Dub Reviews
I'm currently working on reviewing each of my language dubs. The only language in which I am fluent is English, and I know a bit of German, but otherwise these reviews are all done without any understanding of the languages. I generally mention emotion in the voices, lines that sound neat in the different languages, the songs, etc.
My favorite scene to compare between the different dubs is Simba's argument with Nala, so that scene will be critiqued in most of my reviews.
I am currently in the process of re-watching all my previously-acquired dubs, as well as watching all my new dubs for the first time. I will be writing reviews for each of them as I watch them.
NOTE: I am very slow to update this part of the website, but I definitely am still working on more reviews!
My favorite scene to compare between the different dubs is Simba's argument with Nala, so that scene will be critiqued in most of my reviews.
I am currently in the process of re-watching all my previously-acquired dubs, as well as watching all my new dubs for the first time. I will be writing reviews for each of them as I watch them.
NOTE: I am very slow to update this part of the website, but I definitely am still working on more reviews!
Croatian - Kralj Lavova
Voice Acting
The lip-synching in the Croatian dub is awkward and off at times. Many of the non-dialogue sounds the characters make (laughing, gasping, panting, screaming, etc) are dubbed over, which I really enjoyed, but some of the sound effects are missing, which I thought detracted from the dub. However, in the scene where Mufasa and Simba are playing under the stars, when Simba pops out of Mufasa’s arms, a little popping noise sound effect is added in, which I found hilarious and cute.
I absolutely love young Simba’s voice; it is done with so much emotion! Adult Simba’s voice is not as expressive and was unremarkable in my opinion, but that could just have been because it had a lot to live up to. Young Nala’s voice is a bit high-pitched for my liking.
When Scar greets Mufasa in their first scene together (“Why, if it isn’t my big brother!”), it sounds like he’s saying “HEYYYY” and I imagined him saying “buddy!” after it. It was really amusing. Scar sounds really sarcastically enthusiastic at times, which is awesome. I especially enjoyed his line “What will your mother think?” in Croatian – he sounds very resigned, as if he’s sighing while saying it; it’s different in a very good way. Scar’s singing line “You won’t get a sniff without me!” sounds awesome in Croatian, and there is so much emotion in his line “I am ten times the king Mufasa was!”
Banzai and Shenzi’s voices are wonderful and have a lot of enthusiasm; it seems like the voice actors really got into their characters, especially with Banzai. After the hyenas chase Simba out of the Pridelands, Banzai’s line “Well, go get him!” sounds awesome in Croatian.
Simba’s and Mufasa’s voices in the scenes of the stampede and Mufasa’s death are so full of emotion and are heart-wrenchingly well done. It was really tear-jerking.
When Simba tells Timon and Pumbaa his interpretation of the stars, Pumbaa starts laughing at the same time that Timon starts laughing, which has a different effect than in the original version when Timon began laughing first. In the original version, I got the impression that Pumbaa was just laughing just because Timon was laughing, and that if Timon hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have laughed.
During Nala and Simba’s argument, Nala’s voice acting is very similar in emotion to that of the English version. It was pretty aggressive and strong, and I liked it! She sounds especially more aggressive when she says “Good, at least one of us does.”
When Simba learns that Scar killed Mufasa, his “Noooo!” starts much earlier than in the English version – in fact, it starts even before young Simba from the past screams – and is drawn out for much longer, making it sound silly and corny.
Songs
The song “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” sounds very catchy in Croatian!
In the song “Hakuna Matata,” Pumbaa’s line “Yeah, it’s our motto” sounds really awesome! I also really enjoyed adult Simba’s singing part in the “Hakuna Matata” song.
The song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” is beautifully sung in Croatian. I especially liked Nala’s singing part.
The lip-synching in the Croatian dub is awkward and off at times. Many of the non-dialogue sounds the characters make (laughing, gasping, panting, screaming, etc) are dubbed over, which I really enjoyed, but some of the sound effects are missing, which I thought detracted from the dub. However, in the scene where Mufasa and Simba are playing under the stars, when Simba pops out of Mufasa’s arms, a little popping noise sound effect is added in, which I found hilarious and cute.
