Simba: The King Lion

The lion king is killed in front of his cubs by assassins for the fault of Shere Khan, the tiger who wants to usurp his throne. It doesn't take little Simba long to realize that Shere Khan is his worst enemy. After the King's death, Simba and his sisters are adopted by a pack of wolves, the same ones who had once raised Mowgli. They have also adopted a deer named Buckshot.

Simba tries to catch a rabbit, but his tender age and lack of hunting skills cause him to fail miserably. Buckshot tells him that he mustn't eat rabbits, and takes his friend to a field where they eat strange grass. The grass has a powerful hallucinogenic effect on them, and they imagine themselves to be great warriors surrounded by ghosts.

Bagheera takes it upon himself to teach Simba how to hunt. The lion cub puts all his heart into the lessons. He then senses that Bimbo is in danger, and asks the leopard if they can interrupt the lesson to go look for his friend. His timely intervention saves Bimbo from the monkeys, whose aim was, of course, to hand him over to Shere Khan. Later, Simba learns that he mustn't stare at the sun.

Simba and Buckshot are wandering through the jungle when the lion cub suddenly falls into a trap set by poachers. In the meantime, the Hyena, who has been ordered by Shere Khan to catch the lion cub, asks the monkeys to back him up. The monkeys set off in search of Simba, and they find him in a field. Aware of the monkeys and fearing an attack, Simba asks Buckshot to help him put his plan into action.

Three new animals join the jungle community - two mice and a white puppy, who Simba and Buckshot encounter during one of their walks through the jungle. The puppy, Toy, yearns to live freely with all the other animals of the jungle. After escaping from his master, he met the two mice, Thin and XL, on the beach after they survived a shipwreck.

Simba and his friends venture into the jungle in search of Toy's ball that fell into the pond. During their search, they meet a Tenor Frog singing the Traviata and next they meet the Fire Flies, who lead the friends to their kingdom, where they then meet the Fire Fly Queen. She explains the secrets of their 'fire', and honors Simba with the powers of the 'Great Bear'.

Buckshot (Bimbo in the original - his Italian name is used in the episode title despite the dub using his dub name) is also of royal descent. Arbor, the king of trees, summons the little deer telepathically, tells him of his parents' heroic demise, and bestows upon him the powers of the Great Bear by pinning on his chest the symbol of the celestial constellation. In times of danger, he will be able to shoot the power from his chest. The symbol indicates that Buckshot will one day become king of the forest.

All the animals of the jungle and the forest organize a large party and concert in Simba and Buckshot's honor in order to celebrate them receiving the powers of the Great Bear. The cricket conducts the orchestra of animals, who play their hearts out. The concert is a huge success. Shere Khan wants nothing more than to ruin the party by having the monkeys kidnap Simba and Buckshot.

Simba is exploring the jungle in search of new plants and animals, when he suddenly comes across a number of caterpillars. The caterpillars, as they make their cocoons, tell Simba that they are about to transform into beautiful butterflies, and will able to fly. The lion cub is enchanted by this revelation.

The forest is hit by a hurricane, and the ensuing damage is disastrous. Simba and Buckshot are almost washed away by a debris-swollen river. In the meantime, Thin and XL gather up the cocoons and bury them for safety.

After working all night, Augustine looks out his front door and sees it is daytime. While Buckshot and Simba talk to Augustine about his latest discovery, Thin and XL eavesdrop, waiting for the wise owl to step back into his house so that they can then sneak into his laboratory to find out what he has 'discovered'. XL finds a test tube filled with a blue liquid and drinks some of it!

Toy invites Simba and the others to learn the game of soccer. They run, play, and head the ball. At one point, Simba kicks the ball so hard it goes flying into the distance and falls into the hands of the monkeys, who give it to Shere Khan in exchange for a reward. Shere Khan and Kurdy decide to use the ball as bait to catch Simba.

Simba, Buckshot and Mamma Wolf's cubs are playing when they are suddenly attacked by a fearsome pack of red dogs.

