If you’re like me, you’re a hardcore fan of “The Lion King” and didn’t mind extensions of the mythology. Sadly the follow ups were all sub-par, and “The Lion Guard” muddies up the mythos even further. Granted, “The Lion Guard” is a perfectly fine animated movie, and you’ll likely say “Felix, this series isn’t meant for you,” but even kids will have a difficult time figuring out the time line if they decide to do the math. “The Lion Guard” is set immediately after part one and before part two. So that means everything after “The Lion Guard” doesn’t matter, and the central focus of the series is back on a young lion cub rather than the lioness Kiara, originally Simba’s spunky daughter. “The Lion Guard” works on actively erasing the latter story line by reworking the entirety of future story lines, which include Skar’s children, his wife, and the lack of a mention of the plot elements in the sequels.
Apparently we learn that there is a mystical council called the Lion Guard, a team of lions that help protect the pride. Skar wasn’t just a jealous murderous brother, but a man hungry for power when he craved the throne of Mufasa. When he couldn’t convince the council to help him assassinate Mufasa, he killed the council and then proceeded to murder Mufasa setting the events for the narrative. Why his children are never mentioned or why they were never assigned the council is anyone’s guess, but Simba’s son Kion is given the lead role, and has to prove himself. Furthermore he has to assemble his own council of animal protectors, all of whom are a diverse team of animals with their own abilities. “The Lion Guard” is a perfectly fine series if you don’t try to connect it too hard to the future sequels.
It re-thinks the order of characters, and even initiates it as official canon by giving Timon and Pumbaa supporting roles, along with Mufasa, who appears to give Kion encouragement. James Earl Jones gives a welcome return performance, and I hope he appears every so often to give Kion a pep talk. “The Lion Guard” and its level of enjoyment for fans of the series depends on how forgiving they are for Disney re-writing certain elements of the series. However for tweens and young kids, “The Lion Guard” is exactly what will keep them tuning in. It has fun musical numbers, neat and swift action scenes, and of course gathers an array of lovable and entertaining animal characters that have their moments to shine. The DVD comes with one extra, which is a music video for “Here Comes the Lion Guard” as performed by Beau Black. The DVD release also comes with a collectible custom Kion face pendant/backpack pull string.
Now Available on Disney DVD.