- “Pinned ya.”
- ―Nala playing with Simba as cubs[src]
Nala is the deuteragonist of Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. She is the lifelong best friend of Simba, prince of the Pride Lands. When the kingdom is taken over by his uncle, Scar, and his hyena henchmen, Nala rebels against their reign by assisting Simba in reclaiming the throne. She later becomes Simba's mate and the mother of two cubs: Kiara and Kion.
Quick Answers
Who are the main animators behind Nala's character in The Lion King?
How does Nala assist Simba in reclaiming the throne in The Lion King?
Who are Nala's cubs in The Lion King?
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How does Nala's character evolve from being Simba's friend to his mate in The Lion King?
Background[]
Development[]
Nala's main animators were Bob Bryan and Gilda Palinginia and her supervising animators were Aaron Blaise whilst she was a cub and Anthony de Rosa upon becoming an adult.
During early production, Nala was given a younger brother named Mheetu. He is mentioned in the book The Art of The Lion King where he is referred to as "Mee-Too". He was designed by Thom Enriquez.
In an earlier draft of the film, there was initially meant to be a scene where Scar felt that to be a beloved ruler and continue his monarchical legacy, he will need a queen to ensure that children will be born. Just then, Nala arrived to complain about the Pride Lands' wasteland appeal. Scar then demands Nala to be his queen, which she refuses. He then summons the hyenas and banishes her as punishment for rejecting him. This scene is largely included in the musical version, minus Scar banishing Nala.
Personality[]
As a cub, Nala is sassy, defensive of her own accomplishments, and giving her best friend cheek when prompted. Though Simba sometimes tries to claim her ideas as his own, Nala will not stand for being overlooked and is clever and strong enough to do something about it. Despite this, Nala is an encouraging friend, kind to Simba even when he makes an error, no matter what he says or does, she maintains the friendship, grieving heavily when he supposedly dies.
Once adulthood came, Nala grew more mature, practically built on persistence and responsibility. Scar's poor reign has made her realize the importance of accountability, as she has seen firsthand what Simba's lack of interest in the Pride Lands has caused. She often tries to speak sense to Simba, standing as his voice of reason, firm, and resolute in her beliefs with a cutting edge to her argument. Nala is not one to be stamped down with words as she can hold her own in a verbal battle, parrying each of Simba's defenses with offenses of her own. No amount of yelling and accusations can beat Nala down.
Nala was the lioness who brought Simba back to Pride Rock, to save them from Scar's tyranny. She is also encouraging and complimentary of her daughter and son, Kiara and Kion, and mate, Simba.
Once Nala becomes a queen, she grows much more reserved and wise, no longer as sassy as she used to be. Unlike Simba, she is very understanding with Kiara, trusting her daughter to take care of herself and make her own choices. Her gentle words and sound advice serve as a softener to Simba's hard edge.
Nala is one of a few who is able to see past Kovu's rough exterior to the hero who is longing to claw out and she is not one to judge him based on his past. She supports Simba in his decisions, always standing by his side, no matter the consequences.
Nala is also supportive of Kion, but unlike Simba at first, Nala knew that her son was ready to take on responsibilities as the leader of the Lion Guard and wasn't one to state that the guard was to be comprised of only lions.
Physical appearance[]
Nala appears as a slender cream-colored lioness with turquoise eyes. As a cub, she had a pink nose, but her nose is brown as an adult. Both the inside of her ears and the small tuft of fur on her tail are tan. She is shown to have aged, staying well-fed as she grew older, retaining a similar appearance to her mother.
Appearances[]
The Lion King[]
Young Nala in The Lion King.
Nala is first seen as a cub, fast asleep in her mother Sarafina's paws when Simba goes to wake up Mufasa. She is then seen later that day being bathed by her mother.
Simba, who has been tricked by Scar into visiting the Elephant Graveyard, asks her to accompany him to a great place. Initially, told the trip was to the watering hole, she is allowed to go on the condition that Zazu accompanies them, after which Simba reveals the true destination.