I absolutely love young Simba’s voice; it is done with so much emotion! Adult Simba’s voice is not as expressive and was unremarkable in my opinion, but that could just have been because it had a lot to live up to. Young Nala’s voice is a bit high-pitched for my liking.
When Scar greets Mufasa in their first scene together (“Why, if it isn’t my big brother!”), it sounds like he’s saying “HEYYYY” and I imagined him saying “buddy!” after it. It was really amusing. Scar sounds really sarcastically enthusiastic at times, which is awesome. I especially enjoyed his line “What will your mother think?” in Croatian – he sounds very resigned, as if he’s sighing while saying it; it’s different in a very good way. Scar’s singing line “You won’t get a sniff without me!” sounds awesome in Croatian, and there is so much emotion in his line “I am ten times the king Mufasa was!”
Banzai and Shenzi’s voices are wonderful and have a lot of enthusiasm; it seems like the voice actors really got into their characters, especially with Banzai. After the hyenas chase Simba out of the Pridelands, Banzai’s line “Well, go get him!” sounds awesome in Croatian.
Simba’s and Mufasa’s voices in the scenes of the stampede and Mufasa’s death are so full of emotion and are heart-wrenchingly well done. It was really tear-jerking.
When Simba tells Timon and Pumbaa his interpretation of the stars, Pumbaa starts laughing at the same time that Timon starts laughing, which has a different effect than in the original version when Timon began laughing first. In the original version, I got the impression that Pumbaa was just laughing just because Timon was laughing, and that if Timon hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have laughed.
During Nala and Simba’s argument, Nala’s voice acting is very similar in emotion to that of the English version. It was pretty aggressive and strong, and I liked it! She sounds especially more aggressive when she says “Good, at least one of us does.”
When Simba learns that Scar killed Mufasa, his “Noooo!” starts much earlier than in the English version – in fact, it starts even before young Simba from the past screams – and is drawn out for much longer, making it sound silly and corny.
Songs
The song “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” sounds very catchy in Croatian!
In the song “Hakuna Matata,” Pumbaa’s line “Yeah, it’s our motto” sounds really awesome! I also really enjoyed adult Simba’s singing part in the “Hakuna Matata” song.
The song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” is beautifully sung in Croatian. I especially liked Nala’s singing part.
Zulu – Inkosi Ubhubesi
Zulu was my most sought-after dub of The Lion King ever since I began my collection, and I was so thrilled to find out that it was included on the UK’s 2011 DVD release.
According to the documentary titled “International Release” (included on the second disc of the 2003 DVD) Zulu was one of the original eight languages in which The Lion King was released on the same opening day as the original English version. The Zulu dub was performed not by professional actors and singers, but by locals of the South African community visited by Blake Todd, Vice President of Disney Character Voices International. Todd searched for the voices of young Simba and young Nala at the local schools, and found the rest of the voice actors by casting local people in the community.
According to Senior Vice President of Creative Disney Character Voices Rick Dempsey’s introduction to the Multi-Language Reel (also included on the second disc of the 2003 DVD), the Zulu version of The Lion King was the first Disney film dubbed in Africa, and was made as a tribute to the culture that inspired The Lion King.
Voice Acting
I really loved Scar’s, Mufasa’s, and Zazu’s voices in this dub. Scar’s voice is a bit deeper than I am used to hearing, and it was a great effect. My first impression of Mufasa’s voice was that it wasn’t quite deep enough, but as the movie went on, his voice seemed so friendly and gentle, yet very commanding at the appropriate parts, and so full of emotion. His laughter when playing with Simba during the “under the stars” sequence made me fall in love with his voice, and the emotion in his voice when he says the “hold on Simba!” line during the wildebeest stampede actually made me tear up. He was very well-cast in my opinion. I really enjoyed the voice acting in the scene where Scar tells Mufasa that Simba is in the gorge.
When Zazu appears in the elephant graveyard and Simba gets disappointed, he sounds like he’s saying “O MAI!” and it’s adorable.
Timon’s voice acting did not work for me. His words didn’t fit the mouth movements as well as the other characters’ words did, and his voice wasn’t as loud and bold as the other characters’ voices, which made him slightly frustrating to listen to.
