According to the voice actor of Timon, season 2 will be...

[gothprincesskiara]

What if they brought up something to do with the Elephant Graveyard thats always a dar and scary place besides the outlands

[Carl]

The Elephant Graveyard is in the outlands.

[gothprincesskiara]

yes but they havn shown the ACTUAL EG yet with the actual bones.

[Gaze]

this is very good news IMO, regardless of the exact meaning of "dark" in this context. I don't think that something being "dark" always means it has to be incredibly violent or intense or "adult." it's quite possible for something to be dark in a way that is still perfectly appropriate for small children - the content of the original TLK is an example of this, though it's safe to assume that sort of content will always be toned down for Disney Jr's toddler target audience.

more worldbuilding, more exploration of Kion's fear of becoming like Scar, a more honest portrayal of the 'circle of life,' more emotional struggles for the characters.....any of those things could steer the show in a more 'dark' or 'deep' direction without alienating the toddlers the show is made for, and it could be a really great thing

[Panpardus]

[quote="Sadiki"]this is very good news IMO, regardless of the exact meaning of "dark" in this context. I don't think that something being "dark" always means it has to be incredibly violent or intense or "adult." it's quite possible for something to be dark in a way that is still perfectly appropriate for small children - the content of the original TLK is an example of this, though it's safe to assume that sort of content will always be toned down for Disney Jr's toddler target audience.

more worldbuilding, more exploration of Kion's fear of becoming like Scar, a more honest portrayal of the 'circle of life,' more emotional struggles for the characters.....any of those things could steer the show in a more 'dark' or 'deep' direction without alienating the toddlers the show is made for, and it could be a really great thing[/quote]

I'm pretty sure this is where at least most people's expectations lie for the show's future. Given that Zira's now apparently going to make an appearance (and we've already had Nne and Tano splitting into their own more irredeemable 'bad guy' faction after clearly trying to kill Janja) it certainly introduces a 'darker' element to this overall arc that the creators are clearly consciously creating. I look forward to seeing how it's handled down the road.

[Squeely]

It'll for sure remain G-rated, but there's plenty you can do within the boundaries of that which can be deep, thought-provoking, etc. without even getting as dark as the first TLK. There's lots of room for growth here, without things getting too intense for the young demographic.

I hope to see more thought put into each episode, to flesh out the characters more, and explore backstories. Hopefully get more on Scar and Mufasa's past. And heck, I'd love to explore more of Timon and Pumbaa's past as well. Imagine Timon running into a meerkat who used to bully him, and they have to reconcile. Or Pumbaa being weary of seeing the sounder that kicked him out again. When even the funny characters have things to be explored that can be deep, that says to me that there are plenty of places the show can go that are dark and heavy without being too much for toddlers.

[SimbasGuard]

It seems that that everyone has a realistic view as to what Darker could mean for a Disney Jr. show. Now allow me to lower everyone's expectations even further by sharing this Idea. The Darker episodes for season two could mean that more episodes will be set at night.

I know this next idea is extraordinarily unlikely for several reasons, but in regards to the idea of the death of someone close being the topic of an episode. What does everyone think of an episode that deals with the passing of Sarabi?

Perhaps an idea that has a more realistic chance of happening is: An episode that explains why Fuli is on her own. Others on this Forum have already pointed out that she is actually too young to be on her own.

[Squeely]

We don't know if Sarabi passed away. She could be fine. But I'm dying to know something about her. Did she indeed pass away? If not, what has she been up to? She was a great queen and would make one hell of a mentor for Kiara, would love to see that.

[Lionkingview]

Maybe she'll pass away during an episode ....that would be (if handled with the right care)very interresting. Tackling the subject matter of death on a disney junior show would take some large balls.

[SimbasGuard]

[quote="Squeely"]We don't know if Sarabi passed away. She could be fine. But I'm dying to know something about her. Did she indeed pass away? If not, what has she been up to? She was a great queen and would make one hell of a mentor for Kiara, would love to see that.[/quote]

That is what I was getting at, since Sarabi was not even mentioned in Lion King 2 we don't know if she is alive or not. The Lion Guard could address this one way or the other if they chose to.