As they travel, Zazu reveals that Nala and Simba are not only best friends but were betrothed at a young age by their parents. As a result, they're expected to marry in the future, a revelation that scares and disgusts both of them. Simba and Nala come up with a plan to lose Zazu along the way by traveling through many different animal herds ("I Just Can't Wait to Be King"), which succeeds. Simba and Nala journey to the Elephant Graveyard where they encounter Scar's hyena minions Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Nala attempts to escape alongside Simba, but the two are chased by the hyenas. After trapping the cubs, the three hyenas are attacked and scared off by Mufasa, who has come to rescue the cubs after being warned by Zazu, whom the hyenas had sent soaring off earlier with a geyser. Afterward, while Mufasa reprimands Simba, Zazu is tasked with taking Nala home, not to see her best friend again for a long time.
The following night, when Scar lies to the pride by informing them that Mufasa and Simba were killed in a stampede in the gorge, she is seen mourning with the other lionesses, then watches in horror and shock to see the hyenas' takeover of Pride Rock as Scar takes over as King due to being Mufasa's brother and thus next in line for the throne after Simba.
Nala and Simba reunited.
Years later, as a young adult, fed up with Scar's tyrannical rule, she left Pride Rock to find help. She tries to hunt Pumbaa, initially stalking him in the tall grass, but when Pumbaa freaks upon realizing she's hunting him, she goes into full pursuit mode in chasing him down. However, she becomes entangled in a fight with a young adult lion that arrives to protect Timon and Pumbaa from her. She manages to pin the lion using a trademark move in which she flips him on his back, but she does not recognize him as Simba until he introduces himself; Simba recognizes her by the flip move to pin him, which she had often performed on him when they were cubs. She is ecstatic to learn Simba is alive. All the while, Timon and Pumbaa fear they might lose Simba to Nala, through "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" in the Jungle.
After being alone with Simba, she falls in love with him, but got confused over Simba refusing to return to Pride Rock to put an end to Scar's reign, still feeling at fault for his father's death. At this point, she reveals that she left Pride Rock in an attempt to find help since Scar had become a tyrant and the pride was suffering, due to drought and the lack of both food and water as well from the hyenas overrunning the Pride Lands. The two argue resulting simba to run off to the fields.
She is seen the next morning with Timon and Pumbaa looking for Simba, and they discover from Rafiki that Simba has returned to the Pride Lands. She, along with Timon and Pumbaa, follow Simba and offer to help him reclaim his kingdom. While Timon and Pumbaa distract the hyenas, Simba sends Nala to look for his mother and rally the rest of the lionesses. She does so and later appears with them, as Simba confronts Scar. Like the other lionesses, she is shocked when Scar forces Simba to admit his guilt in Mufasa's death, but she is one of the first lionesses to join in the battle after Scar reveals his identity as the true murderer of Mufasa. When the hyenas attack Simba, she and the rest of the pride attack them furiously and rage together with Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki to avenge the fallen Mufasa.
After Simba emerges victoriously from his battle with Scar, who was killed by the hyenas when they overheard him try to pin the blame on them and fed up with his lies and betrayal, mauled him alive, Nala comes forward to embrace him before he takes his rightful place as king. Nala, the other lionesses, Rafiki, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa watch with joy and relief as Simba ascends Pride Rock and roars across his reclaimed kingdom with the lionesses roaring back in reply.
Sometime later, after the Pride Lands flourish once again, Nala stands atop Pride Rock alongside Simba as his mate and queen as they proudly watch the assembly of the animals below. Then Rafiki arrives, cradling their newborn cub, and Simba and Nala happily watch as Rafiki presents the next in line to the throne to the gathered animals.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride[]
Nala in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
In this film, Nala is both Simba's mate and Kiara's mother. She seems to have aged and has a more built frame. Her eyes also appear to be bluer in color. She is first seen at Kiara's presentation, looking on proudly.
She next appears a few months later as Kiara is going out to play, reminding Kiara to mind her father, and reassuring Simba that she will be fine. Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, and two lionesses later accompany Simba as he goes to retrieve Kiara when she wanders off and confronts Zira when the exiled lioness is discovered in the Pride Lands with her son Kovu, whom Kiara befriended. Nala returns to Pride Rock with the others whilst Simba stays behind to reprimand Kiara.
