Hello Dear Readers,
I know y'all are probably sick of my ANs by now. However, I just felt that I would share my thoughts on the newest episode of "The Lion Guard", Lions of the Outlands.
I personally have looked forward to this episode ever since it was announced that Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani would be appearing in an posted of the show. What I did not expect was an announcement that Zira would also make an appearance.
So, first off, I should probably address Zira's new voice actress. Her original voice actress, Suzanne Plechette passed away 8 years ago, so Nika Futterman was cast for the episode. How did she do? She actually did pretty well. Considering that this episode takes place a decade or so before Simba's Pride, it's easy to assume that Zira's voice had changed slightly between this episode and Simba's Pride.
It was no Suzanne Plechette, but Flutterman did a good job trying to emulate her.
As for the song of the episode, "Lions Over All", I didn't expect Zira to get the song this time, but I'm glad she did. "My Lullaby" is an amazing villain song and, in my opinion, comes slightly short of some of the best Disney villain songs out there, like "Poor Unfortunate Souls". Flutterman and Max Charles harmonize quite well together and lyrically, it's simple enough for the kiddies to understand, but is sung in such a way that adults will like it was well.
So, I think, considering the show she was in, Zira was a great villain and sounded close enough to the original, but different enough to not feel like a rip-off. I sincerely hope that the show will utilize her more in the future.
Now, as for Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani, considering that they were advertised to be in an episode since last year, I think the were slightly underused. I felt that their use was more for fan service than anything else.
For the moments they were in the episode, they were alright. Nuka was hilarious as always, and Vitani was as snarky as ever. Andy Dick and Lacy Chabert still are able to sound like they did in Simba's Pride to some degree. Nuka sounded slightly higher, which works in this scenario, since Nuka is younger, while Vitani sounds older than the original, but it's not as noticeable as Kovu's.
In my opinion, Kovu was the most underused of the three. However, seeing as how Kovu didn't get blasted away by Kion's roar, and he gave him a look before running off, foreshadows that we haven't seen the last of Kovu. Probably the biggest thing he did this episode was legitimize that the show takes place during the time skip in Simba's Pride, thus integrating it into the greater Lion King franchise in canon.
As for his voice, It felt a bit weird hearing Adult Kovu's voice coming from Cub Kovu's mouth, but it's comforting to know that Marsden still remembers Kovu's voice and is still able to execute it perfectly. Plus, the voice drop can be canonically contributed to lion puberty.
As for the plot, this episode looks to have simply been an introduction for the Outsiders, which leaves some hope for them to return in the future, or at least Zira and Kovu, considering that Flutterman is employed at Disney and Marsden doesn't look to be busy, unlike Andy Dick and Lacy Chabert.
Considering the fact that this show is aimed for a much younger demographic than ours, it was a good episode. It incorporated some great references to previous Lion King works, such as including rising pillars of rock, like in "Be Prepared" and Zira scattering a group of bugs, like in "My Lullaby". Plus, the place that Zira and her group landed at the end has a very close resemblance to the den we find them in during Simba's Pride.
Overall (pun intended), this is a great episode of "The Lion Guard", one that I hope will be expanded upon in a later episode. Perhaps making the Outsiders a once per season antagonist. On a scale of 1-10, I give this episode a 9.
As for its impact on my fic., well, I will tell you that I'm not adapting the story of the episode until the sequel, but there will be some foreshadowing about it during this current fic. You guys will just have to wait and see.
Now, for an update on the upcoming chapter. I feel comfortable with saying I'm roughly halfway done with it. I am currently writing a conversation between Beck and Kovu that I'm having writers block on, so we'll see what happens there.
Anyway, that's all I got. You guys have a great day, and hopefully I'll see you real soon!