Simba

In The Lion King, Prince Simba, son to King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi of the Pride Lands, is eager to eventually replace his father as King until Mufasa is suddenly murdered by Simba's treacherous uncle Scar. Convinced by Scar that he is responsible for his own father's death, Simba flees to a distant jungle where he ignores his responsibilities as heir apparent in an attempt to forget about his trouble past while the tyrannical Scar takes over the kingdom in his absence. When confronted by his childhood best friend Nala several years later, Simba, advised by a wise mandrill and his father's spirit, finally realizes that he must return home to overthrow his uncle and take his rightful place as King. In Simba's Pride, Simba and Nala have a daughter, Kiara, whose personality is reminiscent of his own.

Although considered an original character, Simba was inspired by Bambi from Disney's Bambi (1942), as well as the stories of Moses and Joseph from the Bible. Additionally, several similarities have been drawn between Simba and Prince Hamlet from William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. In 1997, The Lion King was adapted into Broadway musical, with Scott Irby-Ranniar and Jason Raize originating the roles of cub and young adult Simba. Simba has received a mixed reception from film and entertainment critics, who tended to compliment his design and Broderick's portrayal, but felt that the character was unoriginal and uninteresting. In spite of his rather lukewarm reception, the character has remained popular, including as a common modern-day pet name.

Development
The idea for The Lion King originated from Jeffrey Katzenberg in 1989[2] and was originally conceived under the title King of the Jungle.[3] The story, which has been compared to Bambi (1942),[4] was jokingly referred to as "Bambi in Africa" because of the similarities between the two films and their respective main characters.[5] Co-director Rob Minkoff said that both films are "more true-life adventure than mythical epic."[5] Though considered an original[6][7] coming-of-age[8] story that follows the life of Simba as he grows up and "tak[es] on the responsibility of adulthood," co-directors Roger Allers and Minkoff drew inspiration from other sources. In particular, the biblical figures Moses and Joseph served as creative inspiration for the character.[9] Producer Don Hahn said that, like them, Simba is "born into royalty, is then exiled, and has to return to claim [his] kingdom."[10]

Several film and entertainment critics have noted similarities and parallels between the stories of The Lion King and William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, and their protagonists.[11][12][13][14] Allers said that these similarities were not initially intentional and came as a surprise to the filmmakers themselves; they noticed the similarities only after the story was established and they eventually decided to pursue it. According to Hahn, "When we first pitched the revised outline of the movie ... someone in the room announced that its themes and relationships were similar to Hamlet. Everyone responded favorably to the idea that we were doing something Shakespearean, so we continued to look for ways to model our film on that all-time classic."[10]

Screenwriter Jonathan Roberts said that, in a musical, songs are used to convey a character's emotions and "I wants." Composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice wrote the song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" in order to give Simba a medium through which he can express his desire to become King of the Pride Lands. Roberts said, "It's a way for storytellers to move the story and deliver the direction of the character."[15]

History
Released in 1994, The Lion King marks Simba's first appearance. All the animals in the Pride Lands gather at the foot of Pride Rock to commemorate the birth of Simba, who will eventually succeed to the throne and take his father Mufasa's place as king. Furious by the fact that he is no longer next in line, Simba's jealous uncle Scar refuses to attend the ceremony. While Simba grows into a rambunctious lion cub who frequently boasts about the fact that he will someday rule over the Pride Lands, Scar secretly plots against him.

Scar plots regicide and familicide against Simba and Mufasa by luring Simba into a vast gorge, where he triggers a wildebeest stampede. Notified by Scar that Simba is in danger, Mufasa rushes to his aid and manages to place him safely on a ledge. Weakened and unable to pull himself up the steep slope to safety, Mufasa asks his brother for assistance. However, Scar's true nature is revealed and he betrays Mufasa, throwing him into the gorge where he is killed by the fall.

Convinced by Scar that he is responsible for his father's death, Simba runs away to a distant jungle where he is befriended by Timon and Pumbaa, who teach him to ignore his past and avoid his responsibilities. There, he grows into a handsome young lion while Scar wreaks havoc on the Pride Lands. When Simba is discovered by his childhood friend Nala several years later, she confronts him, warning him of Scar's tyranny and ordering him to return home. Afraid of facing his past, Simba refuses until a wise mandrill named Rafiki leads him to Mufasa's ghost, who convinces him to return home and reclaim his kingdom from Scar.

