters.[105] Contrarily, Marc Snetiker ofEntertainment Weekly described Simba as an iconic character who has "spent nearly a quarter century etched into pop culture".[132] Chhavi Puri ofPinkvilla said characters such as Simba "defined our childhood".[133] The same publication named Simba the second-best Disney character of all-time and "undoubtedly one of the best male Disney characters",[134] whileThe A.V. Club ranked him 29th.[135] AccordingToons Mag, Simba is one of the 10 best Disney cartoon characters of all time and "one of Disney's most significant characters".[136]Looper ranked Simba Disney's 37th best character of all-time.[137]Variety named Simba one of Disney's 25 most iconic characters.[59] According to Arunkumar Sekhar ofCinema Express and Rachel Ulatowski ofScreen Rant, Simba is one of the studio's most iconic animated characters.[113][138] In a 1995 article ranking "The most powerful people in entertainment",Entertainment Weekly likened Disney chairmanMichael Eisner's success story to that of Simba.[139] Publications such asWorld Animal Protection, theLos Angeles Times,Wilmington Star-News, and theBirmingham Mail consider Simba to be one of themost famous lions in popular culture.[140][141][142][143] Richard Fink ofMovieWeb declared him "the most famous lion in all of cinema".[144]
Charlotte Cripps ofThe Independent ranked Simba Disney's second best role-model for children.[145]Comic Book Resources ranked Simba Disney's 12th most likeable prince character, due to his relatability.[146]Collider ranked SimbaThe Lion King's fourth-best character,[147] as well as the bestprotagonist of theDisney Renaissance.[148] Contributor Tyler B. Searle said Simba "has one of the strongest character arcs of any Disney protagonist".[147] Writing for the same publication, Anas Yamin said Simba has the best character development of all Disney main characters.[149]Comic Book Resources ranked Simba eighth in their ranking, including him among "some of the most beloved and iconic main characters in animation history".[150]
Simba's appearance has also generated online debates discussing whether it is appropriate for fans to consider the character attractive, because he is a cartoon lion.[151][152][153][154][155][156][157] Several publications, such asRefinery 29,HuffPost,Seventeen,The Edge,YourTango,The Daily Edge,Pride, andThought Catalog, included Simba inlisticles about their most memorable "cartoon crushes",[158][159][160][161][162][163][164][165] whileElle ranked him the fourth most attractive Disney prince.[166]Polygon ranked Simba the sixth "hottest animated animal character",[167] andMashable ranked him eighth.[168]Refinery29's Anne Cohen lamented that the 2019 remake lacks the "Hot Simba Energy" of the original film.[169] Kayla Cobb ofDecider theorized that Disney wanted audiences to know that "in the lion world, Simba is a babe" by drawing him with traditionally attractive and masculine features.[170] Louis Costello, a writer forPedestrian, said "yes it’s okay to be attracted to adult Simba and yes you’re not the only one".[171] In 2019, the pop culture websitePunkee published an article asking readers "Why Are We All So Thirsty For Simba?", which author Jenna Guillaume attributed to the character's long mane, smile, "flirty eyebrow raise", and Broderick's voice.[172] Senior lecturer Dr. Lauren Rosewarne theorized that Simba's story and character development throughoutThe Lion King offers several opportunities for viewers to find him attractive, progressing from wounded, ostracized cub to “potentially offers a bad boy, and then the hero appeal that some audiences will be drawn to".[172]
During the film's opening song, "Circle of Life", Rafiki introduces a newborn Simba to a large crowd of onlooking animals gathered at the foot of Pride Rock by standing towards the edge and holding the cub high above their heads, while Mufasa and Sarabi observe from behind them.[23] The scene is considered to be one of the most famous fromThe Lion King,[173][174][175] and has been parodied in several projects since the film's release.[176] Several fans have recreated the image using their own children or pets,[177][178] including, controversially, singerMichael Jackson in 1992,[179][180] andBrendan Fraser at the end of the filmGeorge of the Jungle.[181][182] During thethird seasonfinale ofOnce Upon a Time, the main characterEmma Swan asked her parentsSnow White andDavid Nolan if they were going to hold up her yet unnamed baby brother like inThe Lion King.[183]
