Simba
Simba is a fictional character in Disney's The Lion King franchise.
First appearing as a lion cub in The Lion King (1994), the character flees his homeland when his father, King Mufasa, is killed by his treacherous uncle, Scar. Several years later, Simba returns home as an adult to reconcile his childhood trauma, confront Scar, and reclaim his rightful place as King of the Pride Lands. He subsequently appears in the sequels The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) and The Lion King 1½ (2004). Simba was originally voiced by actors Matthew Broderick and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as an adult and cub, respectively; various actors have voiced the character in related media.
| Simba | |
|---|---|
| The Lion King character | |
.png) Simba, as he appears as an adult in the original film and related media | |
| First appearance | The Lion King (1994) |
| Created by | |
| Voiced by |
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| Inspired by | |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Lion |
| Gender | Male |
| Family |
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| Spouse | Nala (wife) |
| Children | |
Created by screenwriters Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton, Simba underwent several changes as the film's story was developed, including making him a more sympathetic character, and notably establishing his familial relation to Scar. Although conceived as an original character, Simba was inspired by Bambi from Disney's Bambi (1942), Moses and Joseph from the Bible, and Prince Hamlet from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Despite sharing several similarities with the title character from the anime series Kimba the White Lion, Disney claims that Simba was not inspired by Kimba. Mark Henn and Ruben A. Aquino served as supervising animators of the cub and adult Simba, respectively, with both animators researching live lions and drawing inspiration from the character's voice actors.
Simba has received a mixed reception from film critics, some of whom 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 the most famous lions in popular culture. The character's likeness has been used in several tie-in products, including merchandise, television series, and video games. In 1997, The Lion King actors Scott Irby-Ranniar and Jason Raize originated the role on Broadway. In 2019, Donald Glover and JD McCrary voiced the character in a photorealistic remake of the film.
Development
Creation
The Lion King was conceived in 1988. Although considered an original story that follows a young lion, Simba, becoming an adult and learning to take responsibility for his actions, the film's creators drew inspiration for the character from various sources, namely several coming-of-age stories and the biblical figures Moses and Joseph. The film underwent several title changes, one of the earliest of which was King of the Jungle. According to producer Don Hahn, this title was intended to serve as an allegory about Simba needing to survive and grow up in both a literal and metaphorical jungle. However, they renamed it The Lion King upon realizing lions don't live in jungles, and wanting to shift focus to a simpler story about a lion becoming king. Some filmmakers nicknamed the film "Bambi in Africa" due to similarities between The Lion King and Disney's own Bambi (1942). The name "Simba" is the Swahili word for "lion". Unlike Disney's three previous romantic films The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Aladdin (1992), The Lion King focuses on Simba's relationship with his father.
In April 1992, the filmmakers hosted a "brainstorming session" in which much of the film, including Simba's personality, was re-written. Story supervisor Brenda Chapman realized they had written a proud, unlikeable character. Originally, Simba was intended to remain with his pride after Mufasa dies until this was revised to make him a more sympathetic character. Additionally, one of the earliest iterations of Scar was a rogue lion unrelated to Simba, whereas Simba was meant to be raised by Scar in another version. According to Disney Theatrical Group president Tom 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. Instead of meeting Timon and Pumbaa, this version of Simba would have grown up a slacker under Scar's reign, making him easier to overthrow. A short scene depicting a young Simba wandering the desert before meeting Timon and Pumbaa was also cut.
Screenwriter Linda Woolverton, one of the writers credited with creating the character, joined the film to revise its screenplay, which included providing Simba with a stronger adversary by changing the rogue lion into Simba's uncle. She felt the change contributed more Shakespearean elements to the story. The character has often been compared to Prince Hamlet from William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. 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. Nala's younger brother Mheetu, who Simba was to have rescued from a stampede, was also written out of the film, as well as a trio of Simba's childhood friends. 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. Story artist Chris Sanders explained that the key to this was eventually accepting that a young child in an extremely emotional state would simply believe accept what their uncle told them.