During the scene where Timon and Pumbaa laugh about Simba’s interpretation of the stars, Simba’s voice acting and emotion are perfect when he is pretending to laugh along with them.
When Timon and Pumbaa leave Simba and Nala alone together, Simba and Nala’s lines are very heartfelt and emotional in the following scene.
During Nala’s argument with Simba about going back to take his place in the Pridelands, I feel that her voice is a tad more pleading than argumentative, and not quite as aggressive as I would have liked, but it is still pretty good.
Scar’s calling for Sarabi is acted very powerfully, and I loved the voice acting throughout the scene in which the two of them argue.
Many of the sounds that the characters make in the original version (gasps, grunts, etc) are not present or redone in the Zulu version.
Songs
In the Zulu version of the song “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King,” a significant background choir has been added, which I believe is meant to be the animals singing. I enjoyed this addition!
The first clip I ever heard of the Zulu version was adult Simba’s first few lines in the “Hakuna Matata” song (which I first saw on the 2003 DVD’s multi-language reel). I absolutely loved how his voice and the lyrics sounded when I first saw the clip, and I still think it is amazing.
The chorus in “Can you feel the love tonight” is exceptionally beautiful.
According to the documentary titled “International Release” (included on the second disc of the 2003 DVD) Zulu was one of the original eight languages in which The Lion King was released on the same opening day as the original English version. The Zulu dub was performed not by professional actors and singers, but by locals of the South African community visited by Blake Todd, Vice President of Disney Character Voices International. Todd searched for the voices of young Simba and young Nala at the local schools, and found the rest of the voice actors by casting local people in the community.
According to Senior Vice President of Creative Disney Character Voices Rick Dempsey’s introduction to the Multi-Language Reel (also included on the second disc of the 2003 DVD), the Zulu version of The Lion King was the first Disney film dubbed in Africa, and was made as a tribute to the culture that inspired The Lion King.
Voice Acting
I really loved Scar’s, Mufasa’s, and Zazu’s voices in this dub. Scar’s voice is a bit deeper than I am used to hearing, and it was a great effect. My first impression of Mufasa’s voice was that it wasn’t quite deep enough, but as the movie went on, his voice seemed so friendly and gentle, yet very commanding at the appropriate parts, and so full of emotion. His laughter when playing with Simba during the “under the stars” sequence made me fall in love with his voice, and the emotion in his voice when he says the “hold on Simba!” line during the wildebeest stampede actually made me tear up. He was very well-cast in my opinion. I really enjoyed the voice acting in the scene where Scar tells Mufasa that Simba is in the gorge.
When Zazu appears in the elephant graveyard and Simba gets disappointed, he sounds like he’s saying “O MAI!” and it’s adorable.
Timon’s voice acting did not work for me. His words didn’t fit the mouth movements as well as the other characters’ words did, and his voice wasn’t as loud and bold as the other characters’ voices, which made him slightly frustrating to listen to.
During the scene where Timon and Pumbaa laugh about Simba’s interpretation of the stars, Simba’s voice acting and emotion are perfect when he is pretending to laugh along with them.
When Timon and Pumbaa leave Simba and Nala alone together, Simba and Nala’s lines are very heartfelt and emotional in the following scene.
During Nala’s argument with Simba about going back to take his place in the Pridelands, I feel that her voice is a tad more pleading than argumentative, and not quite as aggressive as I would have liked, but it is still pretty good.
Scar’s calling for Sarabi is acted very powerfully, and I loved the voice acting throughout the scene in which the two of them argue.
Many of the sounds that the characters make in the original version (gasps, grunts, etc) are not present or redone in the Zulu version.
Songs
In the Zulu version of the song “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King,” a significant background choir has been added, which I believe is meant to be the animals singing. I enjoyed this addition!
The first clip I ever heard of the Zulu version was adult Simba’s first few lines in the “Hakuna Matata” song (which I first saw on the 2003 DVD’s multi-language reel). I absolutely loved how his voice and the lyrics sounded when I first saw the clip, and I still think it is amazing.
The chorus in “Can you feel the love tonight” is exceptionally beautiful.