The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar is a 2015 television film that premiered on Disney Channel on 22 November 2015.
It serves as a sequel to the 1994 film The Lion King and a midquel to its 1998 sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Plot[]
The film focuses on Kion, the son and youngest child of Simba and Nala and Kiara's younger brother. After using a powerful roar to save his friend Bunga from hyenas in the Outlands, Kion discovers that the roar he used was The Roar of the Elders and that as second born, he is to be the new leader of the Lion Guard, a group who protect the Pride Lands and defend the Circle of Life. He also learns that the previous leader; his great uncle Scar destroyed his guard with the roar after they refused to help him overthrow Mufasa, and ended up losing the roar forever.
In the Outlands, the hyenas' leader Janja hears from his vulture ally Mzingo about the forming of the new Lion Guard and plans with his clan to take down as many Pride Land animals as they can before the Lion Guard is formed.
Kion chooses Bunga alongside Ono the egret, Beshte the hippopotamus and Fuli the cheetah to be part of the Lion Guard. However upon seeing the members, a outraged Simba tells Kion that the Lion Guard has always be made up of lions and accuses his son of treating his new role as a game and tells him that he should take his responsibilities seriously like Kiara is with hers. Kion is then visited by the spirit of his grandfather Mufasa, who encourages him to trust his instincts.
Kion is then alerted by Bunga about the hyenas attacking a gazelle herd. The Lion Guard runs into action and defeats the hyenas. They then notice that Kiara is trapped among the herd, but luckily Bunga and Fuli are able to save her and reunite her with Simba and Nala. Kion then uses the Roar of the Elders to blast the hyenas back to the Outlands, with Janja swearing vengeance. Simba and Nala express pride in their son and accept the new Lion Guard.
Cast[]
- Max Charles as Kion - Simba and Nala's son, Kiara's younger brother, Mufasa's grandson, Prince of the Pride Lands and the leader and fiercest member of the Lion Guard.
- Joshua Rush as Bunga - A honey badger who is Timon and Pumbaa's adopted nephew, Kion's best friend and the bravest member of the Lion Guard.
- Dusan Brown as Beshte - He is a hippopotamus and the strongest member of the Lion Guard.
- Diamond White as Fuli - She is a cheetah and the fastest member of the Lion Guard.
- Atticus Shaffer as Ono - He is an egret and the keenest of sight in the Lion Guard.
- Rob Lowe as Simba - He is Mufasa's son, Nala's husband, Kiara and Kion's father and King of the Pride Lands.
- Gabrielle Union as Nala - She is Simba's wife, Kiara and Kion's mother, Mufasa's daughter-in-law and Queen of the Pride Lands.
- Eden Riegel as Kiara - She is Simba and Nala's daughter, Kion's older sister, Mufasa's granddaughter and Princess of the Pride Lands.
- Kevin Schon as Timon - He is a meerkat who is Pumbaa's best friend and Bunga's adopted uncle. Schon also voices Chungu, one of the Outlands' hyenas.
- Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa - He is a warthog who is Timon's best friend and Bunga's adopted uncle.
- Andrew Kishino as Janja - The leader of the Outlands' hyena clan.
- Vargus Mason as Cheezi - He is a member of the Outlands' hyena clan.
- Greg Ellis as Mzingo - He is a vulture who serves as an ally to Janja.
- Khary Payton as Rafiki - He is a mandrill who serves as shaman to the Pride Lands.
- Sarah Hyland as Tiifu - She is a member of the Pridelander pride and a friend of Kiara.
- Madison Pettis as Zuri - She is a member of the Pridelander pride and a friend of Kiara.
- Jeff Bennett as Zazu - He is a hornbill who serves as majordomo to Simba.
- James Earl Jones as Mufasa - He is Simba's father, Nala's father-in-law, Kiara and Kion's grandfather and a former King of the Pride Lands.
Trivia[]
- This is the fourth film in The Lion King franchise. It is also the shortest, running at 45 minutes rather than the usually over an hour.