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. 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. Some of Disney's marketing team doubted Simba's marketability, since most of Disney's lead characters at the time were female or princesses.
Voice
Actor Matthew Broderick provided the speaking voice of adult Simba. The first actor cast for The Lion King, Broderick learned that Disney was interested in him for the lead role while he was vacationing in Ireland, to where Disney sent him sketches of Simba. The filmmakers hired him based on his performance in the teen comedy film Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). According to Hahn, Broderick was cast because his voice invoked a character who could be irresponsible yet likeable enough to redeem himself "in a very heroic way". 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. The actor also lowered his pitch slightly to establish Simba's maturity once he decides to become king. Having been involved in the film since early development, Broderick said he had always assumed The Lion King was an adaptation of Hamlet, elements of which were most prominent when he was first cast. Broderick worked on the film on-and-off for two-three years, often re-recording his work to match what the animators had drawn several months later. 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 with Moira Kelly, which Broderick only learned had happened at the film's premiere. The actor said he sometimes felt left out when recording his lines, which were more somber in comparison to the film's supporting cast.
Disney auditioned dozens of child actors for the role of young Simba, searching for an actor who could embody "a scrappy young kid". Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas was cast as the speaking voice of young Simba. He was 12 years-old at the time. Thomas did not alter his voice for the character, but simply spoke "with a real kid spirit" since Simba had been described to him by the film's directors as "energetically cocky". Thomas recorded his lines in hour-long sessions over the course of a year and a half. 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. Due to his busy schedule, Thomas recorded some his dialogue on the Home Improvement set, the sitcom on which he was starring at the time, since both productions were filmed on Disney's Burbank lot. His recording sessions were video recorded, which animators used to incorporate some of Thomas' expressions and mannerisms into their drawings, namely the actor's "sly smile". His appearance and personality served as creative inspiration for supervising animator Mark Henn in particular. The actor found Simba's curiosity similar to his own. He also likened Simba to his Home Improvement character Randy Taylor, describing both as curious, intuitive, confident, and quick-witted. 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.
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. Toto lead singer Joseph Williams and actor Jason Weaver provided the singing voices of adult and young Simba, respectively. Williams was originally hired to record all of Aladdin's vocals. However, Aladdin's songwriters preferred a more theatrical voice over Williams', and ultimately replaced him with actor Brad Kane. Several months later, Disney's music supervisor Chris Montan invited Williams back to record some demos, which ultimately became the songs used in The Lion King. Although Williams speculated that he would be replaced similar to Aladdin, all of his vocals were retained in the final film. Williams claims Broderick was upset that Disney had decided to dub him. He recorded "Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight" for the film.
Impressed by Weaver's performance as a young Michael Jackson in the miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992), songwriters Elton John and Tim Rice recruited him to record "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata" while The Lion King was still in its early stages, at which point little animation had been completed. 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 in The Lion King. Impressed by his performance, the directors considered offering Weaver the speaking role as well before learning that negotiations with Thomas had already been finalized. Disney originally offered Weaver $2 million USD for his work on The Lion King, but Weaver's mother declined in favor of a deal securing $100,000 upfront and lifetime royalties. 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. Voice actor Frank Welker provided the roars of adult Simba and all other lions, simulating the effect using a trash can.
Personality and design
Disney has long denied that The Lion King is based on the anime series Kimba the White Lion, despite similarities between the names "Simba" and "Kimba", as well as some concept drawings depicting Simba as a white lion. The studio maintains that any parallels are coincidental. However, Broderick claims he thought he had originally been cast in an American remake of Kimba because the characters seemed so similar at first. Because Disney was prioritizing Pocahontas (1995) over The Lion King, the former of which most of their experienced animators gravitated towards since the studio considered it the more promising of the two films, Simba was one of the few Lion King characters animated at the studio's main California location. This proved challenging for the production team, since Simba shares several scenes with characters who were animated in Florida.
