Review of The Lion Guard

I regard the Lion King as not only my favorite Disney movie, but one of my favorite movies of all time. When I first heard about this show, I was skeptical about the idea of centering on Simba's son Kion. I've seen the first batch of episodes so far and you know what? I love it! Contains all the things that made the movie so successful: memorable characters, zippy music, and a well written story that has some deep themes as well. This one is no exception. It may be a kids show, but there's plenty for adults to enjoy here as well as it contains themes of environmental conservation and racial tolerance (more metaphorical as it was shown in Don Bluth's Land Before Time). The characters are well drawn both in appearance and personality wise as each has his/her own strengths and weaknesses whether in defense or story-wise. I even love the epic intro with a great African Choir singing, plus the way that characters say some Swahili words make this equivalent to what Roger Ebert said about the first movie that it becomes "a learning experience as well as entertainment". Thumbs (and paws) way up!