MovieChat Forums > The Lion King (1994) Discussion > Anyone else think the voice of Simba was...

Anyone else think the voice of Simba was a horrible choice?


Let me start out by saying that I am a huge Disney fan. I grew up watching Disney movies and my son has seen every single Disney movie quite a few times, except this one.

I remember watching this movie when I was a kid, and I absolutely hated the voice of adult Simba. He just sounded so utterly wimpy and pathetic. A few days ago, my son wanted to watch this movie for the first time, so I put it on. I cringed when I heard his voice again, it killed the movie for me! He just sounds like such a coward. I absolutely adore everything else about this movie (especially little Simba), I just can't get past what I view as a horrible miscast of the voice of adult Simba.

Does the voice choice bother anyone else, or is it just me?

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You are most certainly not alone. Matthew Broderick has always been seen as the weak link in this voice cast. He actually kind of sounds out of place at times, it's certainly not a great performance either way. I know some here will stick up for him, but I know there are many who dislike him in this movie.

"If life is getting you down and needs uplifting, then please come dance with me!"

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I didn't care for Matthew Broderick as Simba. While I like this movie, Broderick as Simba was one of it's flaws.

"What do you mean "parodies are exempt" from copyright law?"-J.R.R. Tolkien

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Never bothered me.

Could have gone without Cheech Marin, though. In every film or TV show I've ever had the displeasure of seeing or hearing him, I could have gone without him.

After having the same signature for, what, ten years? I'm not sure what to put here now.

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Honestly, I thought Matthew Broderick was great. I found his voice a lot more authoritative than usual, but he was still able to convey Simba's increasing maturity throughout the film.

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Almost everyone has a problem with Matthew Broderick's voice performance that he is often seen as the weakest one of the movie. His voice does kind of sound bland for animation, and it adds to the reception that adult Simba is a bland character. Personally, I never had a problem with it because adult Simba is meant to have a boyish voice because of his lack of maturity.



What we do in life, echoes in eternity.

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Holy crap. I've always felt this way, and am shocked a bunch of others feel so as well. His voice acting was very wooden and unconvincing.

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I think it is just you honestly I don't think I have ever been bothered by it, it could have been worse they could have gotten somebody with a high pitched voice to do the voice of Adult Simba. Did you need to be in the same room with your son, and most of all I don't think kids would really know who the celebrities are that movie studios get to do voices for a film.

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People have already agreed with the OP, so no, it's not just him.

"If life is getting you down and needs uplifting, then please come dance with me!"

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I personally think it's Matthew's best role. I know that isn't saying much.

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I fell in love with him the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
-TFiOS

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I'm getting the feeling the cowardice in Simba's voice was what the producers were going for, and they found that perfectly in Matthew Broderick. Think of it this way: Simba as a character has been ridden with guilt over the death of Mufasa because Scar manipulated him into thinking it was his fault. Generally speaking, when making an animated film, the cartoonists will take the physical features and facial expressions of the actor themselves to base the character off of that. So adult Simba would not only have sounded different had Broderick not been cast, but would have a slightly different look to embody that character through facial tics and expressions. I think he fit perfectly in terms of the angle that the writers were going for with Simba's character journey.

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i never paid attention or cared about simba's adult voice, as i was obsessed with JTT when this movie came out but all of this.

I'm getting the feeling the cowardice in Simba's voice was what the producers were going for, and they found that perfectly in Matthew Broderick. Think of it this way: Simba as a character has been ridden with guilt over the death of Mufasa because Scar manipulated him into thinking it was his fault. Generally speaking, when making an animated film, the cartoonists will take the physical features and facial expressions of the actor themselves to base the character off of that. So adult Simba would not only have sounded different had Broderick not been cast, but would have a slightly different look to embody that character through facial tics and expressions. I think he fit perfectly in terms of the angle that the writers were going for with Simba's character journey.


although i really hope that's not how they pitched it. 'we need someone who sounds like a wimp'. lol

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I never had a problem with the voice. I thought it was O.K and his weak voice fitted Simba well. Simba was meant to have low self-esteem and all that.

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