The role of Simba's supervising animator was divided between Ruben A. Aquino and Mark Henn, the former of whom was the first animator hired for The Lion King. Henn served as the supervising animator of Simba as a cub, and Aquino animated him as an adult. Aquino and Henn worked on the character from Disney's California and Florida studios, respectively. According to Aquino, animating four-legged creatures is difficult because artists are required to draw twice as many legs as human characters, while still incorporating human-like qualities. For assistance, Aquino drew inspiration from Disney's previous animal films, citing Bambi, Lady and the Tramp (1955), and The Jungle Book (1967) as references. Aquino based his early drawings of Simba on Broderick, 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". Aquino would quietly sketch Broderick live during his sessions, which would end up informing each other's performances. Because the adult version of the character is introduced mildly depressed, Aquino originally drew him with sad, soulful eyes and a disheveled mane, but redesigned him to look more heroic at Hahn's request. As a result, Simba ended up resembling Mufasa. To make sure the character looked believable, Aquino studied live lions loaned to the studio and consulted with zoologists.
Henn animated Simba's scenes from the beginning of the film until approximately the "Hakuna Matata" sequence, including Simba's first appearance as an adult towards the end of the musical number. Before The Lion King, his experience as a supervising animator was limited to predominantly female characters, having previously worked on Ariel from The Little Mermaid (1989), Belle from Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Jasmine from Aladdin (1992). He initially campaigned heavily to animate the film's villain, Scar, because he wanted to do something different than the princesses he had become known for, but Hahn convinced him to work on Simba due to his experience with main characters. Hahn reminded Henn that the success of the entire film hinges on Simba's design, since he is considered the most important character in The Lion King, and the animator found it a welcome departure from leading ladies nonetheless. Aside from Andreas Deja who ultimately animated Scar, Henn was the most tenured animator on The Lion King, whose roster mostly consisted of newer or first-time animators. 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. To achieve believability, Henn visited zoos, studied live lion cubs that were loaned to the studio for research, and consulted with wildlife professionals. Henn maintained that animators can not simply use their cats as reference models due to their different anatomies. 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". He was also responsible for making sure Simba's appearance remained consistent between himself, the directors, and other animators.
When it came to animating the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" musical sequence, Henn considered it essential that Simba remain on all-fours, despite the fact that the character is exhibiting human characteristics by dancing. The animators would often observe and film the voice actors' recording sessions, using their mannerisms as visual reference, with Thomas proving particularly influential on Simba's design and personality. 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. Compared to adult Simba, Henn described him as "looser" and less physically assured, which allowed him 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". 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. Catherine Hinman of the Orlando 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". 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. According to the Academy of Art University, Henn's work on Simba "further cemented his place in [animation] history".
Some journalists believe Simba's mane was based on how singer Jon Bon Jovi styled his hair during the 1980s. Simba spends 55% of his screen time as a cub, and the remaining 45% as an adult lion. 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).
Appearances
Films series
Simba first appears in The Lion King (1994) as a cub, the son of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi. As Mufasa's heir, Simba is destined to become the next King of the Pride Lands. However, Simba's jealous uncle Scar plots against him in order to seize the throne for himself, killing Mufasa after he rescues Simba from a wildebeest stampede, and convincing Simba that he is responsible for Mufasa's death. Crippled with guilt, Simba flees to the jungle where he befriends Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and warthog duo who raise him and teach him to live the carefree lifestyle, but Simba continuously struggles to ignore his past. Years later, Simba's childhood friend Nala finds him and convinces him to return to the Pride Lands, which has grown barren under Scar's rule. 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. With order restored, Simba and Nala have a child, ushering in hope for the future of the Pride Lands.
In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), 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 befriended Kovu, 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 a wildfire 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.
In The Lion King 1½ (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 events of The Lion King. 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 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". 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.
