Disney Junior’s The Lion Guard is prepping for its January premiere, and a future episode will get a big dose of The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride.
Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani will all guest star on The Lion Guard and will be voiced by their original voice actors: Jason Marsden, Andy Dick, and Lacey Chabert, respectively, Entertainment Weekly reports. All are children of Zira (who will, for now, not appear in The Lion Guard) and descendants of Scar. Kovu, of course, goes on to be Kiara’s love interest.
While it is not uncommon for Disney Junior shows to revive familiar characters (Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Sofia the First have famous characters guest star all the time), it is unusual for a program to do so with such obscure (but appreciated!) characters as Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani. This will be the first time any have appeared in any Disney media since the 1998 release of The Lion King 2. Kudos to Disney Junior for even bringing back the original voices.
The Lion Guard tells of Kion, Simba’s second-born cub and Kiara’s younger brother, leading a group of animal warriors to defend the Pride Lands. It debuted as a one-hour preview last month, which confirmed the show will take place in the middle of The Lion King 2, with Kiara still a cub.
The series has recurring appearances from other Lion King favorites like Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, and even Mufasa. Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa) and James Earl Jones (Mufasa) are the only other cast members to reprise their original roles.
Also coming with this news is the series’ official premiere date: January 15 during Disney Channel’s Disney Junior programming block. Check out the full title sequence, featuring the song “Call of the Guard,” below:
Are you pumped to see Kovu for the first time since 1998? Who else would you like to see make an appearance on The Lion Guard?
Edited by: Hannah Wilkes
