simba

Simba is a fictional character in Disney's The Lion King franchise. He first appears as a royal cub in The Lion King (1994), fleeing his homeland after his father, Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands, is murdered by his paternal uncle, Scar. Scar manipulates Simba into believing he is responsible for Mufasa's death. Several years later, Simba returns as an adult to confront his childhood trauma, challenge Scar, and reclaim his birthright as King of the Pride Lands. He later appears in the sequels The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion King 1½. Simba was created by screenwriters Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. The character underwent several revisions during development to make him more sympathetic and to clarify his familial relation to Scar. Although conceived as an original character, Simba was inspired by biblical figures Moses and Joseph, as well as the title character from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. While there are noted similarities to the title character from the anime series Kimba the White Lion, Disney maintains that Simba was not directly inspired by Kimba. Mark Henn and Ruben A. Aquino served as supervising animators for the cub and adult Simba, respectively, studying live lions and drawing from the character’s voice actors for reference. Simba was originally voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a cub and Matthew Broderick as an adult; various other actors have voiced him in sequels, spin-offs, and related media. Simba has received a mixed reception from critics. Some praised his design but found him less engaging as a main character. Nevertheless, he is widely regarded as one of Disney’s most iconic characters and one of the most famous lions in popular culture. The character has appeared in numerous tie-in products, including merchandise, television series, and video games. In 1997, The Lion King actors Scott Irby-Ranniar and Jason Raize originated the role on Broadway, and in 2019, Donald Glover and JD McCrary voiced Simba in a photorealistic remake of the original film.