The Outsiders (also known as Outlanders) are minor antagonists of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Background[]
Sometime after Simba had reclaimed the throne after the events of the first film, he exiled this pride of lionesses, due to their extreme loyalty to Scar. During their banishment, they resided in a wasteland known as the Outlands. Among their members included Zira and her three children: Nuka, Vitani and Kovu, as well as a substantial number of lionesses. Altogether, their pride seems to be equal in number to Simba's pride. The name "Outsiders" most likely comes from the fact that they live in the Outlands, as well as the fact that they were exiled from Simba's pride.
As a whole, they are much skinnier than Simba's pride, and many of the lionesses are of darker coloration than that of the Pridelanders. Interestingly, although Zira and her children are the only Outsiders with speaking roles, several individual members can be identified throughout the film by different markings on their bodies.
Role in the film[]
The leader of the Outsiders was Zira, who is a fanatical follower of Scar and the mother of Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu. In the end, all the Outsiders (with the exception of Nuka, who dies during an ambush on Simba, and Zira, who dies after the climactic battle against the Pridelanders) join Simba's pride. They are also referred to as "Scar's pride" or "Zira's pride."
As almost all of the Outsiders are shown to be female, Nuka and Kovu are the only two males seen in the pride. According to Zira, Kovu was the lastborn before they were exiled.
Most of the Outsiders appear in background scenes, following Zira's orders. The pride first appears as Zira is bringing Kovu home. They are present as Zira lays out her plan to kill Simba by allowing Kovu to get close to Simba's daughter, Kiara. Later on, when it appears that Kovu is growing reluctant in his quest to kill Simba, the Outsiders ambush the two when Simba is alone with Kovu. They pursue Simba, but he manages to escape. In the aftermath, Nuka is killed after being crushed under fallen logs, and the pride is shown mourning his death. When Kovu escapes as well, the lionesses prepare to give chase, but they are stopped by Zira. Zira reveals her plans for a direct attack on Simba, which pleases the lionesses.
The Outsiders head towards the Pride Lands, traveling through a muddy river on the way. They are confronted by Simba and his pride, and a major battle breaks out between the two prides. Thanks to Zira's constant orders, the Outsiders gain the upper hand, and begin swarming Simba. However, they back off when Zira prepares to go one on one with Simba. Later, they are shocked when Kovu and Kiara interrupt the fight. Kiara's reasoning about stopping the fight seems to get the pride's attention. Seeing the truth of Kiara's words, Vitani defects from Zira. When Zira threatens to kill Vitani for her defection, the rest of the Outsiders is sickened enough that they defect as well. Zira attempts to attack Simba anyway, but is countered by Kiara. After Zira dies by falling into the river, the rest of the Outsiders are allowed to return to Pride Rock along with Simba. There, they watch as Kovu and Kiara are united in marriage. Presumably, the Outsiders remained as part of Simba's pride.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The existence of the Outsiders seems to contradict the events of the first film. In the first film, all the lionesses were allied with Mufasa and Simba, and only the Hyenas sided with Scar.
- The term "Outlanders" is never used in the movie. However, it can be found on the back of the VHS cover for Simba's Pride along with various other Disney-approved sources.[1]
- Outsider is a very broad term, as Ni is referred to as an outsider, yet has no affiliation with Zira's pride.
- At first, there were no plans for Zira to be allied with the other Outlanders. Instead, Zira is accompanied by the Hyenas in some broadcasts replacing the Outsider Lions and they still appeared despite the Hyenas being the real ones who killed Scar. And had Zira known that, she had still allied with them.
- The lions in DreamWorks' Madagascar franchise have the exact same Outlander noses as Scar and most of the Outsiders -- angular and black.
References[]
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