by Squeely » January 22nd, 2017, 9:37 am
I'm mixed on the original "Mark of the Guard" design - on the one hand, the lion head of the final is a lot more dynamic and iconic. On the other hand, the pawprint is adorable and a touch more realistic. Like many others, when I first saw the pawprint mark, I thought Kion's spots had coincidentally developed into a pawprint formation, or perhaps he touched his shoulder with a muddy paw. Like Panpardus, I too was hoping there would be a Rafiki ceremony associated with the marks. Either of those would have either kept it more grounded in realism, or tie it into the first couple films better. But we got what we got.
I love the shot of Kion on Pride Rock with his parents and Mufasa. I really wish they had kept that in the final, with the minor change of adding Kiara.