There are few films in the Disney vault that have had the impact and staying power as The Lion King. Everything about that movie delivers today just as much as when it was released in 1994. Through the years there have been numerous sequels and spin-offs and it shows no signs of stopping. Now Disney is bringing episodes of their latest series to DVD with The Lion Guard: Unleash the Power.

​

The Lion Guard continues the epic storytelling of Disney's "The Lion King" and follows the adventures of Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala, and his diverse group of friends - Bunga, a fearless honey badger; Fuli, a confident cheetah; Beshte, a friendly and good-spirited hippo; and Ono, an intellectual egret. Together, Kion and his friends make up the Pride Lands' fiercest, bravest, fastest, strongest and keenest of sight. This is a decent enough series that allows fans to revisit the Lion King universe without changing anything and instead evolving it. Hardcore fans of the original film may not like some directions of this new generation, but it does add something new to enjoy. This new bunch of characters are entertaining enough that it will no doubt work well for the younger audiences it is geared towards, but none of them are quite as memorable as the original cast of the film. They do infuse some of the classic characters in as well that helps keep it connected to the rest of the Lion King universe while never feeling like they are forcing it. The animation is a good as expected from Disney and I was happy to see that they didn’t try to infuse some new modern style to change it up and kept the character designs intact.

 

The stories here are pretty silly and don’t pack the punch that you expect from the features, but they aren’t meant too. This is a kids show that is meant to be fun with a lesson thrown in from time to time while keeping the legacy of the Lion King going for a whole new generation. This release not only includes 6 episodes from the series, but also a free Power Necklace with changeable discs so you can become a member of the Lion Guard as well. Grab your copy of Disney’s The Lion Guard: Unleash the Power available now on DVD.