Simba returns to the Pride Lands and finds them barren because their natural resources have been squandered and abused by Scar. After witnessing Scar strike his mother Sarabi, Simba orders Scar to resign. At first thrown by the fact that he is alive, Scar soon regains composure and forces Simba to admit to the pride that he is responsible for Mufasa's death, while cornering him at the edge of Pride Rock, hoping to subject him to a similar fate as his father. Having grown overconfident, Scar finally reveals to Simba that he, in fact, killed Mufasa. Enraged, Simba finds the strength and courage to force Scar to announce this to the pride, initiating a battle between Simba's pride of lionesses and Scar's army of hyenas. After a grueling fight with Scar, Simba ultimately defeats him and takes his rightful place as king. When the kingdom returns to its former glory, the animals welcome the birth of King Simba and Queen Nala's first born.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

A direct-to-video sequel released in 1998, Simba's Pride takes place shortly after the events of the first film, depicting Simba and Nala as king and queen of the Pride Lands. In a ceremony at Pride Rock, the Pride Lands commemorate the birth of Simba and Nala's daughter Kiara, of whom Simba is overprotective. He discovers that Kiara has disobeyed him by visiting the forbidden Outlands, home to an enemy pride of Scar's followers known as the Outsiders, and befriending a young member of the pride named Kovu. After a close confrontation with Kovu's mother Zira, the leader of the Outsiders and Scar's mate and most loyal follower, Simba separates the two and reminds Kiara of her responsibilities as a princess. Meanwhile, Zira plots to trick Kovu in order to gain revenge on Simba for killing Scar.

Several years later, Simba grants a young adult Kiara permission to embark on her first hunting excursion. Despite the fact that he promised her independence, Simba assigns Timon and Pumbaa to follow and watch her. Angered by her father's overprotectiveness, Kiara decides to rebel and pursue her hunt outside of the Pride Lands, where she nearly falls victim to a wildfire. Kiara is rescued by Kovu, who returns her to the Pride Lands, all secretly part of Zira's plan to overthrow Simba. Claiming to have left the Outsiders, Kovu asks Simba for permission to join his pride. Simba reluctantly agrees, but does not trust Kovu because of his prior association with and likeness to Scar, and continues to treat him coldly. That night Simba dreams about attempting to save Mufasa from falling into the stampede but is stopped by Scar who turns into Kovu and throws Simba off the cliff into the stampede.

While Kiara and Kovu's friendship continues to grow, Simba, encouraged by Nala, tries to show Kovu kindness by spending a day with him. Realizing that Kovu is beginning to side with Simba because of his love for Kiara, Zira ambushes and attacks Simba. Convinced by Zira that Kovu is to blame, Simba exiles him and forbids Kiara from continuing to see him, but she ignores this and leaves to find Kovu. When a battle ensues between the Pride Landers and the Outsiders, Kiara and Kovu arrive and interrupt it. Kiara manages to convince Simba to stop the fight, and the battle ceases. When a furious Zira attacks Simba, she is intercepted by Kiara, causing the two to fall over the edge of a cliff. Kiara, who has landed safely on a ledge, offers to help Zira, who is struggling to hang on. However, Zira, consumed by her hatred towards Simba, refuses to accept her assistance and falls into the raging water below. Simba finally approves of Kiara's love for Kovu and reconciles with his daughter.[27]

The Lion King 1½



In The Lion King 1½, a direct-to-video interquel released in 2004, 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 Lion King,[28][29] in which they appear as supporting characters. Although the two films technically share the same story and timeline, the plot of The Lion King 1½ focuses more on Timon and Pumbaa. The meerkat and warthog unknowingly coexist alongside Simba, and the story fills in the two characters' backstories and events that lead 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."[30] The film also explores, in further detail, the relationship among the three characters as Timon and Pumbaa struggle to raise Simba as adoptive "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 young lion.[31]

Timon & Pumbaa and television



The success of The Lion King and popularity of its characters led to the production of Timon & Pumbaa, an animated television series starring Timon and Pumbaa. Simba makes several brief appearances, including one episode in which Timon drags him out to try to revive Pumbaa's lost memory.