Simba and Buckshot yearn to visit their birthplaces. They know that before venturing forth on any journey, they will have to confront Shere Khan, and in the meantime, they train for the trials and tribulations of the journey that lies ahead. One day, while training, they meet the King of Eagles, who is prepared to accompany them on their journey.

A fire sweeps through the jungle and all the animals join forces to fight the flames.

A white cobra terrifies the jungle animals by spitting fire and destroying everything in its path. Simba intervenes and saves numerous animals from certain death; however, the situation remains untenable, but luckily Kaa has a clever idea.

During one of their reconnaissance romps through the jungle, Simba and Buckshot bump into their friend Omen the Crocodile who takes them to a small island that turns out to be a giant turtle as old as time itself.

Augustine loses his glasses and the monkeys snatch them.

Because of the shortage of game in his territory, Bagheera has a hard time feeding his family and his hungry cubs are always complaining. When Ludwig the raven announces that the old lion is dead, the unanimous opinion is that Bagheera should inherit the territory, but Shere Khan has other plans.

While Simba and Baloo are fishing, Thin and XL spot a box floating by and immediately think 'treasure'. In fact, the box is full of insecticides which could pollute the river and kill all the fish.

Simba finds a snakeskin necktie, puts it on, and then goes around everyone if they know what it is. Worried about the disappearance of their friend Kaa, Simba and his pals set out to look for him. Bagheera informs them that Kaa is changing his skin, an annual task he performs in the temple, also known as the House of the Spirits. Our heroes ignore the adults' warnings to stay away.

Toy is so annoyed that it's pouring rain that he gets into an argument with Cicci. When Simba and Buckshot step in to restore peace and harmony, the two realize the importance of friendship. Arbor, who has witnessed the scene, rewards the four young ones for showing such good common sense by taking them to visit the mysterious Valley of Flowers, a place of incomparable beauty.

Kaa takes Simba, Buckshot, Toy, Thin, and XL down to the river for a swimming lesson. But the current turns out to be so strong that it sweeps them away, and they end up falling over a waterfall and crashing into a dam built by a family of beavers. All the beavers' hard work seems to have been destroyed, but Kaa and his young friends set to work to repair the damage.

Bagheera and Baloo continue to give Simba, Buckshot, Toy, Thin, and XL jungle survival lessons, showing them what dangers to look out for and how to overcome them. They students have to undertake a series of practical exercises like jumping canyons, swimming, diving off high rocks and building traps. At the end of the lessons, Bagheera and Baloo test the young ones.

Simba possesses the power of the Great Bear, but this is not enough to allow him to ascend to his father's throne. He must first fight Shere Khan, and accept the responsibilities of a leader who has to answer for the lives of his subjects. He is well aware that his destiny as king of the savannah must be approved and backed by the Good Spirit of Nature, who wants him to grow up wise and strong.

The day of departure draws closer and Simba becomes increasingly more pensive. He has to return to the savannah to regain the throne that was once his father's, but before embarking on the journey, he must first decide which route to take. He asks numerous animals for directions.

Baloo's gluttony gets him into trouble. While trying to steal honey from the bees, he is attacked by the entire ferocious swarm. Simba has to use all his diplomacy to calm the bees and restore peace between them and the insatiable bear.

Simba and his loyal friends decide to leave for the jungle, but before he sets out, the Queen of Ants sends him a message that Shere Khan is on the warpath. To help Simba reach the jungle and escape the ferocious tiger, Arbor, the King of Trees, gives him a magnificent red cloak that has the power to make the wearer invisible. The cloak can only be worn by a king.

Simba and his friends take refuge in a cave, but find themselves trapped by Shere Khan, who waits outside for them. Luckily, Simba finds another exit, and suddenly, they are plunged into a timeless valley, full of geysers, inhabited by mysterious plants and prehistoric creatures who put the fear of death into our friends.

Simba and his friends continue to wander through the forgotten valley, overcoming danger after danger: earthquakes, erupting volcanoes and fierce, prehistoric animals. Thanks to the red cloak that makes them invisible, they marvel at the sight of all the extinct animals that have survived in the valley, thanks to the climate and a mysterious mix of minerals that gush from hot geysers.