#kiara lion king 2

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

not me thinking about Mufasa's spirit playing with cub Kiara in the opening of lion king 2, her playful swatting at his breeze the first clue of her fire, her fun, who she is as Kiara before she was ever told she'd someday be queen

not me thinking about Mufasa watching helplessly as his son stifles Kiara, worriedly insists she walks in his paw prints- literally and figuratively- no exploring or adventure, no forgetting her future duties.

Mufasa, who pulled his young son in and dropped his own smaller duties as king to play pouncing with young Simba

now seeing Simba stop Kiara's playful pouncing with a restraining paw over and over again- The pain and fear that Mufasa's death scarred Simba with, now hurting Mufasa's granddaughter too.

(but not forever. not if Mufasa can help it)

Simba's shame and guilt at his dismissal of what it really means to be king, pressed onto his cub, his heir, his responsibility, weighing Kiara down even when she's still so young, isolating her not just from Simba but from herself- Kiara watching a baby bird try to fly and get chased back to the nest, her heartbroken face, her GLEE when the little bird is flying on it's own later...

and her helpless, bittersweet happiness as it flies away, doing what she can't do- not because anyone is physically stopping her but because she's been taught to stop herself.

Mufasa, watching Kiara get to be herself for the first time as she makes a new friend, as they save each other, as she is BRAVE in the face of danger, STRONG and SMART enough to make sure both she and Kovu escape it, and... proud of herself, finally. For doing something as herself.

Kiara so happy to finally play with a friend, before other old pains interrupt and separate them

and this is when Mufasa reaches out to Rafiki with a plan. A plan to heal the break in the pride lands, yes, but also- a plan to give his granddaughter some HAPPINESS. A way for her to have more in her life than just being queen

(or even... to not be queen)

Kiara gets a choice. Her grandfather makes sure she does, and that she knows it's hers to make

In helping nudge her and Kovu together, Mufasa leads them to the moment- after Simba refuses to listen to his daughter again, running from old shame and blindly chasing his father's legacy- as the stars watch over Kiara running from Pride Rock, finding Kovu, the two of them laughing as they chase each other through the ashes of past destruction-

(the simple joy of enjoying life together, Kiara's gift to Kovu, another cub who didn't really get to be one and has to learn who he even is now, all this time later- just she does)

there is no sign given to Kiara. No reminder to go home

no request from Mufasa that she heal the wounds Simba and Zira keep choosing to rip open

she could go. She could go, like Kovu says, leave and start a life with someone who she's happy with as herself, who loves her FOR herself, without needing her to be queen-

finally, for the first time in her life, she could be free. The joy that should have been hers as a cub, gifted now, under the silently watching stars

(she is Mufasa's grandchild without being anything else)

she chooses to see others in her own reflection. she chooses to go back- laughs softly at the idea of leaving-

(Simba passed Mufasa's words down to her, the part of Simba's father that Scar couldn't kill, that Simba wouldn't let die, the understanding that grandfather and granddaughter share without ever having met- that makes them the great king that he was, and the great queen she already is proving herself to be)

but that WAS her choice to make

to be queen. to go back. to again try making Simba listen

and....

to reach out a paw to Zira after Zira tried murdering her father again right in front her- after Kiara leaped in the way- a queen is brave and strong when she needs to be

but a king or queen must be more than that

Mufasa, looking up at his brother (who's resentment he knows well) begging for and trusting Scar would reach down and save him-

Mufasa's granddaughter, looking down at Zira (who's hate she has felt so personally) and reaching down desperately, begging Zira to let Kiara save her-

a circle completed. an old hurt, finally healing

(for those that choose it. Scar and Zira with claws out, losing themselves as they cut themselves off from those around them)

Mufasa couldn't be there when Kiara was a cub, to laugh as she pounced at butterflies and forget everything for a game of chase. He would have loved to see Kiara the silly, the playful, his granddaughter before anything else- like he did with his son

His not being there is what kept Simba from being able to be there for her either, what caused Simba to hurt his own cub without even knowing it, lectures in place of jokes and worry that cut between them like a gorge neither could cross alone

but Simba listens to Kiara in the end. when she reaches out to him, again, finally he reaches back

Simba ends up on Pride Rock with his daughter, with the lion she loves welcomed into their family, along with all those Simba once banished. two generations side by side

and Kiara is finally happy to be there

that is when Mufasa tells Simba he has done well. As a king? As a father

it wasn't just the pride lands that needed healing

Kiara is happy now

[aspencreek-portfolio]

lion king 2 screenshot redraw, done to practice more with my lion art and painting scenery

[angelofalls]

The Pridelands Royal Siblings: Kopa, Kiara and Kion

[jebbabunga]

happy new year i’m obsessed with the lion king🙀😻

[pickypickypeak]

simba in the lion king 2: EXILE!!!

kiara: NO!!!

the whole savannah:

[bookishdaze]

Noa and Mae as Romeo and Juliet in the Next Planet of the Apes Movie?

Here's why a potential "love story" between Mae and Noa, whether explicit or simply implied, may not be such a terrible idea.

Why? Because Shakespeare told me so, that's why.

