The Lion Guard (2015 / 2016)

[Lauren]

Kinda makes me worried that there's gonna be lots of stupid nursery rhymes that are just unbearably annoying for the older TLK fans to hear..

That's one of the things I'm afraid of.

I watched PBS Kids as a little kid and many of the shows didn't need to be super cutsy-woosty in order to be good for the target audience. Calliou, Arthur, Cyberchase, etc.

[juhouh]

Never been a fan of cubs anyways. I prefer all the characters as an adult. They should have made a spinoff which includes only canon characters (expect Timon and Pumbaa). That could have been just too perfect but I guess then these preschool kids wouldn't like it at all

Disney doesn't know that TLK fandom includes mostly adults

[FlipMode]

Disney doesn't know that TLK fandom includes mostly adults

Mostly? That's a bit of a stretch...
Anyways, this is aimed at preschoolers, I'm not a preschooler (don't even go there!) so there goes that.
Also it probably won't make it to the UK and if it does, I won't be able to watch it as I don't have the channel. Bit of a problem.

Also it just sounds ridiculous. Simba makes an army and calls it Lion Guard. It's like a really bad fanfiction. That's what preschoolers want is it? WAR VIOLENCE DEATH!
"Knife goes in, guts come out, that's what it's all about, hey!"

TLK getting a TV show for preschoolers... Jesus Christmas on a bicycle...
What's next? A Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie reboot? Flintstones reboot? A sequel to Shaq Fu? Conker in project Spark but not his own game?! Spider Man in Disney Infinity?!

[Ninaroja]

I'm pretty sure it will make it to the UK (though probably a few months after it premieres in the US, which is what usually happens in my experience with Disney Channel). When I was little and watching Play-House Disney (as Disney Junior used to be known) in the US, the friends I have now were watching the same shows in the UK. Disney Channel/Disney Junior have international versions all over the world, so I'm pretty sure this would be shown on all regions of Disney Junior.

And as for physically watching it, it'll probably end up online, as basically all TV shows do. That's probably how I'll take a look at it - seeing as I hopefully will be living at University, and my family doesn't pay for all the extra channels any more.

[Regulus]

Also it just sounds ridiculous.

It depends on which direction they go with it. I imagine that Julie is right and the whole guard thing is just Kion playing a game with his friends and occasionally getting into trouble; the adults just humor them and laugh it off as cubs being cubs. Remember, Kion is supposed to be a cub. It'll probably be like Simba and Nala's cub adventures, but instead of Mufasa saving the day, it would be king Simba doing that.

Like, when I was in elementary school, I assembled an "army" with my friends, and during recess we fought a "war" every day against this other kid and his army. We threw rocks and flung dirt and pretended that it was an actual war (I was the strategist, duh!). Heck, we even had a secret base of operations. I spent most of my class time thinking up faux battle plans instead of paying attention. It seemed serious to me and it was pretty fun, but it was all just a game like cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers. Except it wasn't... it was the mastermind Regs and his friends versus Max and his friends, versus the teachers and faculty who told us to play nice.

Good times...

[juhouh]

I won't be watching it but I'll see it then from Youtube what is it like.

And Flip, I'm turning 20 soon and I'm almost the youngest member on MLK. The median age of TLK fandom would actually be somewhere at 23-25

[Regulus]

^ Actually, the average age here is like 18 or so. Hardly anyone here is older than 25.

-> viewtopic.php?f=52&t=1034

-> There is another thread, but I can't find it. I should create a MLK census...

[Ninaroja]

I'm still only 17, and there's a few members here who are a bit younger than that, so I'd say the average MLK membership age is maybe around 20 or a bit lower.

People aren't exactly wrong about the TLK fanbase being a large portion adult. The kids who first saw it in 1994 are grown up now, and a lot of those who have seen it during the last twenty years are nearly adults now, too. The parents of kids who grew up with it associate it with their children when they were younger, so it can bring out happy memories in them, too. IMO the kids who "like" it these days can't appreciate it on an emotional level yet, which is why TLK has such a large adult following today compared to a lot of other Disney movies (and TLK is such a mature film compared to many other Disney movies) .

[FlipMode]

^ Actually, the average age here is like 18 or so. Hardly anyone here is older than 25.

I suppose even 18 is pretty old for a lion king fan to be. I'd still bet there are way more younger fans out there though. The Internet fandom is a tiny fraction of the fans.

[MooLion]

I've somewhat mixed views on this. But cannot deny it's rather exciting to be getting more from the TLK universe, even if it's something simplified and aimed at young children. I reckon the Mufasa appearances will be in a similar way to in SP where he shows up occasionally in his 'spirit in the sky' form (that's where I'm...~~~) as help to Kion or so. Even so the story will be a little confused. So did Kion get born really late? If not, then where was he in SP... Eh. Intriguing news indeed.