The Lion King (2019)
On July 19, 2019, Walt Disney Pictures released a CGI of the remake version of The Lion King. The film was directed and produced by Jon Favreau and written by Jeff Nathanson. In this 2019 remake, Donald Glover was cast for the role of adult Simba.
Glover said that "[The Lion King is] a timeless story, but [he thinks] the way Favreau has constructed it, it's a very timely story as well" and said that "[he] just wanted to be a part of a global good". The actor had previously worked with Favreau on the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). Glover said that the film will focus more on Simba's time growing up than the original film did, stating that "[Jon] was very keen in making sure we saw [Simba's] transition from boy to man and how hard that can be when there's been a deep trauma". On November 1, 2017, JD McCrary was cast as young Simba. McCrary said that "Donald Glover is so talented that [he] actually did have to take it into consideration, because if Simba is going to grow up to be some sort of figure and you know of it, you have to keep that motive".
Television
The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa
The success of The Lion King and popularity of its characters led to the production of The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa, an animated spin-off television series starring Timon and Pumbaa, which ran from 1995 to 1999. Simba makes several appearances, including the newly animated wraparound segment in the Around the World with Timon & Pumbaa international VHS tape and DVD, where Timon drags him out to try to revive Pumbaa's lost memory.
In the episode "Congo On Like This", upon discovering that a predator is on the loose, Timon and Pumbaa (especially Timon) suspect that Simba has reverted to his carnivorous nature due to a tarsier's warning, but the tarsier turns out to be a disguised wolf who has spent months trying to lure Timon and Pumbaa away from Simba, therefore turning out to be the real threat. In the episode "Shake Your Djibouti", Timon and Pumbaa are forced to train Simba to protect them from an escaped laboratory monster, fearing that he lost his confidence. Another episode, entitled "Rome Alone", shows Simba having been captured by Romans and is forced to either eat Timon and Pumbaa or get into a gladiatorial battle with another lion named Claudius. In "Once Upon a Timon", Zazu informs Rafiki about Simba's royal reputation being at stake and is concerned about Timon and Pumbaa's influence on him, telling him that Simba still only eats bugs. Simba later arrives to Rafiki's tree to confront Zazu, as Zazu had an appointment with him in which he neglected because he was so invested in Rafiki's story of Timon's past, but persuades Rafiki to finish telling the tale.
Simba also makes brief appearances in "Zazu's Off-By-One Day" and "Beethoven's Whiff". He also appears in the music video segment "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
The Lion Guard
In January 2016, a new series called The Lion Guard premiered, following a television pilot film The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar in November 2015. Set within the time gap in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (except the final episode titled "Return to The Pride Lands," which takes place after the film), it features Kion who is the son and youngest child of Simba and Nala, who as the second-born cub, is tasked with assembling a team to protect the Pride Lands.
The series shows Simba doing several royal duties, such as attending a funeral for his wise old elephant friend Aminifu, holding a "Savannah Summit" so that the other leaders within the Pride Lands can discuss unity between the diverse species and the future of the kingdom, and maintain relations to the Pride Lands' neighboring kingdoms. He also temporarily becomes the leader of the Lion Guard in the episode "The Trail to Udugu" as Kion goes on a journey with Nala and Kiara.
Other television series
Simba was featured as a guest in the animated series House of Mouse, in which he alternates between being a cub and an adult.
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. The role of Simba was originated by Scott Irby-Ranniar and Jason Raize, with Irby-Ranniar portraying young Simba and Raize portraying adult Simba.
Raize auditioned for the role of adult Simba after hearing that Taymor was looking to cast an actor who was of "unidentifiable ethnicity." 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, with Fagan admiring the fact that Raize was "willing to try, to fail, and then to try again." 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." Although hundreds of children auditioned for the role of young Simba, the casting process was far less grueling for Irby-Ranniar who, according to Taymor, simply "walked in and he had the part."
