After 25 years, let’s face it; the filmmakers would’ve gotten stoned to death if they hadn’t kept this in almost exactly the same!
- The shot-for-shot recreation of "Circle of Life" is absolutely stunning. Even better: it starts with the sole completely live-action shot of the picture, just to set up the stunning photorealism of the rest of the picture.
- Unlike the original where he was subjected to the "birdie boiler", Zazu here doesn't hesitate to fly in and attack Shenzi's face to let Simba and Nala run away.
- And he actually partakes in the Final Battle, dive-bombing the hyenas to peck and claw at them.Zazu: For king and country!
- And he actually partakes in the Final Battle, dive-bombing the hyenas to peck and claw at them.
- Mufasa doesn't just take on the three main hyenas. He takes on a whole pack to defend Simba and Nala, all set to a thunderous, epic reprise of “This Land”. This is the king of Pride Rock defending his son and his bloodline, and by extension his kingdom, and he’ll be damned if he’ll let them come to harm.
- An understated moment is how Mufasa directly addresses her when he’s leaving the Elephant Graveyard. If there was any solid confirmation that this Shenzi is an Adaptational Badass, it’s this. She may be no match for Mufasa himself, but she commands enough hyenas and is powerful enough in her own right that Mufasa personally speaks to and acknowledges her as someone close to an equal. The original Mufasa probably didn’t even know her name.
- To further cement Mufasa’s Awesomeness; in real life a Lion, even an old male like Mufasa, would have a very hard time facing against a pack of Hyenas, hell they can even lose, so the fact that he can take on a whole pack of Hyenas and win is a testament to Mufasa’s power.
- Sarabi is the one to expose Scar as the true murderer this time around. She does so by challenging Scar's story about not getting to the gorge in time with just one Armor-Piercing Question. What makes this even more awesome is that she's doing so not only out of rage for the death of her mate, but also in defense of her fully grown son. And all Scar can respond with is a stare of absolute silence as he realizes he's been unveiled as the true murderer.Sarabi: Scar... you told us you didn't get to the gorge in time...
Scar: That's true.
Sarabi: THEN HOW DID YOU SEE THE LOOK IN MUFASA'S EYES?!
(Scar stares speechless, realizing he accidentally exposed himself)
Simba: MURDERER!
Scar: KILL THEM ALL! - Nala vs. Shenzi.Shenzi: Now this is a meal I have waited my whole life for.
Nala: I've been waiting too. And I'm not a cub anymore!
[They proceed to fight] - Rather than the somewhat narmy and old "They call me Mr. Pig" line from the original film, the cause of Pumbaa actually fighting during the Final Battle is being called fat.Pumbaa: I may run from hyenas, but I'll always fight a bully!
- The fact that during Scar’s reign, the Pride has none of it and outright looks to Sarabi as their ruler and queen. This is despite the fact that Sarabi herself acknowledges that Scar is by all appearances the rightful king as the seeming last survivor of Mufasa’s bloodline; she nonetheless serves as the Big Good after the death of her husband and the loss of her son.
- Sarabi in general handles things very well after the loss of her family. The very moment the hyenas arrive to take over Pride Rock, Sarabi quickly urges Nala to stay close, immediately knowing to put herself between her and the hyenas. Years later, Sarabi refuses to lead the lionesses out of the kingdom, insisting that they must stay together and protect their home. She says it with such dignity and grace that even though in the original she knew staying meant starvation, you can’t help but respect Sarabi for knowing that the lionesses must stay and fight Scar’s regime however they can.
- When Shenzi summons her to speak with Scar, Nala insists she doesn’t go, but Sarabi scoffs that she’s not afraid of him and calmly walks through a crowd of hostile hyenas, much like in the original. She then weathers Scar’s sexual harassment and selfish demands with ease, calling him out for his greed and overhunting, coldly telling him she will never be his queen. Her stance only shakes when Scar makes it clear he’s willing to let the lionesses starve as punishment for her rejection of him.
- Right before Simba shows up, Sarabi is again being harassed by Scar to be his queen. She stands her ground, and knowing exactly what will piss him off, starts lecturing Scar about how a true king shows compassion. When Scar snaps at her that he’s ten times the king Mufasa was, clearly taking the bait, Sarabi sneers back that he is NOTHING compared to Mufasa. She is then attacked by Scar. Where in the original Scar was able to take her down with one hit (albeit after striking her by surprise), in this version Sarabi hits him back and is able to fight Scar on equal terms before Simba interrupted.
- As Simba and Nala return to Pride Rock, Rafiki goes into the depths of his tree to pull out something - and with a glorious instrumental rendition of "This Land", he draws forth the glorious, gnarled staff that audiences had lamented he had been without during the film. He follows this up by coming to Zazu's rescue, and it really sounds like it hurts when he wallops the hyenas with his staff. Oh, and his beatdown gets another, even more epic instrumental/choir rendition of "This Land".Rafiki: My old friend...
- Timon and Pumbaa continue to take part in the final battle, as Pumbaa finally achieves his goal of vultures in a roundabout way; this time, he's mowing down hyenas and sending them flying off of Pride Rock.Timon: That never gets old!
- Simba defeating Scar in the movie's signature fight. Not necessarily for the fact that Scar ultimately died (and not at Simba's paws), but that:
- 1. Scar finally answered for his cruelty, treachery, and deceit.
- 2. Good had a decisive and emphatic victory over evil.
- Some might see Scar finally getting swarmed by the hyenas as Nightmare Fuel, but it also doubles as the ultimate karmic payback for all of his lies, betrayal, and cruelty - after murdering Mufasa and deceiving Simba into thinking he was responsible for his father's death, then spending his entire reign as king by demeaning others & stripping the Pridelands of its fertility through his poor rulership, Scar is finally called out on his lies and torn apart until there's nothing left.Scar: My friends... it will take some time, but together we will build our army!
Kamari: "Friends", huh? I thought you said we were "revolting scavengers".
Azizi: Yeah, and that you wanted to kill us!
Scar: No, no! Let me explain! I was trying to fool him! We will rule together!
Shenzi: There's only one true thing you ever said, Scar. "A hyena's belly is never full."
(They lunge at Scar and quickly overpower him, mauling him to death)- The scene is followed up by Simba finally taking his place as rightful king of the Pride Lands; and the final scene where, under the "Circle of Life" music bed, Simba and Nala welcome their newborn cub into the world.
- This version of Nala is shown earning her status as queen, first by attempting to convince the other lionesses to fight back against the hyenas before taking her own initiative to find help, then by rallying them to Simba's side when he returns. When the fighting starts, her word is all they need to jump in.Nala: Lions! Attack!
- Lebo M. receives a direct credit for leading the African vocals on the soundtrack, right in the main ending titles. For a man who came from nothing to becoming, as Hans Zimmer put it in his concert tour, the voice of The Lion King, it’s a well-deserved show of respect.
- Fans who stayed for the credits get a nice treat: "He Lives in You" from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride gets an isiZulu cover
. Just the sheer fact that Disney acknowledged the 25-year legacy of the franchise in one song - simultaneously acknowledging one of the few direct-to-video sequels that's positively received (a moment of awesome for the sequel itself), the stage show which is to date the highest grossing production of all time, and the original film itself (as it was a song that was cut). It’s the second-to-last song in the soundtrack and credits, and is a perfect way to cap off this celebration of the original classic. - The final song of the credits and soundtrack is a cover of the original “Mbube”, the song that ultimately inspired “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. Some negative publicity had surfaced in the last few years regarding Disney’s usage of the song, but if anything, Lebo M.’s cover proves that Favreau and company are all about paying tribute to the source of the song.
