Lion Guard Finale Praise + Rant
There is a lot I hate about The Lion Guard's final episode but the one thing that will always hold a special place in my heart is the return montage:
You can't tell in screenshots, but in the background, the LG chorus sings a reprise of the Departure Theme from the premiere episode, with this montage being a book-end to the goodbyes that the Guard said to their friends and families in that episode.
It's really sweet and powerful because it's a beautiful example of "Show, don't tell" (a rule which this show, particularly in Season 3, and the LK sequels in general are not the best at following). We see what the Lion Guard had left behind when they went on their journey to the Tree of Life, how much they had missed their home and how glad they are to be back and how that feeling was reciporicated by their friends and families.
Keep in mind that earlier that morning they were under the belief that Zira invaded the Pride Lands and had possibly killed the royal family and subjugated the Pride Lands' non-lion subjects if not giving them a same gruesome fate (since Kion knows that Zira is a lion supremacist, god-forbid what would happen if she ever got near Mtoto, Thurston, or Ajabu), and on the Pride Landers' end, the Lion Guard had been gone for such a long time with no one having any way of knowing they'd return or if they died. So this reunion was likely also a huge relief for everyone in the Pride Lands, especially Simba, Basi, and Timon and Pumbaa (who no doubt would've been scared shitless at the idea that their kid could be missing forever or dead and have no way to confirm or deny that possibility). It's just all around amazing to see. When watching the episode for the first time when it came out I thought something was wrong with my computer because despite there being 14 minutes left, I wholeheartedly thought the series was going to end there....
...which is why I'm very mad that it didn't and forever disappointed at the route they went with for the actual ending.
In the span of less than a full day since the Lion Guard returned from the Tree of Life, all of them instantly want to head back there on a whim after losing the Lion Guard contest, which would wind up in them completely uprooting their lives and leaving their home and families again for the sake of this one kingdom that we've only seen for seven to eight out of 74 episodes plus a TV movie! The reunion showed us that the Guard was strongly attached to their home and families, but now the ending forces us to ignore that to logistify the Guard willingly going to the Tree of Life without any on-screen goodbyes or send-offs. No scene of doubt, no goodbye songs, no parting ways between characters, nothing, it just jump cuts from "Hey, let's go back to the Tree of Life even though we've only been back here for a day" straight to them at the Tree of Life for Kion and Rani's wedding. Isn't the episode's title supposed to be "Return to the Pride Lands?" Yet the "return" plot stops mattering after the first 11 minutes.
The whole Guard leaving with Kion doesn't even make sense: Bunga has Timon and Pumbaa at Hakuna Matata Falls, Beshte has to co-lead the hippo pod with his father, Ono has his flock and possibly even Ona (you could argue that he would want to return to the Tree of Life because they healed him, but that's not the reason they went with - Also the poor dude lost his Mark of the Guard twice, the first being after he lost his eyesight to protect the Pride Lands from Scar, like, what the fuck?), Fuli had been the most admant about returning to the Pride Lands, and Anga showed no interest in staying at the Tree of Life and seemed perfectly ok in the Pride Lands.
Even back in the days where people were theorizing what would happen to the Lion Guard that caused them to be absent in TLK 2, I never saw reason for the whole Guard to leave if Kion ever left, and even then, I never expected any departure to be permanent because it would go against their whole life-style. It feels like they only had them leave like this for the sake of some "twist" that didn't need to be there. And even if they were going to go with this route, they could've had the Guard separate, with some staying and some going to at least make sense.
Much like Makini, Season 3 ignores crucial story elements of the main characters from the first two seasons to both justify their "plot-twist" by the end and to wrap up any “plot-holes” with the Lion King 2 and forces the audience to suspend an inappropriate amount of their disbelief. So while I like the reunion in the final episode and whilst my love for the show remains un-matched, knowing how it all ends and that (according to some writers) it was planned from the start to end like this makes me feel cheated in a way. One of the most disappointing endings I've seen from a show which I've been willing to follow from start to finish and this is coming from someone who's watched both Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Bunk'd.
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you wrote once about your favorite Disney princesses. What are your thoughts on the Disney non princess? Or top 10 princes?
Thank you for the ask!
The term “Disney non-princesses” is too vast, so I’ll go with the princes :P
I’ll take the characters from the same movies the princesses are from (even if they’re not “princes” aka royal), excluding:
EoA, because I’m not even sure which characters to include. Probably Gabe and Mateo because they’re the main characters and around Elena’s age. But I won’t include them because they are not well-known outside their show and either way we all know Gabe is always my number one, so let’s make this top more interesting.
