Why? This rating really was hard to decide due to the fact that I’m not the target demographic for this show, but it was still fun and enjoyable to watch for myself. I also really found that it kept to the typical “Disney show” for kids in the fact that it had a beginning, problematic middle, and a tied together ending. This was great, but also very typical. I would have liked to see more of a cliffhanger or special ending of some kind. Where I also thought it could have done more was really enticing the older children by bringing the cast from the original movie so they would feel a more solid connection with the show. From Common Sense Media there were a lot of ups and downs, but most other the points I agreed with because this was something that really looked at both parents’ standpoint and from a child’s standpoint.
While observing The Lion Guard, it is noticeable the show is centered around Kion, the son of Simba, and his friends. In The Lion Guard, they are chosen to protect Pride Lands while finding themselves in different types of shenanigans. Before watching this show, I was slightly skeptical about it because, although I enjoy Disney, this is a show I’ve observed my 2-year-old nephew watching. I highly enjoyed the cast because it included a diverse cast such as Rob Lowe as Simba and Gabrielle Union as Nala. Also, a few new actors were introduced to the Disney brand with this show.
When I was observing this show, the first aspect I looked for is colors and proper animations. I was surprised to find both to be enticing and proper. While looking at the color, it was visually very appealing which works well for younger audiences. I then turned my attention to the animation aspect of the show. The animation seemed to be more modern compared to the original style of Disney. Because the color and animation work well together, this show is worth the watching of young children. Also, an aspect of Disney I find myself expecting is singing. The singing in this show fits due to the use of music in the original franchise of The Lion King in which this show is rooted. This show seemed to lack the use of auto-tune. By not using autotune, the voices of the characters appeared more appealing to the ears of a child. The actors used for this show fit well with the concept and goal of the series.
Personally, I feel the morals of the show reflected past Disney content. I liked this show resembled one like an “after school special” that sends messages like working together, being kind to others, and treating others with respect. It was comforting watching the show as an adult knowing that Disney is making these morals a priority in their content just like they did when I grew up watching Disney. I think this mindset of including these values in content for young children can be very crucial in a child’s years of maturing. These values can be seen in one of the last episodes where some stray lions are noticed to be “the outsiders” because they were banished by Simba. However, the show focuses in on Kion, one of the main characters, actively tries to get “the outsiders” welcomed back. Learning about the power of “the roar”, you can see that Kion has power over all of the older lions and in a lot of the ways he works on getting out of trouble. Towards the end, we see that he really has a way of becoming himself.
Where I think this show worked is with the circle of life and seeing how in a lot of the show was where the guard is working to keep the wildlife in perfect harmony with the environment. This worked for me because it’s really important to learn about the environment at a young age. What this can teach children is that the smallest things can impact your surroundings. For example, in an episode, a rainstorm stranded Kira and her “royal watchers” on an island where it turned from a grassy plain into a rainstorm. You can see how the guardianship really was explored in the same episode because Fuli doesn’t like baboons and it was obvious when one clung to her in the way a child would cling to a mother, and this is showing kids early signs of imprinting.
Those who are diehard fans of The Lion King might feel a level of disrespect from Disney because this is not the format or style that we first fell in love with. However, that is kind of why it stands out to myself and others. The show has a very Paw Patrol feel by starting with a minor introduction, then building into the episode’s issue or dilemma. Lastly, you find a way to overcome it with teamwork and friendship.
One of the main elements I found while researching this is that everyone in The Lion Guard has a role, and this really stood out to me because similar to other shows I personally watched as a child, it gives more impressionable children someone to look to as a role model. It begins with Kion, the leader of the guard, Bunga, Timon and Pumba’s adopted son who stands for the bravest of the guard, Fuli, the fastest of the guard, Beshte, he is the hippopotamus and he serves as the strongest, and lastly Ono, the keenest of the guard.
Then we move into how balanced this show was episodically with the three-part arch. We see how the balancing act comes into play for the show which feels unbalanced because the intro is not really needed to set up what is going on every time because the viewers don’t need to know who their favorite characters are. Next, we see the middle of the crisis because there is always a problem from Scar being revived and the hyenas causing problems for the guard. This is where most of the show is targeted with the most educational messages or themes. Then, we see the falling crisis where they start to slow down, wrap things up, and really bring all the messages across that are desired by the writers and directors. They emphasize the importance of teamwork, or what they are talking to us about today. This is very parallel to the intro due to the fact the adventure is over and the cast is ready to wrap everything up.
From a personal stand point on my review of the show, I’m a tad torn in the fact that I was raised with the original Lion King story so I was very spoiled, but looking at how kids media is portrayed now, it’s more sporadic, but the fact that myself plus eight other 21+ college students were able to sit down and watch 114 minutes of this show while still being entertained really speaks because most people that would be showing this media work to their children would be those that have seen The Lion King or has at least heard of it.
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