Nala next appears when Kiara, now an adolescent, is planning her first hunt, and Nala subtly encourages Simba to allow Kiara to hunt independently. She later argues on Kovu's behalf to allow him in the Pride Lands. Since Kovu saved Kiara's life, Simba owes him a debt and must grant Kovu's request to join the Pride. The following night, she encourages Simba to give Kovu a chance, pointing out that Kovu may not want to follow the path expected of him. Later, the next day, when Simba is injured after being ambushed by the Outsiders, she nuzzles him, but then, like Kiara, she also seems shocked at Simba's decision to exile Kovu, but she isn't at all vocal about it, perhaps believing that like previously, Simba wouldn't listen to her if she tried to say anything. When Kiara tells Simba that he will never be his late father, she is not shown, presumably because she went back into Pride Rock believing it was not her place to get involved while the rest of the Pride now realize that Simba has broken the Circle of Life and failed to follow in Mufasa's paw prints. It is presumed that Nala is shocked and saddened when Kiara breaks out of Pride Rock to look for Kovu in an act of protest against Simba for his prejudice against the Outsiders and Kovu.
During the battle between the Pridelanders and the Outsiders, she is seen leading the lionesses and briefly fights Vitani who taunts her over Kiara's disappearance. After Kiara convinces Vitani and the other Outsiders into rejoining the Pridelanders, Nala watches on in horror as her daughter falls down the gorge after preventing Zira from attacking Simba. She later directs Simba as he attempts to rescue Kiara, warning him about the river dam breaking up. Finally, she is seen roaring with Simba after Kiara and Kovu are united in marriage.
The Lion King 1½[]
Nala in The Lion King 1½.
Nala plays a minor role in this midquel due to being mostly involved in the original film's events. She only makes an appearance near the latter half of the film (aside from archive footage from "I Just Can't Wait to Be King").
She is seen during the Can You Feel the Love Tonight sequence and in an extension of the scene in the original film where she explains to Timon and Pumbaa about Simba's return to the Pridelands. After several failed attempts, she rushes off to help Simba.
Though Nala plays a very minor role in the film, she is still voiced by Moira Kelly.
The Lion Guard[]
Nala with Simba in The Lion Guard.
Nala appears in the animated series The Lion Guard that follows. In this storyline (set in the middle of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride), she and Simba have a second cub named Kion who serves as the protagonist.
In The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Nala is present when Kion's "Roar of the Elders" ability has been revealed, indicating that it is his time to become the new leader of a group known as the Lion Guard. Though Simba feels Kion is not yet ready for such responsibility and requests more time to prepare him, Nala shows confidence in Kion's newfound role within the Circle of Life and advises Simba to listen to Rafiki and immediately teach Kion the ways of the Lion Guard. During the climax, Nala returns and witnesses Kion's unconventional team save the Pride Lands from Janja's pack of hyenas. She is also present when Kiara becomes endangered due to a gazelle stampede (caused by Janja and his clan), though she is rescued by the Lion Guard; much to Nala's relief. In the end, after Kion has successfully proved his worth, Nala and Rafiki show unsurprised pride, while a developed Simba follows suit. In the series, she is shown to be a wise and good mother to both her cubs.
In the episode "Can't Wait to be Queen", Nala accompanies Simba and Zazu in attending Amanifu's funeral, leaving Kiara in charge of the Pride Lands. Simba expresses concern about Kiara, but Nala believes that he is actually worried about his tribute to Amanifu, as he has to say a line in elephantese. Upon arriving at the funeral, Nala and Zazu express worry when Simba accidentally says "he had poop on him" instead of "he had good on him" in elephantese, luckily Amanifu's daughter, Ma Tembo the other elephants see the funny side. Afterward, Nala, Simba, and Zazu return to Pride Rock.
In "Fuli's New Family", Nala teaches Kiara, Tiifu, and Zuri how to track gazelles.
In "Paintings and Predictions", it is revealed that Nala's father as a cub fell from a tree branch, but was saved by The Lion Guard of his day.
