In two years, The Lion King will be celebrating its 30th anniversary, and there are lots to celebrate. With three animated movies, a broadway musical, a live-action movie, and a few shows based on the movies, the directors don't appear to be slowing down on promoting the Pride Lands anytime soon.
Over the many years it has been out, fans have voiced their opinions on what they love and hate about The Lion King. Although some users managed to find things several things to agree on, there are a few other Redditors who appear to have a couple of controversial opinions.
Mufasa Isn't A Good Character
The beloved original King of the Pride Lands did his best to guide his son to become a good King, but he doesn't seem to be loved by all. Reddit user Mrdrprfr said, "I don't like Mufasa. I just don't think he's very interesting or charismatic."
This is a very unpopular opinion as Mufasa is one of the classic father figures in the Disney franchise since he is one of the original father figures. His death also plays a pivotal point in the movie too since it drives the plot along and inspires the characters to get justice for him.
Kovu Is One Of The Worst Characters In The Lion King 2
There are many characters that return in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, but there are also a handful of new characters that are introduced. One of those characters is little Kovu. Kovu was Scar's protege, the one he chose to be his successor, even though there was no relation; however he doesn't seem to be a very cruel line like Scar was, which ends up being what turns him to the good side.
Mrdrprfr argues that "Kovu is the worst TLK2 debuting character...But [he's not as bad as] Zira, Kiara, or Nuka, and definitely not Vitani." The fact that there were so many new characters that could have been the bad guy, Kovu seemed a bit like a cop-out. With how dynamic Scar was in the first film, there was definitely something lost in the second film by trying to make Kovu the bad guy.
The Sequel Is Better Than The Original
Whenever movies create more than one film in their storyline, there is always debate on which one is the best. For The Lion King movies, this may be one of the biggest debates. Fans have been arguing whether the original or the sequel is better, since the sequel came out in 1998.
Reddit user youngstar5678 believes that "the sequel is better than the original," and seemed to stand firmly behind that. This may be a debate that will last a long time, as fans each seem to have plenty of reasons why one is better than the other. If it's based off of reviews though, the original takes the cake with much a much higher score than the sequel, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Lion King 1 1/2 Isn't Good
Timon and Pumbaa are two of the most loved and hilarious characters in The Lion King movies. Their comedic relief really adds a nice tone to the movies and helps to break up some of the more serious issues that occur in the movies. That being said, why they made a movie about Timon's backstory is still unclear.
Zillajami-Fnaffan1 said, "I don't think a movie about Timon was needed. Especially since it's The Lion King and Timon is a meerkat." A backstory on how this unique duet came to be friends might've been great had they named the movie something else besides The Lion King.
Circle Of Life Isn't The Best Song
One thing that The Lion King movies are well-known for is the songs. There are many songs that lots of people know, whether or not they have seen the movies. The song "Circle of Life" might be one of the most well-known songs from the Lion King movies.
As both the opening sequence and ending sequence of the movie, it's hard not to associate the song with the movie, but some fans think that there are better songs. Lauren2102319 said, "I love both songs and sequences, but I've always gravitated more towards 'He Lives in You.'" This shows that there are other songs that may have more meaning, and can even tie into significant parts of the other films.
Timon And Pumbaa Got Too Much Spotlight
For a movie franchise that is supposed to be about predators, lions at that, a meerkat and a warthog have a lot of scenes. The two are great funny guys, and while Timon and Pumbaa may have the best friendship in Disney, overall their parts don't make a lot of sense with the rest of the films. Lauren2102319 said, "I really dislike Timon and Pumbaa in the second film because them as the comedic relief was so poorly done."
There was a lot going on in the second film and their jokes may have been a bit over the top, and while some think that they were great, the unpopular opinion still weighs in rather heavily.
The First Lion King Is Underrated
With all of the new Lion King content that has come out since the first movie aired in 1994, there is a lot to get buried under. Fans may not even know that it's a great Shakespeare movie for beginners since it is an adaptation of Hamlet. While the original The Lion King is what started it all, it seems to be getting lost behind its descendants.
Ashton-MD holds this unpopular opinion that "Lion King 1994 is underrated," which was instantly rebutted in the comments after that it is not underrated. Just as the argument of which movie is the best in the franchise, the argument that one movie is more underrated than the other might also be one that goes on for a long time.
Beyoncé Was Cast In The Wrong Role
The 2019 live-action The Lion King had a star-studded cast, and was one of Disney's best live-action remakes when ranked by Letterboxd. One of the characters had a big dispute over whether or not she was cast correctly though - Nala, who was voiced by Beyoncé. This unpopular opinion was voiced on Reddit by Ashton-MD, who believed that "Beyoncé would’ve played a better Sarabi than Nala".
It was argued that Beyoncé had a voice that was too mature for Nala and that Nala needed someone with a younger voice, but many fans still believed that Beyoncé played Nala perfectly in the new take on the movie.
The Lion Guard Is Really Good
The Lion Guard is a Show that aired on Disney Junior from 2016 to 2019. The show took place between the time gap in The Lion King II and has three seasons. It follows Simba's son, Kion as he learns it is his role to lead the Lion's Guard. Since the show was angled towards kids, it got lost to some of the older Lion King fans, but not to everyone.
Allahxo said that between The Lion Guard and The Lion King II, "Honestly the fanbase seems to love those even more than the original." With the show now being available for streaming on Disney+, more and more fans are discovering it and falling in love with this new Lion King story.