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 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.
Nala is voiced by Moira Kelly in the film series and later voiced by Vanessa Marshall in 100 Acre Wood (PS3) and Nicole Oliver in Hidden Chronicles.
Character animation supervised by Anthony DeRosa.
The Lion King[]
Nala is first seen as a cub, fast asleep in her mother Sarafina's arms 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 accompany them, after which Simba reveals the true destination. As they travel, it's revealed by Zazu 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 which scares both of them. Nala was at first disgusted but later gets a crush on Simba. Simba and Nala come up with a plan to lose Zazu along the way by traveling through many different animal herds (the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence), 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. Afterwards, while Mufasa lectures Simba, Zazu is tasked with taking Nala home, not to see her friend again for a long time.
Later, after Scar informs the pride of Mufasa's and Simba's deaths, she is seen mourning with the other lionesses and later seen shocked at the hyenas' takeover of Pride Rock.
Years later, as a young adult, she attempts to hunt Pumbaa. However, she becomes entangled in a fight with a young adult lion, who is actually the grown-up Simba. She manages to pin the lion using a trademark move in which she flips the lion onto his back. But she doesn't recognize him as her friend Simba until he introduces himself; Simba recognizes her by the flip move, which she had often performed on him as a cub. She is ecstatic to learn Simba is alive, as it means he is the rightful king of the Pride Lands. After being alone with Simba, she falls in love with him, but grows angry when Simba refuses to return to Pride Rock to put an end to Scar's reign. At this point, she reveals that she left Pride Rock in an attempt to find help, as Scar had become a tyrant and the pride was suffering due to a drought, and the lack of both food and water as well as from the hyenas overrunning the Pride Lands. The two argue, and storm off in separate directions.
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 pride. She does so and later appear 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, Sarabi, Sarafina and the rest of the pride attack them together with Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki. After the battle, she is seen looking on as Simba reclaims his throne, and becomes Simba's wife and had a cub with him.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride[]
In this film, Nala is both Simba's wife and Kiara's mother. She seems to have aged and has a more built frame. Her eyes also appear to be more blue in color. She is first seen at Kiara's presentation, looking on proudly. She later appears as Kiara is going out to play, reminding Kiara to mind her father, and reassuring Simba that she will be fine. She accompanies Simba as he goes to retrieve Kiara when she wanders off and confronts Zira when the exiled lioness is discovered in the Pride Lands.
Nala next appears as Kiara is planning her first hunt, and Nala subtly encourages Simba to allow Kiara to hunt on her own. 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 so must grant Kovu's request to join the pride. She later 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 banish Kovu, even though she isn't at all vocal about it, perhaps believing that like previously, Simba wouldn't listen to her. 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 interfer, while the rest of the Pride now realize that Simba has broken the Circle of Life and failed to follow Mufasa's paw prints.
During the battle between the Pridelanders and the Outsiders, she is seen leading the lionesses, and briefly fights Vitani. 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 plays a minor role in this midquel. Unlike the previous movies, she has green eyes in the film instead of blue. 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 whereabouts. After several failed attempts she rushes off to help Simba. Although Nala played a minor role in the film, she was still voiced by Moira Kelly.
Disney's House of Mouse (2001 TV series)[]
Nala makes cameo appearances usually as a cub in the series. She was always seen aside the cub Simba. She also makes an appearance in the opening of Mickey's House of Villains, where she and Simba's dinner was stolen by Ed. She was seen as an adult in the episode "Timon and Pumbaa" and Mickey's Magical Christmas.
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".
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 "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.
The Lion King (2019)[]
Nala is still the deuteragonist in the 2019 remake voiced by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as an adult and Shahadi Wright Joseph as a cub, this time with a very important role. A noticeable difference from the original is that the moment Nala left Pride Rock is seen and she seems to have a deep rivalry with Shenzi due to their first encounter; this scene was not in the original animated version.