Miscellaneous
Books
In 1994, a six-volume book set titled The Lion King: Six New Adventures were released. Set after the events of the first film, they featured a cub named Kopa, who was the son of Simba and Nala.
Merchandising and video games
As an part of the franchise's merchandising, Simba has appeared in various The Lion King-related products. 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. The success of the stage musical has also led to its own line of merchandising, including the Simba beanbag doll, based on the character's appearance and costume in the Broadway show.
Since the film's 1994 debut, Simba has appeared as a playable character in several video games, both directly and indirectly associated with the Lion King franchise. The character's first appearance as a video game character was in The Lion King (1994), which follows the plot of the original film and features Simba as both a cub and an adult. Simba appears in The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure (2000), which encompasses 10 levels that incorporate 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".
In the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise, Simba appears as a friend and ally of the series' main character, Sora, in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts III, and as a companion in battle in Kingdom Hearts II.
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,
Simba is one of the central characters in Disney Friends, released for Nintendo DS on February 26, 2008, where the player can interact with him.
Simba is a playable character to unlock for a limited time in Disney Magic Kingdoms.
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 appeared as one of the main characters at Epcot's Land Pavilion 12-minute edutainment film Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable, until its closure in 2018. He currently appears in animatronic form in Festival of the Lion King at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Critical reception
Reception towards Simba has been generally mixed. The Christian Science Monitor's David Sterritt hailed him as "a superbly realized character". Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly described Simba as "marvelously expressive", to the point where he appears to be more human-like than Aladdin and The Little Mermaid's human characters. In a review for The Fresno Bee, author John Scalzi called Simba "the cutest little lion club you'd ever care to see", and film critic Roger Ebert described him as "cute" several times throughout his review of the film. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone and About.com's David Nusair were moved by Simba's relationship with Mufasa. James Berardinelli of ReelViews enjoyed that the film prioritizes Simba's personal growth over his romantic relationship with Nala, but found Broderick's performance "nondescript".
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Vox described Simba as "the least compelling character in The Lion King", acknowledging this might be a controversial opinion. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post gave the character a negative review, questioning Simba as a hero and nicknaming him "the Lion Country incarnation of Fabio". Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said Simba was outshone by his sidekicks, describing him as "irritatingly callow". Joshua Starnes of ComingSoon.net panned Simba as a main character, describing him as the film's "weak link being both blandly designed and blandly performed". Acknowledging the character's Shakespearean roots, The Baltimore Sun's Stephen Hunter called Simba a less compelling version of Hamlet, Morris the Cat, and Sylvester the Cat. Hunter also found adult Simba to be even less interesting than young Simba, while film critic Gene Siskel found the character boring. Johnny Brayson of Bustle described Simba as "not as great as you remember" despite the character's popularity, criticizing his privileged upbringing, arrogance, and immaturity. In 2022, Rachel Ulatowski of Screen Rant wrote that despite differing opinions about the character, "Audiences cannot deny that Simba's design perfectly embodies his role as the tragic 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".
Despite the character's mixed reviews, several critics have praised Broderick's performance, including The Washington Post's Desson Howe. Annette Basile of FilmInk described Broderick as "excellent" in the role, while Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called him "sumptuous". Digital Spy's Mayer Nissim described Broderick's work as "wonderful". Several critics and publications have ranked The Lion King among his best films and performances. According to the actor's biography on PBS, Broderick's work in the film and its sequels ironically delivered him "his greatest screen success (to date) in relative anonymity". Gold Derby said the film earned Broderick legions of younger fans, ranking it his sixth best film. However, Janet M. Walker of the New York Amsterdam News criticized Disney for casting white actors as Simba, considering his parents are voiced by Black actors James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair. Christopher Null of Contactmusic.com panned Weaver's performance, likening his singing to Michael Jackson and saying "You almost don't want him to succeed".