"When in doubt, it's from Shakespeare....or the Bible." At least according to a book I had to read for high school, lol.

The biblical references in Caesar's trilogy have been pointed out multiple times already, and these movies have also been described as Shakespearean tragedies. So I thought, 'ok, what kind of Shakespearean tragedy will we have this time around?'

I'm first gonna start off with Hamlet in the Caesar trilogy. I'm also gonna mention other popular movies that are based on Shakespeare's plays. Not necessarily because it's concrete proof that this is what will happen in future POTA movies. This is me simply picking up certain storytelling beats and patterns I've noticed in some of my favorite movies.

It's not 100% the same, but there are some similarities. Also, this isn't anything new. Many have pointed this out before, but I love talking about this stuff!

The Lion King, Black Panther, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are loosely based on Hamlet. A king or rightful heir is killed. Usually by an evil uncle, cousin, or family member. For some reason this always results in them falling off a very high cliff.

Everyone thinks they're dead, the evil relative takes power, and everything kinda sucks. There is not enough food in the Pride Lands under Scar's rule. Killmonger burns the heart-shaped herbs. Koba leads the apes to war against the humans.

The rightful ruler spends time in exile, recovering from their wounds and trauma. They might even get a visit or have a recollection of their dead father.

Then the rightful ruler comes back from the dead, challenges the usurper, and regains their rightful place upon the throne.

Now lets take a look at their sequels.

The Lion King 2 and Wakanda Forever share some similarities. They both follow another one of Shakespeare's popular plays, Romeo and Juliet.

Like the Montagues and Capulets, we have two rival kingdoms in both movies. We got the Pridelanders and the Outsiders. We also got the Wakandans and Talokanils.

The two heirs/rulers from both kingdoms meet. They hate and don't trust each other at first, but then they start to have compassion for the other. In Kiara and Kovu's case, they fall in love. Namor and Shuri don't fall in love, but after Namor shows her his underwater kingdom and what he has to protect, she softens and begins to understand him more. (They even got the whole Hades and Persephone thing going on, who are a couple in Greek mythology, by the way).

There are losses on both sides. Kovu's brother was killed while going after Simba. One of Namor's people was killed when Shuri was rescued by Nakia, and Shuri's mother, Queen Ramonda, died after Namor's attack on Wakanda. (Starts nervously eyeing Anaya here...)

These losses make things worse, by the way.

In the end, both pairs are able to bring the fighting between their people to a stop. The Outsiders are welcomed into Simba's pride. The Wakandans and Talokanils stop fighting after seeing their leaders return together.

In the end, they realize that they're the same. That they can't let hate and fear of the other side cloud their judgement.

Kiara tells her father, "A wise king once told me we are one....Look at them. They are us. What differences do you see?"

Shuri tells Namor while she spares his life, "Vengeance has consumed us. We cannot let it consume our people."

And I think this goes well with one of the core themes of these POTA movies. The apes are a mirror to humanity. We the audience are seeing us through them, and the characters in the movies themselves must come to the realization that they're the same.

Like when Caesar tells his son, "I always think ape better than human. I see now how much like them we are."

Maybe something similar like this will happen with Noa and Mae and whatever fight will happen between apes and humans. While I'm all for a good romance, it may end up being more like Namor and Shuri's case. There's something there. The tropes are present, but they don't fall in love. (At least not yet. Please Ryan Coogler, give me Nashuri endgame in Black Panther 3, hehe).

This is just a theory, by the way. This doesn't have to happen, but I just think it'd be neat. There would be differences though. What those differences would be, idk, but whatever happens in the next one, I can't wait!

"But but.... aren't you forgetting something?"

What's that?

"Don't they...ya know...both die at the end?"

Besides, they don't have to die. Things can be a little more hopeful for our two heroes 🙈

[hydravns]

The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998) Dir Darrell Rooney

[romancemedia]

🎊CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWLYWEDS #7🎊 ↳ Kovu and Kiara (The Lion King II: Simba's Pride)

[dreikling]

Was recently browsering through my DA gallery and found this piece and simply couldn't help but remake this one with smol Mali instead hHH <3

While I was making this piece, I remembered a time when my father and I went outside at dawn just before the sun just started to rise and watched it, for me, still a child, it was so magical to see the dark blue sky turn to a orange-ish pink shade - I wanted to give that experience to Mali somehow, so probably this will be the inspired lore for this image.

[yen-sids-tournament]

Animated Sequel Finals: Cinderella III: A Twist In Time v The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

[pizacat72]

like mother, like father, cub edition

[hyacinthoideshispanica]

Me: Why am I so attracted to the Enemies to Lovers trope?

Movies I watched all the time as a young and impressionable child:

[angelofalls]

The Pridelands Royal Siblings - A Peek of the Future

[redrum-sketches]

a collage drawing I made as a visual aid in a video about lion king 2, aka this is my lion king 2 fanfic

[cartoonico]

It's interesting that they seemed to have kept Kiara's apricot(?) colored pelt (kind of hard to tell with the lighting) from the animated movie but changed the color of her eyes from brown/red like her father's to teal/green like her mother's.

[goobersplat]

Disney Ceramic Figurines Lion King II Simba's Pride Kovu & Kiara