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Nala is a female lion. She is the daughter of Sarafina, and the mate of Simba, with whom she has a daughter, Kiara, a son, Kion, and another son, Kopa. She succeeds Sarabi as the queen of Pride Rock.
Kiara was born to Sarafina and a male lion named Kifo. A few weeks after her birth, Kifo mysteriously disappeared around a canyon. Nala was born a little after her best friend, Simba, who she was betrothed to. However, they separated for many years when Scar attempted to kill Simba and, believing he had succeeded, lied to the pride that Simba was dead.
During Scar's reign, Nala's mother, Sarafina, became pregnant with a cub that was presumed to be Scar's. Soon she gave birth to Nala's new brother, Mheetu. Meanwhile, Nala's childhood friend Tama had a cub named Vitani.
As the Pridelands deteriorated in health, two more cubs were born, Nala mainly thinks about how these cubs should have been born during Simba's or Mufasa's reign.
Nala sought help outside the kingdom. During the course of her search, she met Simba, now fully-grown, and the two had a delighted reunion. She urged him to reclaim his birthright, and though he resisted at first, he eventually returned to the Pride Lands. There, Nala fought alongside her pride against Scar and, upon their victory, welcomed Simba as her new king.
Afterwards, Nala took Simba as her mate, becoming the queen of Pride Rock. They had three cubs together: Kiara, Kopa, and Kion.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Nala is a lithe, slender, well-built lioness. Her fur is cream-colored, and her eyes are turquoise. As a cub, she has a pink nose, but as an adult, her nose darkens to brown. Both the inside of her ears and the small tuft of fur on her tail are tan. As a full-grown adult, Nala does not change much except for her fur, which becomes duller in color.
Personality[]
Aided by the tempting adventure offers of her friend Simba, Nala is rambunctious as a cub and never known to turn down a chance at fun. Even the sound of a predator-infested Elephant Graveyard is enough to perk her senses, with her eager curiosity constantly leading her deeper and deeper into adventure and trouble. Though brave and curious, young Nala can be understandably foolish, not understanding the troubles of flirting with danger. Her mischievous nature and carefree attitude are dangerous when mixed with her thirst for adventure.
As a cub, Nala is known to be sassy, being defensive of her own accomplishments and giving her best friend cheek when prompted. Though Simba sometimes tries to claim her ideas as his own, Nala will not stand for being overlooked and is clever and strong enough to do something about it. Despite this, Nala is an encouraging friend, kind to Simba even when he makes an error. No matter what he says or does, she maintains the friendship, grieving heavily when he supposedly dies.
Come adulthood, Nala has become much more mature, practically built on persistence and responsibility. Scar's poor reign has made her realize the importance of accountability, as she has seen firsthand what Simba's lack of interest in the Pride Lands has caused. She often tries to speak sense to Simba, standing as his voice of reason, firm and resolute in her beliefs with a cutting edge to her argument. Nala isn't one to be stamped down with words, as she can hold her own in a verbal battle, parrying each of Simba's defenses with offenses of her own. No amount of yelling and accusations can beat down Nala's stubborn nature.
Nala is also known to be a fearless and loyal friend, willing to stand up to the much larger Scar in order to help her friend assume the throne. She is also the first lioness to leap into battle, rendering her courageous and willing to fight both physically and verbally for justice. Her steadfast faithfulness in Simba and her ready assistance mark her a loyal friend who is willing to put aside her own fears in order to do what is right and help a friend.
Family Members[]
Kifo (Father)
Sarafina (Mother)
Sarabi (Mother-in-law)
Mufasa (Father-in-law)
Mheetu (Half-Brother)
Simba (Mate)
Kiara (Daughter)
Kion (Son)
Kopa (Son)
Shani (Granddaughter)
Aisha (Granddaughter)
Chaka (Grandson)
Tiifu (Niece)
Trivia[]
- Nala had two animators: Aaron Blaise, who animated her as a cub, and Anthony DeRosa, who animated her as an adult.
- According to the stage musical producer Thomas Schumacher, Nala is ten years old when she finds Simba in the jungle.
- Tom Bancroft, a supervising animator, stated that the film is not implying that Nala is either Mufasa's or Scar's daughter. When it came up that her father was unidentified, everyone merely shrugged and figured that "no one would notice."
- It was revealed in The Lion Guard that Nala's father is not Mufasa or Scar, but a separate character.