When the film was released, some viewers alleged that during one of Simba's scenes, he creates a dust cloud that appears to spell the word "SEX" in the night sky. In a lawsuit filed against Disney in Texas, the studio was accused of including sexual subliminal messages in a family-oriented film, while Catholic activist organization American Life League demanded an apology for including sexual material in its films. Animator Tom Sito claims the letters actually spelled "SFX", an abbreviation for special effects, and was an easter egg animated by the film's special effects department. Beginning in 2002, the letters were edited out of re-releases of The Lion King, and replaced with standard dust clouds.
Legacy
Impact and popularity
According to a Vox 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. Contrarily, Marc Snetiker of Entertainment Weekly described Simba as an iconic character who has "spent nearly a quarter century etched into pop culture". Chhavi Puri of Pinkvilla said characters such as Simba "defined our childhood". The same publication named Simba the second-best Disney character of all-time and "undoubtedly one of the best male Disney characters", while The A.V. Club ranked him 29th. Looper ranked Simba Disney's 37th best character of all-time. Variety named Simba one of Disney's 25 most iconic characters. According to Arunkumar Sekhar of Cinema Express and Rachel Ulatowski of Screen Rant, Simba is one of the studio's most iconic animated characters. In a 1995 article ranking "The most powerful people in entertainment", Entertainment Weekly likened Disney chairman Michael Eisner's success story to that of Simba. Publications such as World Animal Protection, the Los Angeles Times, Wilmington Star-News, and the Birmingham Mail consider Simba to be one of the most famous lions in popular culture. Richard Fink of MovieWeb declared him "the most famous lion in all of cinema".
Charlotte Cripps of The Independent ranked Simba Disney's second best role-model for children. Comic Book Resources ranked Simba Disney's 12th most likeable prince character, due to his relatability. Collider ranked Simba The Lion King's fourth-best character, as well as the best protagonist of the Disney Renaissance. Contributor Tyler B. Searle said Simba "has one of the strongest character arcs of any Disney protagonist". Comic Book Resources ranked Simba eighth in their ranking, including him among "some of the most beloved and iconic main characters in animation history".
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. Several publications, such as Refinery 29, HuffPost, Seventeen, The Edge, YourTango, The Daily Edge, Pride, and Thought Catalog, included Simba in listicles about their most memorable "cartoon crushes", while Elle ranked him the fourth most attractive Disney prince. Polygon ranked Simba the sixth "hottest animated animal character", and Mashable ranked him eighth. Refinery29's Anne Cohen lamented that the 2019 remake lacks the "Hot Simba Energy" of the original film. Kayla Cobb of Decider 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. Louis Costello, a writer for Pedestrian, said "yes it’s okay to be attracted to adult Simba and yes you’re not the only one". In 2019, the pop culture website Punkee 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. Senior lecturer Dr. Lauren Rosewarne theorized that Simba's story and character development throughout The 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".
Pop culture references
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. The scene is considered to be one of the most famous from The Lion King, and has been parodied in several projects since the film's release. Several fans have recreated the image using their own children or pets, including, controversially, singer Michael Jackson in 1992, and Brendan Fraser at the end of the film George of the Jungle (1997). During the third season finale of Once Upon a Time, the main character Emma Swan asked her parents Snow White and David Nolan if they were going to hold up her yet unnamed baby brother like in The Lion King.
Since the release of The Lion King in 1994, the name "Simba" has increased in use and popularity among pet owners, specifically dogs and cats. According to Comcast 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". In May 2013, Yahoo! Lifestyle included the name on its list of "Trendiest Dog Names". According to YouPet, Simba is the 17th most popular cat name out of 100 candidates. Care2 included Simba in its article "All-around Cool Cat Names," while DutchNews.nl reported that Simba ranks among the country's most popular cat names as of July 2013. 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. Yahoo! News UK reported that Simba was one of the most popular pet names in Britain in 2016. Corresponding with the Lion King remake in 2019, Simba was that year's most popular male cat name. According to Daily Hive, Simba ranked among Toronto's 10 most popular dog names in 2021.
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References
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