Disney and The Lion King

Nala
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Nala
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Nala is a lioness character who first appeared in Disney's popular 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. As a cub she was voiced by Niketa Calame and as an adult she was voiced by Moira Kelly. Laura Williams and Sally Dworsky provided her singing voice as a cub and adult respectively.

Nala in The Lion King

Nala is the daughter of Sarafina. Her father is unknown. (In actual lion prides, one to three male lions has a harem of lionesses and is the father of all their cubs. Since in Mufasa's pride there are only two adult males shown - King Mufasa and Prince Scar - this would imply that Nala is a daughter of either Mufasa or Scar.)

We first see Nala in The Lion King as a cub, being bathed by her mother Sarafina. Simba comes running onto the scene to tell Nala about the elephant graveyard. The cubs trick their mothers (Sarabi is also there) into letting them go to the water hole, but they are not allowed to go without Zazu, the majordomo hornbill. Along the way the cubs plot to ditch Zazu. They get into trouble with Scar's hyenas in the graveyard though, and are rescued by Mufasa.

Simba and Nala on their first meeting as adults
Simba and Nala on their first meeting as adults

Every bit as rambunctious as Simba, Nala is ready to go wherever he goes or do whatever he does. She often proves to be more than a match for Simba, and their playful wrestling usually ends with Nala flipping Simba over and pinning him firmly to the ground. Best buddies, the twosome are taken aback when Zazu tells them they are to be married. What a yucky idea! But time changes things, and when they meet again, they realize their friendship has deepened into love.

In the battle for the Pride Lands, Nala rallies the other lionesses and fights the hyenas while Simba battles Scar. With Scar's death, Simba assumes his rightful place as the Lion King, and the Pride Lands are restored. In the concluding scene of the movie, Rafiki lifts Simba and Nala's new-born cub high above the gathering of animals, continuing the circle of life.

Nala in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Adult Nala from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Adult Nala from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Simba and Nala now have a headstrong and rebellious daughter, Kiara. (In many respects, the cub Kiara resembles both her parents when they were cubs)

Simba is overprotective of his daughter and does not let her leave Pride Rock without Timon and Pumbaa keeping a close eye on her, but Nala reassures Simba that Kiara will be fine.

Nala features very little in this film, and her eyes are incorrectly coloured blue instead of the soft pale green that they were in The Lion King, although Nala has green eyes in merchandise from this film.

In Simba's Pride, Nala has visibly aged; her frame is heavier and larger. Her character is also strangely different, for in the second movie Nala is calm, mild-mannered and motherly - a huge change from the fierce, brave young Nala of The Lion King. It is not clear whether or not this was also a mistake.

The one reference to the first movie concerning Nala is in a short conversation she has with Simba, which ends in her playfully pinning him to the ground and then nuzzling him gently.

Nala in The Lion King 1½

Nala plays a small role in this midquel, and we only see her during the Can You Feel The Love Tonight sequence and an extension of the scene in the original film where Nala explains to Timon and Pumbaa about what happened to Simba.

Nala in Kingdom Hearts II

In the 2005 Disney/Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts II, adult Nala is the first lion that the game's main protagonists (Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy) encounter (young Nala is never seen). She is first seen fighting Heartless, and then the main protagonists help her defeat them. After that she takes them to Pride Rock, where Scar reigns as king and is helped by a lion Pete. Scar and his hyenas attempt to kill the main protagonists but Nala stops Scar in time and escapes with them. They later arrive at the oasis and encounter Simba, Timon and Pumbaa. The seven characters then return to Pride Rock together to defeat Scar, Pete and the hyenas. Later, she asks for their help in bringing back Simba's confidence in the face of "Scar's Ghost", and also reveals herself to be pregnant, possibly with either Kiara, Kopa or both. Vanessa Marshall replaced Moira Kelly as Nala's voice in the game.

Nala in The Lion King Stage Musical

In the stage musical version of the story, Nala's role is considerably expanded with the events leading up to Nala leaving the Pride Lands under Scar's tyranny depicted in detail. In the scene "The Madness of King Scar," the mentally ill Scar decides to make Nala his mate despite the fact that she angrily opposed to the idea. This leads to the song scene, "Shadowlands" where Nala's character sings the lead about her need to leave as the other Lionesses sing as a supporting choir while Rafiki blesses her.