My Lion King Forum

So my hope and wish for this show is for it to end up as popular as MLP. I mean I wasn't happy with My Little Pony at first but the adventure and cuteness got to me anyway, and look how fare MLP came, and they sell MLP stuff like crazy, now lets talk about what needs to happen for TLG to become as popular and liked as MLP? because MLP was meant for little kids when it ended up being loved by older people that it even sells at Hot Topic. What goals does TLG need to meet for it to end up like MLP?

Do you mean you want it to be like it or are you just referring to popularity?

If you are referring to popularity it want it to be popular if it deserves there a lot of things that i feel these days don't deserve their popularity they're nothing special. So I'm hoping Lion Guard is popular because (like shows such as Legend of Korra, Avatar, or Gargoyles or other similar shows) It's actually good I want this show to be good I want it's popularity to be earned to be deserved and not just have people embrace it despite the fact that it's not really anything special.

Either way I guess we'll see and I suppose a popular show might result in more Lion King stuff which if that's the case than I would like it to become popular.

I don't really see that happening. MLP was a phenomenon that comes only once in a long while. TLG will have to do a lot of revolutionary things to have the same effect. It has nothing to do with quality, MLP FiM just did something relatively new and different that resonated with people.

I'm sure it will have a good-sized dedicated fanbase, though.

It needs to be well written and have relatable characters. You can't make this happen with just ANY show. It needs to be good right from the start. It also needs to be fan-friendly. By that, I mean Disney can't sue the socks off of anyone who makes fan-made content (fanart, song remixes, fan-made clothing, video games, etc). I really think they could pull it off just because this is The Lion King, one of the most sensational animated title in history. For this show NOT to catch some traction, the developers would have to be really lazy or just incompetent. But to reach cultural phenomenon status like MLP, it needs to give the fans something to work with. Something they can take into their daily lives. Situations and lessons that everyone of all ages can relate to.

Like Lyonize, I think the show needs to be well written, I know Disney intends for the show to be educational, but the lessons they want to Impart have to be cleverly written into the story so as not to compromise the story. If they stop the flow of the story in order to teach the lesson, it will be detrimental to the show.

While the show will not cater to us older fans, the show should not shun it's older fan base. For the show to truly be a huge hit, it needs to reach beyond it's target demographic. I also think it would be very wise to let it be known somehow That The Lion Guard is not Retconning Lion King 2 out of existence.

I know it is a Disney Jr. show, but showing it outside of the Disney Jr. block at times could help to expand the fan base.

Also as Hatari05 suggested, don't be afraid to let the show grow with it's target audience. It that leads to the show having to be eventually re branded, so be it. I have yet to watch Captain Jake and The Neverland Pirates, but if it can be re branded so can The Lion Guard if and when the time comes.

My biggest (and least likely) hope for this series, is that it will be so successful that Disney is inspired to create a theatrical sequel to The Lion King (That would be 3rd in continuity) to The Lion King.

Like others have said, it's more down to the story writing that makes for a good series/film . Also character development.

I hiiiighly doubt that is ever going to happen, considering (as far as I know, correct me if I'm wrong) MLP was never a preschool show like TLG is going to be. The older generations were intended for younger audiences, yes, but I doubt they were ever meant to be educational, and the newest generation has always been intended to be family-friendly and not just for toddlers. It may become a hit within the fandom depending on how good/bad it's going to be, but it'd need to be very exceptional to attract audiences beyond just the intended ones.

But doesn't it also depend on how much the show is watch or how much merchandise we or others buy?

If there's not enough quality, there's less viewers. If there's less viewers, there's less customers. Though in the case of TLG a certain amount of viewers/customers is guaranteed because of children/parents who will likely not mind the quality regardless, but that is not enough to make the series a hit with the magnitude MLP had.

Actually Disney has always stated that they want Preschoolers and their families to enjoy The Lion Guard. Now granted I do not know the cooperate mindset of Disney, but that statement leads me to believe that while Disney is targeting and counting on a Preschool audience. They could be hoping that The Lion Guard has a wider appeal that just the target audience. I apologize in advance for making this point yet again, but the previews that have been shown do not feel like a preschool show to me. In fact I got the chills when I saw it. No preschool show has ever inspired that kind of reaction from me.