Since the release ofThe Lion King in 1994, the name "Simba" has increased in use and popularity among pet owners, specifically dogs and cats.[184][185] According toComcast in 2010, the use of Simba as a dog name reemerged in popularity in 2009 after experiencing a noticeable decline in 2001, ranking the name ninth out of 10 on its list of "Top 10 Trendiest Dog Names of the Year".[186] In May 2013,Yahoo! Lifestyle included the name on its list of "Trendiest Dog Names".[187] According to YouPet, Simba is the 17th most popular cat name out of 100 candidates.[188] Care2 included Simba in its article "All-around Cool Cat Names,"[189] while DutchNews.nl reported that Simba ranks among the country's most popular cat names as of July 2013.[190] In its list of "Top Popular Pet Names," BabyNames.com placed Simba at number 64 on its list of most popular dog names out of the 100 that were considered.[191]Yahoo! News UK reported that Simba was one of the most popular pet names in Britain in 2016.[192] Corresponding with theLion King remake in 2019, Simba was that year's most popular male cat name.[193] According toDaily Hive, Simba ranked among Toronto's 10 most popular dog names in 2021.[194]
ActorsDonald Glover andJD McCrary voiced adult and young Simba, respectively, in the 2019photorealisticremake ofThe Lion King.[195][196] The remake closely adheres the plot and characters from the original, but devotes more time to exploring Simba's transition from lion cub to adult.[197] Although the film had already been completed, Glover asked to rerecord his work after his own father died, claiming the experience strengthened his understanding of his character.[195] To commemorate the remake's release,Funko Pop! released several vinyl figurines of Simba and other main characters from the film.[198][199][200] Glover reprised his role in the sequelMufasa: The Lion King (2024), which coveys the story of Mufasa's origins and upbringing to Simba's daughter Kiara.[201]
ActorsScott Irby-Ranniar andJason Raize played young and adult Simba, respectively, in theoriginal Broadway cast of thestage adaptation ofThe Lion King (1997).[211][212] Raize auditioned after learning that directorJulie Taymor was looking for ethnically ambiguous actors.[213] Raize said the role was highly sought-after because the musical required more "triple-threat work" than other Broadway shows at the time, and immediately felt connected to Simba.[213] Once cast, Raize found it challenging to maintain the character's duality because Simba is "both man and beast", without sacrificing one for the other.[214] Although hundreds of child actors auditioned for the role of young Simba,[215] the casting process was much less grueling for Irby-Ranniar who, according to Taymor, simply "walked in and he had the part".[216] Both actors received positive reviews for their performances.[217][218][215]
As an part of thefranchise's merchandising, Simba has appeared in variousThe Lion King-related products.[219] The character's likeness has been used in and adapted into a variety of items, including plush toys and figurines, clothing, bedding, household decor, and appliances.[220] The success of the stage musical has also led to its own line of merchandising,[221] including the Simba beanbag doll, based on the character's appearance and costume in the Broadway show.[222][223]
Simba has appeared as aplayable character in several video games both directly and indirectly associated with theLion King franchise. The character's first appearance as avideo game character was inThe Lion King (1994),[224] which follows the plot of the original film and features Simba as both a cub and an adult.[225] Simba appears inThe Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure (2000),[226][227] which encompasses 10 levels that incorporate the plot of bothThe Lion King andThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride as "Simba ... matures from a precocious cub to an adult lion".[228]
^Disney has stated thatThe Lion King was their first "original" animated film, in the sense that its story is not directly based on or adapted from any pre-existing work or material.[16][17] Although loosely inspired by and sharing several similarities withWilliam Shakespeare's playHamlet,The Lion King is not considered to be an adaptation of the play.[18][19]
^Rooney, Darrell (director) (October 27, 1998).The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Motion picture). United States: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
^abcdCernetig, Miro; Schindehette, Susan (August 1, 1994)."Feline Groovy".People. Archived fromthe original on September 23, 2024. RetrievedJune 23, 2024.
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^Debruge, Peter (July 11, 2019)."Film Review: 'The Lion King'".Variety. RetrievedMarch 5, 2024."The Lion King" rightly took flak for casting white actors in Disney's first Africa-set animated movie ("Home Improvement" star Jonathan Taylor Thomas played young Simba, while Matthew Broderick performed the adult version).
^Walsh, Laura (May 22, 2019)."People Crushing On Old School Cartoon Characters On Twitter Will Make You Say, "Same"".Elite Daily. Archived fromthe original on October 5, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 18, 2024.As weird as it can be to crush on someone who's a cartoon (let alone the weirdness of catching feelings for an anthropomorphic character like Simba from Lion King or the foxy Robin Hood) ... If you grew up during Disney's golden era or watched a lot of '90s animated movies, chances are that you had a thing for a character who only existed on your screen.
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