In the episode "Congo On Like This," Timon and Pumbaa suspect that Simba has reverted to his carnivorous nature. The episode "Shake Your Djibouti" again features Simba, when Timon and Pumbaa are forced to train him to protect them from a laboratory monster. Another episode, entitled "Rome Alone," shows Simba being captured by Romans and forced into gladiatorial battle with another lion named Claudius. Simba also appears in a music video of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" starring Timon and Pumbaa.

Simba was featured as a guest in the animated series House of Mouse, in which alternates between cub and adult.

In November 2015 an new series based on the film called The Lion Guard will feature Simba having a son named Kion.

Broadway musical



The success of The Lion King led to the production of a Broadway musical based on the film. Directed by Julie Taymor, with a book by Irene Mecchi and Roger Allers, The Lion King premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 13, 1997, where it ran for nine years until being moved to the Minskoff Theatre on June 13, 2006.[32] The role of Simba was originated by Scott Irby-Ranniar and Jason Raize, with Irby-Ranniar portraying Young Simba and Raize portraying Adult Simba.[33]

Raize auditioned for the role of Adult Simba after hearing that Taymor was looking to cast an actor who was of "unidentifiable ethnicity."[8] Raize revealed in an interview that there was a lot of competition for the role because the musical required "triple-threat work -- singing, dancing and acting -- that you don't get to such an extent in other shows. It was more the sense of who can take the challenge and not be daunted by the task." Raize, who instantly felt that he "had a connection with Simba," eventually won the role with the approval of Taymor and choreographer Garth Fagan,[34] with Fagan admiring the fact that Raize was "willing to try, to fail, and then to try again."[8] Once cast, Raize found it difficult to maintain Taymor's "sense of duality" because Simba is "both man and beast." He said, "The tendency is to sacrifice one for the other, but you can't."[35] Although hundreds of children auditioned for the role of Young Simba,[36] the casting process was far less grueling for Irby-Ranniar who, according to Taymor, simply "walked in and he had the part."[37]

Miscellaneous
Books



In 1994 six books called The Lion King: Six New Adventures which where set after the events of the first film and showed Simba and Nala having a son named Kopa.

Merchandising and video games





As part of the franchise's merchandising, Simba has appeared in various The Lion King-related products.[38] 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.[39] The success of the Broadway musical has also lead to its own line of merchandising,[40] including the Simba beanbag doll, based on the character's appearance and costume in the Broadway show.[41][42]

Since the film's 1994 debut, Simba has appeared as a playable character in a variety of video game releases, both directly and indirectly associated with the franchise. The character's first appearance as a video game character was in The Lion King, which was released by Virgin Interactive on November 1, 1994, for the video game platforms Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Game Gear, Nintendo Entertainment System and PC.[43] The game follows the plot of the original film and features Simba as both a cub and an adult.[44]

On December 28, 2000,[45] Activision released The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure for Game Boy Color and PlayStation.[46] The game encompasses 10 levels and incorporates the plot of both The Lion King and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride as "Simba ... matures from a precocious cub to an adult lion."[47] Simba also appears as a playable character in Disney Interactive Studios' Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, released on September 3, 2003, for Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox,[48] and Disney Friends, released for Nintendo DS on February 26, 2008.[49] Additionally, Simba appears in the Square Enix Kingdom Hearts video game franchise as a friend and ally of the series' main character, Sora.[50][51][52][53][54]

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts



Live versions of Simba appear in the Lion King musical and in the parades and shows at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Simba was also the main character in "Legend of the Lion King," a former Fantasyland attraction in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, which retold the story of the film using fully articulated puppets. Other Disney attractions that have featured Simba include the Mickey's PhilharMagic 3D show and the Hong Kong Disneyland version of It's a Small World.

He appears as one of the main characters at Epcot's Land Pavilion 70-minute edutainment film Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable.