| Simba | |
|---|---|
| The Lion King character | |
.png) Simba, as he appears as an adult in the original film and related media | |
| First appearance | The Lion King (1994) |
| Created by | |
| Voiced by |
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| Inspired by | |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Lion (Panthera leo) |
| Family |
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| Spouse | Nala (wife) |
| Children | |
Simba[1][2] is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Disney's The Lion King franchise. First appearing as a lion cub in The Lion King (1994), the character flees his homeland when his father, King Mufasa, is killed by his treacherous uncle, Scar. Several years later, Simba returns home as an adult to reconcile his childhood trauma, confront Scar, and reclaim his rightful place as King of the Pride Lands. He subsequently appears in sequels The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion King 1½. Simba was originally voiced by actors Matthew Broderick and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as an adult and cub, respectively; various actors have voiced the character in sequels, spin-offs, and related media.
Created by screenwriters Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton, Simba underwent several changes as the film's story was revised, including making him a more sympathetic character, and notably establishing his familial relation to Scar. Although conceived as an original character, Simba was inspired by Moses and Joseph from the Bible, and Prince Hamlet from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Despite sharing several similarities with the title character from the anime television series Kimba the White Lion, Disney claims Simba was not inspired by Kimba. Mark Henn and Ruben A. Aquino were supervising animators for the cub and adult Simba, respectively, with both animators researching live lions and drawing inspiration from the character's voice actors.
Simba has received a mixed reception from film critics, some of whom praised his design but found him uninteresting as a main character. However, several publications have ranked Simba among Disney's most iconic characters, and consider him to be one of the most famous lions in popular culture. The character's likeness has been used in several 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. In 2019, Donald Glover and JD McCrary voiced the character in a photorealistic remake of the film.
- ^ Smith, Dave. "Simba". Disney Archives. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "Simba". D23. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2024.