Moana and Raya and The Last Dragon, because those movies simply don’t have male characters who could be considered “princes” (I don’t have the heart to call Maui or the guys (Boun and Tong) from Raya’s gang princes, sorry and I barely remember those characters because I’m not a big fan of the movies).
Before we begin, I want to note that this top is about MY favourite princes, not the best ones, and is supposed to reflect MY opinion, not yours. If you disagree, make your own post and don’t argue with me, trying to change my mind, because this kind of conversations is simply pointless. Anyway, I’ll try to express my opinion as politely as possible so I won’t offend anyone.
And now let’s get started!
11. The Prince (Prince Florian/Ferdinand)
I have nothing to say about him, besides he’s romantic and sweet. His role in the movie is insignificant, he appears only in two scenes and doesn’t even have speaking parts, I think?
I believe he could have a bigger impact on me if I loved the movie more, because my own bias plays a big role in making this top, but sadly he’s just bland for me.
10. Kristoff
Please, don’t bite me.
Despite the fact Kristoff is basically a lot more round than most of the characters I put higher, I still don’t have much to say about him, because he’s simply not my type.
I absolutely love Anna, but it doesn’t make me care about Kristoff as much as about her. He’s kind, loyal, brave, and even has a backstory, but… there’s still something missing. I don’t have the heart to call him unintelligent or God forbid dumb, but he just seems superficial to me. This is kind of people I don’t really like in real life, so I suppose it makes its impact.
I’m really sorry to all Kristoff fans, because really, he’s a great character, but just not for me. I often prioritize character’s personality over their complexity (which is why I’m not a fan of Elsa or Esteban if we take EoA into account because it’s been my brand~ for a long time) and if I don’t like them as a person, I cannot care about them as a character, and Kristoff is this case.
9. The Beast (Prince Adam)
As much as I love Belle, I’m indifferent to the Beast. I know he kind of has a complex character arc as we see how he’s actually changing thanks to Belle’s influence, plus we know a little of him before he was turned into a beast, like the fact he loves books, which actually does add something to his character, but I just don’t think that much about him. He’s nice, and that’s all I can say.
8. Prince Charming (Prince Henry)
I’m not sure what to say about him. He and Snow White’s prince are basically the same as neither of them plays an important role in the movies. I put him higher than the Beast mostly because of the sequels where he gets more personality (and an iconic jumping out of the window scene) that makes him a lot more enjoyable and fun to watch, even though he’s not really the character type I like.
7. Eric
Same as for the Beast. I strongly disagree with people who call Eric dumb or bland, but the fact I don’t insult him doesn’t mean he’s a character I often think about. I’m indifferent.
I love his passion for the sea, it makes him curious and adventurous, and I think it’s actually super interesting that despite being a prince, he has a down-to-earth hobby and is nice to his crew (and he has a super cool dog).
I heard Eric got “more personality” in the remake but I haven’t watched it yet so I cannot put my two cents in. Anyway, this top is about animated princes, so I wouldn’t put him higher either way. But the movie would certainly help me to look deeper into his character.
6. Phillip
Unexpected? Well, as I said, I’m biased. Sleeping Beauty is my favourite old Disney movie, Aurora was my favourite Disney princess as a kid and so it automatically made me love her man, too. He’s charming and brave as he’s actually rescuing Aurora, and as much as this is basically the only thing I can say about him, I still put him that high because he has a special place in my heart.
But you know, if we’re unnecessarily overanalyzing, Phillip is also kind of a rebel since when he fell in love with Aurora without knowing it was her, he refused to follow the betrothal and wanted to marry the girl he actually loved, so yeah, that’s nice. And he has a cool horse and a fun dynamic with his father.
5. Naveen
And we’re finally getting to the characters that I actually care about and even can say something beyond “he’s nice.”
I love Naveen! He’s energetic and optimistic, and I honestly do love characters like him. He’s super fun and has a fantastic arc, and I love his passion for music. As in Eric’s case, that’s great that he has a hobby and treats common people nicely despite being a prince.
Really, I just love characters with a radiant personality.
4. John Smith
I thought for a long time whether I should put John Smith or Naveen higher, because I like them pretty equally, but eventually John Smith won mostly because he’s deeper and I have more to say about him.
John Smith is great! He’s curious and adventurous, which I already said about Eric, but he’s a lot more dynamic and charming, and it makes him more enjoyable to me (his part in Mine, Mine, Mine is fantastic). He’s also decent, brave, loyal, caring, and what’s also important open-minded. I love characters who use to have wrong beliefs but learn eventually that they’re wrong. I think if I had rewatched Pocahontas before making this post, I’d say a lot more about him.