When Simba learns that the Elephant Graveyard can only be entered by adult lions, he meets Nala for the first time where her mother Sarafina gives her a bath. During bath time, Simba asks Nala to take her to the water hole, to which Sarabi agrees as it is a safe place for cubs but only if the two have Zazu to protect them. As Zazu takes the cubs to the water hole, he reveals that the two will soon be married to which Simba and Nala become disgusted, but their advisor explains that a marriage cannot be broken as it is a tradition. The two manage to lose Zazu when they race among a large herd of animals as the two end up in the Elephant Graveyard. When Simba takes the risk of being a brave lion by exploring the area, Nala then suggests that they return home before Mufasa arrives.
Meanwhile, in the Elephant Graveyard, Nala feels concerned about Simba because entering one of the areas in the wasteland could be a trap instead of feeling curious to know what's inside in the animated version. Nala and Simba encounter Shenzi and her clan, who prepare to eat the two cubs as they escape through many tunnels where the whole hyena clan surrounds them. Mufasa then rescues Simba and his best friend Nala by fighting off the whole clan as Mufasa takes the two cubs home.
After Simba gets banished from the Pride Lands after Mufasa's death, Nala and the other lionesses are seen grieving over the loss of Mufasa and Simba as Scar allows the hyenas to enter Pride Rock while Sarafina tells her daughter to stay safe from the hyenas. Years later, Scar becomes the new king of the Pride Lands as the area becomes deserted due to his tyranny; impatient and restless, Nala plans to leave the deserted kingdom, but Sarabi tells her to defend the kingdom as well as get used to Pride Rock with Scar as the new king. Shenzi then arrives at the conversation and takes Sarabi to talk to Scar, to which Sarabi is not afraid to talk to him much to Nala's worry; Sarabi discovers that Scar is overhunting and destroying the Circle of Life just as Sarabi rejects his offer to become his queen while Scar gives a new plan that the hyenas eat first before the lions. That night, Nala plans to escape Pride Rock without getting caught by Scar, just as Zazu warns Nala to stay at Pride Rock before her mother Sarabi gets upset for disobeying her. Nala then spots Scar, who notices Nala leaving Pride Rock just as he commands the hyenas to search for Nala or any other lion who attempts to leave Pride Rock under his rule. Zazu distracts Scar and the hyenas to help Nala to leave the Pride Lands just as Sarabi worriedly watches Nala leave their home, thinking Nala is leaving Pride Rock to abandon the lions' home just as Nala leaves Pride Rock and ends up in the jungle.
Unlike the original, she has no direct interaction with Timon and Pumbaa except when she tries to eat them before being stopped by Simba, in which she and Simba fall in love together, making Timon and Pumbaa very sad that Simba spends more time with Nala instead of the duo. Afterward, Nala urges Simba to return to the Pride Lands because Scar is ruling over it, to which Simba refuses, and during an argument, she decides to go back to Pride Rock by herself because Simba would not listen to her. Afterward, Simba feels upset about himself after arguing with Nala.
Instead of following Simba with Timon and Pumbaa to Pride Lands (the scene where Nala tells Timon and Pumbaa about Simba's return to the Pride Lands explained by Rafiki in the original version was also omitted), she chose to leave the oasis when Simba first refused to return all alone. However, when Simba changed his mind because of Mufasa's advice, he joined her when she came out of the jungle, and the two are going back together. Nala and the other Pridelanders are then seen during the final battle, leading the lionesses to prepare for battle. Nala has more lines during the final battle in this remake, whereas in this original film, her last words were "Simba!" when she notices Simba about to fall into a pool of fire. When Scar tells the Pridelanders that Simba wants to kill Scar as he thinks Simba is evil, Nala and the other Pridelanders overhear this as Scar summons the hyenas to kill Simba and all the other Pridelanders. The hyenas plan on attacking him as Nala commands the other lionesses to attack and save Simba.
During the final battle against Scar and the hyenas, she spots Shenzi (a scene not in the animated version). Remembering how Shenzi almost ate her and Simba in their first encounter, Nala accepts Shenzi's challenge as she exclaims that she's not a cub anymore. Despite Shenzi being helped by some of her clan members, Nala is able to overpower all of them. Afterward, the battle against Scar was successful as Scar gets eaten alive, ending his tyranny.
With Scar gone, Nala and the other Pridelanders are proud that Simba's battle against Scar was successful as Simba becomes the new king. Sometime later, Simba and Nala give birth to a new cub, where Rafiki shows the newborn lion to all the animals.
Gallery[]
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