Kiara is probably my least-favorite lion character in the LK canon. As portrayed in the song “Love Will Find a Way,” she is not brave, not strong, not smart, and her only redeeming quality is her belief in the powah of luuuuv.
I suppose she is somewhat of a protagonist, which I like (unlike, i.e. Bella in Twilight) but she is not a particularly clever one. Her only revelation comes from advice her father gave her, and for most of the movie she mopes about whining about 1) how she isn’t allowed to do anything, 2) how she doesn’t understand what Simba is saying, 3) how she wants to do things by herself, 4) why Kovu is really a nice guy, 5) how she feels empty without her luuuv in her life, etc. etc. I only feel that Kiara comes into her own at the very end of Simba’s Pride.
However, there is something refreshing in the idea of a character who goes wherever her whims take her, and some aspect of Kiara is very childlike. Perhaps it’s because the character is not allowed to grow up (overbearing daddy syndrome), but I do think this attitude is admirable in a way. Living your life from one moment to the next, not caring too much for the future or stressing about what lies ahead. It’s kind of nice to consider a character like that, although I could never see myself doing the same.
(If you want to see what other SP cast members might think of Kiara, check out my contest-winning video!)
Confessions of a Lion King Fanartist 