3. Eugene
My Top-3!
Eugene must be one of the most loved Disney male characters, and that’s well deserved! He’s charming and witty, brave and resourceful, has a great backstory that actually makes people care about him and it leads him to have a fantastic arc.
I really don’t know what else to say about him, he’s simply an amazing round character with a unique personality, and I really love him a lot.
I’m not taking Tangled the Series Eugene into account, because I sincerely don’t like how he’s portrayed there. They make a very big emphasis on his narcissism, especially in season 1, making him a comedy relief character, whereas in the movie it isn’t even such a big deal. Not to mention his absolutely terrible arc of being the prince of the Dark Kingdom. It completely erases his backstory in the movie and makes his story of being an orphan a lot less impactful for me.
2. Shang
Another bias, because, as you might have noticed, Mulan is my most favourite Disney movie. Just of all time.
To be serious, Shang is a perfect character for me. He’s brave, smart, takes his responsibilities seriously. He might be blunt and tough on the surface, but he’s also decent, respects his soldiers, wants his father to be proud of him, and always strives to do the right thing even if it’s contrary to his duties (I do have a type, don’t I)
and oh my goodness his song is the fire
He’s perfect, and I love him <3
1. Aladdin
That’s my boy!
Aladdin is my second favourite Disney movie, and Aladdin himself is definitely one of the reasons why.
He’s incredibly brave, decent, kind and selfless without being too soft as he’s also witty and resourceful. He also has many insecurities that force him to make wrong decisions, but he’s learnt from each one, and the general concept of his character being “the diamond in the rough” is really the main reason why I love him.
Aladdin is so layered and dynamic, and he will always be special to me.
Bonus: Gabe
ALRIGHT I’VE CHANGED MY MIND I will include Gabe, because it gives me an opportunity to finally ramble about my best man again and I cannot waste it.
I don’t even know where to start with.
I love his personality. He’s brave, honest, responsible, kind, selfless, protective, loving, extremely loyal and hard-working.
I love his story and how much he’s grown on me.
I love so many character tropes he embodies, and how some of the important aspects of his character resonate with me, which makes him special to me on a personal level.
He’s the character who unleashed my creativity as I created so much content of him and even built my own little universe that revolves around him and that I love to death.
He’s the only character on this list that I think about literally every day, and he will always be special to me because of the impact he’s made on me.
I love Gabe, and he’s placed out of this top, because he’s incomparable <3
***
Thank you again for the ask! I hope I wasn’t too mean akjsnfkk.
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'Axel, part of 2 trios' wait whats the other trio axels a part of. him namine and riku? or him isa and subject x?
Axel's arguably in THREE trios, if we forget that Ventus only knew Lea & Isa for one(1) day.
when it comes to Trad KH Trios, Axel has the Seasalt Trio (Axel, Xion & Roxas) and another with Isa & a mysterious 'Subject X'.
while we don't know much of anything about 'Subject X' she's very helpful to the overall themes of KH: her inclusion with Isa & Lea allows them to become a more Blatant Parallel of Riku & Sora (something that DOES require more handholding to lead audiences to, sadly)...
...and how clinging to the same friendship dynamics of childhood can do more harm than good as you grow up.
where Xehanort & Eraqus showed us "what if Riku & Sora actually bought into some of the false dichotomies they've been presented with, what if they hadn't had the support of their friends & were entirely alone", Saïx & Axel served as a "okay, even IF Sora &/or Riku isolated themselves from outside support & shut down communication... you can still fix misunderstandings, mend rifts, reconnect again as tje different people you have now become".
i was kind of Relieved to see that KH3's ending montage showed all the different "trios" intermingling, forging new connections independently of each other. it's a sign of growth & trust, expanding your social circle & learning that having more friends doesn't lessen the friendships you already have. the KH fandom and, in a way, the Seasalt Trio & Kairi (in regard to the Destiny Trio) are/were VERY fixated on having these Friendship Trios, often making the natural jump of making them Romantic OT3s (before the whole "Axel, Terra & Aqua are canonically considered to be young Adults: Ventus, Roxas & Xion are considered children/tweens" revelation).
That the "Seasalt Trio" is now sometimes called the "Seasalt Seven" (Hayner, Olette, Pence, Roxas, Xion, Axel & Isa) is something I find quite heartwarming.
(and, never forget that Jiminy has Been The 4th member of Sora's adventure party The Whole Time! the sets of 3 are just a jumping point, not some strict ultimatum!)
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