Simba Henn animated the character's first appearance as an adult that occurs near the end of the "Hakuna Matata" musical number. Released in theaters in 1994, "The Lion King" marks Simba's first appearance. All the animals in the Pride Lands gather at the foot of Pride Rock to commemorate the birth of Simba, who will eventually succeed to the throne and take his father Mufasa's place as king. Furious by the fact that he is no longer next in line, Simba's jealous uncle Scar refuses to attend the ceremony. While Simba grows into a rambunctious lion cub who frequently boasts about
Nala (The Lion King) that Nala is introduced "as a dominating young girl" who ultimately matures into "a strong woman" by the film's conclusion. "Mouse Morality: The Rhetoric of Disney Animated Film" author Annalee R. Ward wrote that Nala's role in "The Lion King" reflected "a 1990s feminist reversal". In her book "Biblical Allusions", author Lindsay Bacher acknowledged that Nala is often depicted as a stronger and more responsible character than Simba, despite observations that "The Lion King"'s female characters lack agency. Leab identified Nala as Simba's "equal" who is "a more naturally sound leader throughout the film, while Simba tends to be comparatively