Review – Disney’s The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar

Synopsis:

Disney’s epic adventure The Lion King continues with Simba and Nala’s second-born cub, Kion, and his Lion Guard team as they continue on adventures together throughout the Pride Lands! Follow our group of unlikely heroes: Bunga the honey badger, Fuli the cheetah, Beshte the hippo and Ono the egret. Join this heroic band as they use their unique abilities to protect the Pride Lands and maintain the Circle of Life. As King Mufasa said,” Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.”

“After using the Roar of the Elders in anger, Kion unwittingly summons the Pride Lands’ greatest villain, Scar. David Oyelowo (“Selma”) guest stars as Scar and Landry Bender (Disney Channel’s “Best Friends Whenever”) guest stars as Makini, Rafiki’s spirited young mandrill apprentice. Christian Slater (Disney XD’s “Milo Murphy’s Law”) recurs as Ushari the snake.”

What We Thought:

I’m not super familiar with Disney’s The Lion Guard series, but I’m super impressed with this collection, The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar. The voiceover work features some big names, Rob Lowe, Christian Slater, David Oyelowo (as Scar), Gabrielle Union and more. I also really liked the look of the show. Animated shows for kids today usually don’t work for me. They usually look way too computerized, but I thought the backdrops and coloring of this show were really good.

As for the show itself, kids will love it. It’s colorful, has funny characters and lots of singing. I can see it being a show parents don’t mind watching with kids. It’s nowhere near as good as The Lion King itself or even some of its sequels, but in an age of awful kids programming, I can see myself sitting down and watching this one with kids.

The first episode re-introduces you to the Pride Lands and Simba and Nala’s second-born cub, Kion plus his friends and a new friend. It also brings in Scar towards the end as they realize bad lions can also communicate, but through fire. It continues into the adventure and is a pretty quick and easy watch.

Even though I don’t have kids myself, I can see kids watching this over and over again. The music is catchy and the characters playful. You see all kinds of animals from elephants to hyenas and snakes. Kids will love the colors of the land, the water the elephants find and much more.

If you are familiar with The Lion Guard series, definitely pick up The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar. It’s a fun, safe watch for the family and parents won’t mind watching it the first few times.