In "Bunga and the King", Nala, Simba, Kiara, and Kion prepare to go to Mizimu Grove to attend a concert performed by Ma Tembo's herd. However, Kion has to leave after been informed by Ono of antelope being stuck in the mud. Kiara runs on ahead but a sinkhole appears, but Simba is able to throw her over to Nala, before falling into the sinkhole. Kion and the Lion Guard arrive at the scene and try to help Simba, who sends Nala and Kiara to go to the concert as it is traditional for the royal family to attend.
Nala and Kiara watch the concert, just before Simba, Kion, Bunga, the Guard, Timon, and Pumbaa arrive. Nala joins in with her family, Timon, Pumbaa, and the Guard in singing "Hakuna Matata".
Nala confronting Janja and his clan.
In "Never Roar Again", Nala confronts Janja and her hyenas who fooled the guard by telling them that they were abandoned to return directly to Pridelands. She tells them to return to the Outlands, but Janja refuses and attacks Nala who dodges the attack but finds it soon enshrined by the other hyenas. Kion arrives and when he sees his mother in danger, he utters a powerful roar that chases the hyenas but causes many ravages and almost hurts Nala. Kion was very reluctant to stop using the Roar and then went to ask his mother's forgiveness, but she tells him as she ruffles his mane that there’s nothing to forgive, for he saved her life. Kion continues to express his fears on the Roar but Nala lifts his chin and nuzzles him while telling him that she will always trust him.
In "The Trail to Udugu", Nala takes Kiara and Kion on a journey to help them learn "kinship".
In "Battle for the Pride Lands", Nala, Simba, and Kiara find themselves trapped by a fire at Pride Rock caused by Scar's army. Fortunately, the eagles Anga and Hadithi are able to transport the royal family to safety. Nala then witnesses the appearance of Scar's spirit atop Pride Rock, the evil lion provoking the Lion Guard he thought he had destroyed this time to come and fight him in the Outlands. While Scar is ultimately sent back to the afterlife by the combined efforts of the Lion Guard, the Pridelanders, and the reformed Janja clan, Kion was injured and left with a venom-infested scar that corrupted him, forcing him to leave his family to get treatment at the Tree of Life. Nala is last seen saying goodbye to her son.
Nala and Simba reunited with Kion.
In "Return to the Pride Lands", which takes place after The Lion King II, Nala and Simba are watching from Pride Rock and are happily reunited with Kion, returned from his trip to the Tree of Life after hearing that Zira was back. The next day, Nala, the royal family, and the rest of the Pridelanders observe the trials between the Kion's Guard and Vitani's Guard which ends with Kion deciding to confer the title of the head of the Guard to Vitani to return to The Tree of Life. Later, Nala is one of the guests at Tree of Life for the Wedding / Coronation of Kion and Rani.
Other appearances[]
Nala makes cameo appearances usually as a cub in the series House of Mouse. She was always seen aside from the cub Simba. She also makes an appearance in the opening of Mickey's House of Villains and in the episode "House Ghosts" where she and Simba's meat dinner was stolen by Ed, who laughs heartily at Mickey's B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bones) joke. She was seen as an adult in the episode "Timon and Pumbaa" and Mickey's Magical Christmas.
Nala also appears in the animated blooper reel featured in The Lion King: Diamond Edition special features. Her outtake featured the lioness flubbing her line during the final confrontation with Scar, during the film's climax.
In Once Upon a Studio, Nala and Simba, as cubs, appear outside the Disney Animation Studio building after Goofy accidentally breaks the camera, seemingly ruining the shot, in which Grumpy sarcastically remarks "Well, that was fun!" and Eeyore lamenting "Maybe we can try again in another hundred years." as they, among many of their cohorts, start to go back inside the studio in disappointment. However, when Alan-A-Dale starts to playing "When You Wish Upon a Star", they join in with everyone else's singing as they are able to successfully take a group photo.
