My
friends couldn't wait to tell me Beyoncé was officially on board to voice Nala
in Disney's upcoming CGI-animated, live action remake of The Lion King. I was overjoyed that the rumor was finally confirmed and
official!
I jokingly said to one of my friends, with Queen Bey voicing Nala, it should really be called The Lion Queen. And as an ex-oficio member of the Bey Hive, I couldn’t help but to attempt to justify this statement and convince my friend I'm not just saying this because I love Bey. I threw out a couple of reasons based on my childhood recollection of The Lion King and soon realized I just might be on to something legit.
So, I rewatched The Lion King and put together these top 5 reasons Disney should consider making this remake The Lioness Queen:
- Queen Bey = The Lioness Queen. Beyoncé is gracing us with her voice as Nala, the lioness queen.
- Simba Was Going to be a “Mighty King” and Nala Was Going to be a Mighty Queen. Simba and Nala were betrothed to each other as young cubs according to Zazu, which means just as Simba was the future king throughout the film, Nala was also the future queen throughout the film. #ShesGonnaBeaMightyQueen
- Nala was as Central a Character as Simba for Most of the Film. Nala was with Simba during Scar’s first attempt at having Simba murdered, at the elephant graveyard. Nala is part of the action. She’s not just sitting on the sidelines. In fact, Nala is pretty present throughout the film, except for a few scenes (intro, Mufasa’s death, Hakuna Matata, and Simba talking to Mufasa’s spirit).
- Nala is the Impetus to Pride Rock being saved from Scar. When she ran into the older Simba and reminds him he is the king, she reveals she left Pride Rock to find help though she wasn’t expecting to find him. In other words, she wasn’t sitting around waiting to be saved. She took it upon herself to find a way to save Pride Rock. And her bravery went beyond searching for help, recall she didn’t hesitate to fight the lion who was coming between her and her food for the evening, that lion turning out to be Simba and the food Pumbaa. Also recall, this scene comes right after Rafiki becomes aware that Simba is alive and says, “It is time.” Nala set Simba’s reclamation of his throne into play.
- Nala is Willing to Fight for Pride Rock, and Does! When she catches up with Simba, who is finally convinced to fight for the kingdom after speaking with Mufasa’s spirit, he says that he realized if he didn’t fight for Pride Rock who will. To which Nala immediately responds back that she will fight for Pride Rock, and when he says it will be dangerous she says, and I quote, “I laugh in the face of danger! HAHAHA!” She is the first to speak up when Scar tells Simba the problem with Simba being King is the hyenas think Scar is king. Nala immediately said the pride doesn’t think so and Simba is the rightful king. And when Simba forces Scar to reveal to everyone that he murdered Mufasa, she was one of the first to go in for the attack!
You see, even while Simba was hakuna matata-ing, Nala was still behaving like a future queen (despite believing Simba was dead and she would therefore not be queen). Years later, with Pride Rock ravaged by Scar and the hyenas, she was still out there fighting and looking for ways to save her home. When Simba didn’t believe in himself, she was singing, “Why won’t he be the king I know he is, the king I see inside.” #CanYouFeeltheLoveTonight Without Nala, I don’t see Simba reclaiming his throne or Pride Rock being saved. Nala is fearless, persistent, and determined. Yes, The Lion King is a story of Simba overcoming not having these traits seen in Nala, which may seem like a more compelling story. However, the true story here, which may be even more powerful, is of a girl cub turned lioness who fights to save her loved ones after the loss of their king and her best friend, the future king. She saves not only the kingdom, but her man, the king, from himself!