Does cub Simba have a undeserved bad reputation?

[Squeely]

Confused Matthew just wanted to troll TLK fans. That's the vibe I get from him, and I recall him stating as such.

As for Simba, he acts exactly like any child would. His curiousness and slight rebellious streak make him believable.

[Gemini]

^ Because to those people, Kopa may as well be Jesus.

Uh, Julie... that is offensive to my religion. Don't you know Kopa died for our sins????? I even have this fancy bumper sticker!


KOPA IS THE WAY THE TRUTH THE LIFE

Now repent for your blasphemy, you filthy sinner!

-----

In all seriousness, though, people love Simba. Now I used to be that one person who really didn't care for him, but even so, he kinda grew on me a bit over the years. And it's safe to say that I like him as a cub probably even more than I like him as an adult. You can really tell that his heart is in the right place, as the other people on this thread have pointed out, and I respect that. I've met spoiled kids before and they would never do any of the things that he did, they would've simply run away instead of saving their friends and etc.

That being said, is he still privileged and arrogant? Well, yes, obviously. Can it get on people's nerves? Yes, and I see why, also. But that's just due to his age, really. Mufasa still raised him well and it shows in those little things he does. He cares about the people around him, whether they're nobility or not. And that's a good trait for any person in power to have. If Mufasa had lived and he had been raised in the Pridelands and completed his training and all that, he would've assumed the kingship role a lot more easily and he probably would have been a fantastic ruler.

But then there'd be no story so yeah no that didn't happen

[BrianGriffinFan]

I think Simba as a kid has a bad reputation because, well, having a kid protagonist just sort of disrupts the flow of a story as dark as LK. How old is Simba even supposed to be there, anyway? 3-5?

[Captain Cupcake]

4-5 months or so.

In human years, he's akin to a 9 or 10 year old. He's still a childish, but he's not so juvenile that he'd pass as a 5 year old. His verbal skills and level of maturity suggests that he's more older than that.

[BrianGriffinFan]

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was about 11 when the voice acting took place, but sometimes they intend for characters to be younger. Didn't in the midquel he have to wake Timon and Pumbaa up to help him do stuff like go to the bathroom and get water? I don't think an average 9 or 10 year old would need help with that!

[Carl]

The midquel was a comedy, sometimes they have such elements because they aren't what you'd expect, in an attempt to make a joke.

[BrianGriffinFan]

The midquel was a comedy, sometimes they have such elements because they aren't what you'd expect, in an attempt to make a joke.

Yeah, I'm not sure if I trust any of it to be canon or whatnot.

Anyways, I personally see Simba as being a little younger, but there's no right answer, it's all just our opinions.

[PridelandsPhantom]

I had to jump in on this topic since I love cub Simba and have been a fan since it came out in 1994 . I don't see Simba as being a brat at all. He has a sheltered life with his parents and knows he will be the future king. He's supposed to be a young boy probably about eight-years-old and most children who were raised in an atmosphere where they knew they were royalty would be a tad bit bossy and full of themselves to. Simba doesn't realize as a cub that being king is not one big adventure and that there's real danger and lives in balance and that mirrors his carefree attitude. First of all, you can tell Simba loves both Sarabi and Mufasa deeply. When Simba begins to walk up to Pride Rock to view the sunset with his father he rubs against Sarabi showing his affection. He seems embarassed that Sarabi is "messing up his mane" when he's really more embarrased about his mom essentially doing the lion version of a kiss in front of his friend, Nala He does consider Nala to be his "partner in crime" as it were and wants to include her in his adventures. He did also try to save their lives in the elephant graveyard. I see cub Simba as a nice balance between playful, curious, a little cocky, but also loyal and loving and happy-go-lucky.

[Amur_Tiger]

Youthful exuberance is no crime, quite the opposite really, it's a blessing for as long as it lasts and I'm not even sure it ranks as a 'character flaw'. When Simba actually is confronted with a serious situation he behaves well and he is fairly mindful of his dad, listening and understanding though obviously not obeying entirely.

I think the most obvious growth in Simba as a character isn't from the character flaws of his youth so much as growing out of the neurosis he developed in the wake of his father's death, which... yeah that totally makes sense in the wake of childhood trauma.

[BrianGriffinFan]

4-5 months or so.

In human years, he's akin to a 9 or 10 year old. He's still a childish, but he's not so juvenile that he'd pass as a 5 year old. His verbal skills and level of maturity suggests that he's more older than that.

Actually, according to TLK 3, he's one day old. Pretty crazy, huh?

But no, I still think he's about 3-5. Some young children have really good verbal skills. I was looking at the book "Matilda" the other day and it goes as far as saying she was able to talk normally at one and a half!!