Video games[]
Kingdom Hearts II[]
In Kingdom Hearts II, Nala was seen as a resident of the Pride Lands, with a similar role to the film. She was a noble lioness and met Sora, Donald, and Goofy when they saved her from a group of Heartless, mostly a pair of the dangerous Living Bone Emblem Heartless. She requested their help in overthrowing Scar, although this request was later rebuked due to Rafiki's advice. She and the group find Simba at the oasis and convince him to return to Pride Rock to defeat Scar, which ended with Scar's death and Simba becoming king. Nala later became Simba's mate, queen, and to-be mother of their daughter, Kiara.
During the second visit, Scar's ghost returned to haunt the land, causing everyone to flee. However, Nala stayed behind under Pumbaa's protection until Simba returned to face his fear, helped by their three new friends.
After the defeat of Xemnas, Nala is seen with Simba while Rafiki holds Kiara high above the restored Pride Rock so all the animals can observe their new princess.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode[]
Nala appears in her cub form along with Simba in the game, she is able to damage enemies with her puppy roars in addition to hitting Simba and sliding to hit enemies.
Disney Dreamlight Valley[]
Nala, along with Simba and the Lion King Realm, was added to Disney Dreamlight Valley in the Pride of the Valley update on April 5th, 2023. After opening the door to the Lion King Realm in the Dream Castle, the player enters the jungles and meets Nala, who has been separated from Simba and asks for help fending off some hyenas. Once the hyenas are taken care of, the player escorts Nala deeper into the jungle, reuniting her with Simba, and then making a meal for her out of various bugs found around the jungle. The meal is interrupted by more hyenas, and the player must scare them off by visiting Scrooge McDuck, borrowing and repairing a sound system, and returning to the Lion King Realm to have the two lions roar into it. After this, Pride Rock can be placed anywhere in the Valley as Nala's home, and Nala will become a permanent resident of your Valley.
The storyline of Nala's Friendship Quests starts with setting up Dazzle Beach to be a hunting ground for Nala, and teaching her how to fish to provide food for the Valley. Soon afterwards, Nala discovers several statues buried around the Valley in her likeness that are creating strange rifts that bring strange blobfish into the Valley and cause problems for the other residents. These rifts are gateways to the Here and There, the dimension between realms, and the player needs the help of Ursula to close them for good. Nala and the player manage to repair and enchant the lioness statues to finally close the rifts, though the blobfish have fully been integrated into the Valley for the player to fish. Once the storyline is completed, Nala gifts the player the Nala's Waterfall decor to place anywhere in the Valley.
Finishing Nala and Simba's Level 10 Friendship Quests are necessary to unlock Timon and Pumbaa following their addition to the game.
Other appearances[]
Nala (as a cub) appears as a playable character in Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, being one of the four characters exclusive to the Lion King levels alongside Simba, Timon & Pumbaa, and Rafiki.
Nala appears in the Disney Worlds of Adventure map available for purchase in Minecraft, both as an NPC in the Lion King section of the map, and as an unlockable avatar skin to use in any Minecraft map.
Disney Parks[]
Disneyland Resort[]
Nala in Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams.
In Disneyland, Nala was seen on The Lion King's float in Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams.
Walt Disney World[]
Nala made an appearance as an animatronic puppet in former Magic Kingdom show, The Legend of the Lion King. She also made an appearance in the former Celebrate the Magic castle show.
In Disney's Hollywood Studios' version of Fantasmic!, Nala can be seen with Simba and Zazu during the bubble montage.
Nala is also prominently featured at Disney's Art of Animation Resort.
Relationships[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Her name is Zulu, meaning "luck," and in Xhosa, it means "successful," and in Swahili, it means "gift."
- Although when Zazu informed Simba and Nala that they'll marry one day, they both stuck up with the thing that they should forever remain best friends.
- In an earlier draft, Nala was supposed to be banished from Pride Rock after she rejected Scar's proposal to be his queen, before it was changed to Nala leaving the Pride Rock to look for help. However, this is incorporated into the Broadway play The Lion King instead.
- Originally, Nala had a younger brother named Mheetu, but his character had to be dropped because of time constraints.
- Anna Chlumsky was considered to voice young Nala.
- In the sequel, Nala's fur seems to be brighter than it was in the original film.
- Interestingly, all of Simba and Nala's children's names begin with "K" [Kiara, Kion).
See also[]
External links[]
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