The Lion Guard (2015 / 2016)

[Perrys Girlfriend]

This new series is all I can think about.

[Regulus]

If this turns out to be half as good as MLP is, we'll be in for something worthy of watching. It looks like it could be going down that path, so I do have some hopes.

That said, what I want to know is this. Who's writing and directing this new series? That's going to be a better indication of what it'll be like than anything else.

[KingCub]

That said, what I want to know is this. Who's writing and directing this new series? That's going to be a better indication of what it'll be like than anything else.

Thats what I would like to know. Never really seeing a whole lot of shows put out on DJ (besides the babysitting thing every now and then) I can't really see how this is going to loo. Will it be more story driven with characters, or a children show dedicated to teaching numbers and shapes. Either way, Ill be watching it!

[KiarasBiggestFan]

Same, Zazulover!

[SimbasMate]

Because Kopa is not, never has been, and never will be canon. The filmmakers of SP never knew about him, the guys making this probably didn't either.

And everyone, about the Kiara issue, after double checking the article, it does refer to her as Kion's older sister.

Why won't Kopa ever be cannon? There could be a possibility that he could one day. They brought this cub "Kion" off of nothing. He was never mentioned in anything, and he replaced Kopa. I don't see that as logical, this series isn't going to make any sense at all. The people who made this should know about Kopa, and not throw away a perfectly good character that actually did exist in a TLK book.

Also, how much do you want to bet that Mufasa won't be dead? I have a huge feeling that Kiara is going to be a cub again, and Mufasa is going to be alive. In my opinion, I think the creators are just going to trash the whole TLK trilogy with this show, by messing up everything. They should have left it alone.

And when I say these things, I am counting the TV show as canon. If you do, it really does mess everything up.

[MalibuTrashDog]

Yeah I kinda hope they don't screw with the whole romance between Kovu and Kiara. I'd also hate to see characters like Nuka and Vitani be erased from memory. I love Vitani

[Regulus]

That said, what I want to know is this. Who's writing and directing this new series? That's going to be a better indication of what it'll be like than anything else.

Thats what I would like to know. Never really seeing a whole lot of shows put out on DJ (besides the babysitting thing every now and then) I can't really see how this is going to loo. Will it be more story driven with characters, or a children show dedicated to teaching numbers and shapes. Either way, Ill be watching it!

It should be character-driven. It's supposed to teach kids about social things:

"Wildlife education experts at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida will serve as consultants on "The Lion Guard," which will incorporate themes of conservation, family and community while also highlighting problem-solving, creative thinking and diversity."

In other words... it seems like it could be a lot like FiM, which is supposedly educational and friendship oriented for girls age 2-11.

[SimbasGuard]

That concerned me, too, at first. Then I remembered how many kids shows go (I have to see lots of them daily because of babysitting my cousin) and how many children act. Considering the fact that Kion is a cub and his "lion guard" is made up of a bunch of different animals, it is my speculation that the "lion guard" will be a group of Kion's own creation, not an official legitimate group designed to actually literally protect the land. Now, considering it is a kids' show, I am sure the adults will at least talk to Kion as if it is a real position, and I'm sure he will do things that a cub should not be able to handle and get into lots of escapades. But, I think it will be kind of similar to when kids are playing cops or something, where they're like "hey, I'm protecting the city! Look at me!"

That's my speculation, at least. We'll see in time I suppose.

That is a very good point, If Kion is able to handle things that a cub should be unable to I won't have a problem with that. Kimba The White Lion was the same way and I loved that.

[Carl]

Because Kopa is not, never has been, and never will be canon. The filmmakers of SP never knew about him, the guys making this probably didn't either.

And everyone, about the Kiara issue, after double checking the article, it does refer to her as Kion's older sister.

Why won't Kopa ever be cannon? There could be a possibility that he could one day. They brought this cub "Kion" off of nothing. He was never mentioned in anything, and he replaced Kopa. I don't see that as logical, this series isn't going to make any sense at all. The people who made this should know about Kopa, and not throw away a perfectly good character that actually did exist in a TLK book.

Also, how much do you want to bet that Mufasa won't be dead? I have a huge feeling that Kiara is going to be a cub again, and Mufasa is going to be alive. In my opinion, I think the creators are just going to trash the whole TLK trilogy with this show, by messing up everything. They should have left it alone.

And when I say these things, I am counting the TV show as canon. If you do, it really does mess everything up.

Nothing will be certain until it comes out obviously, but I HIGHLY doubt Disney would be as stupid as you presume. If I had money, I'd bet quite a lot that Mufasa will be dead and that it will occur after SP in chronology. Disney isn't stupid enough to change those aspects, and the hint that Kiara is to be Kion's older sister highly suggests that they intend for it to be a sequel to the films.

As to why Kopa won't be canon, well because the filmmakers and Disney never officially recognized him as such. He is technically Disney property, but he is also semi-canon, like the other book and comic characters, and his existence does not merge with SP. Therefore, it is impossible for Kion to replace him. People said Kiara replaced Kopa too, but the fact is he was never canon and can't be replaced. Don't take this the wrong way, I have nothing against Kopa, and he is perfectly fine for fan theories, but considering as he wasn't known to the people who made SP and isn't known to any people beyond the fandom, I highly doubt anyone working at Disney now has ever heard of him. And supposing they have, then they'd have to remove SP from being canon in order to put him there, and that's what would really mess up the story. Remember, Kopa already has a story, of sorts. And nothing from SP is in it, meaning it has to occur before SP, or not at all.

I'm not saying they won't mess something up. There's a high chance they will. However, Kopa was never officially recognized and there has been no evidence to suggest that they intend to change the past. They released only a handful of paragraphs of information. There is 0 reason to assume that they are going to erase the past or turn Kiara into a cub or anything of the sort as yet. Mufasa's ghost was relevant to all 3 TLK movies so I'm certain that his appearances will be like that. If not, he will most likely appear in stories told by Simba to his son. "My father told me... *flashback*"

I can't prove or confirm any of that, I'm just pointing out that with what we know about this series, it could still follow the canon of the movies, and it probably will to that extent. There's no reason to get panicky and up in arms about it just yet. Maybe there will be a reason, maybe there won't.

Kopa is not a reason though, and neither is wild speculation that they'll try to rewrite the canon. If you want to convince yourself that those are legitimate possibilities, then go ahead and get strung out about it. I'm not going to worry about it though, because I honestly can't imagine Disney ever messing up in such a way. I've watched some of their recent shows, and honestly it is highly unlikely that your fears will be the reality of the show.

Until the show is released, I find it quite narrowminded to just assume they are going to mess it up and say they should have just left the series alone. Maybe they should have left it alone; I certainly never wanted them to try making a new movie or anything because it probably wouldn't be as good, but since they are-- it's best to reserve all judgment, positive or negative, until it's actually been seen. So you're not excited about it, that's fine. But we need more information before we can make such claims. It's too early for such a violent response. Just chill out a bit and either watch it when it comes out to see if you're wrong, or don't watch it if you feel so strongly. But no need to get wound up this far in advance, I mean either way it's just a show for preschoolers.

[Jiirani]

It's weird that Simba and Nala will have a son that's not Kopa - not because i expect them to recognize Kopa as a canon character but just because its not something i expected to ever see again beyond the books. Simba and Nala with a son... I'm excited. Idk. I'm totally going to watch it whether its based at kids or not

Also, loving the in depth discussion. It's nostalgic in a way