Sarabi

"So, what is this really cool' place?"

- Sarabi to her son Sarabi is Simba's mother, Mufasa's wife and later widow, Scar's sister-in-law and Kiara and Kion (and unofficially Kopa)'s paternal grandmother and former Queen of the Pride Lands. She is a very minor character from The Lion King. She didn't appear in the sequel for unknown reasons. Though most likely due to her voice actress Madge Sinclair passing away before the sequel was made (The original film was her final role). She is Nala's mother-in-law.

The Lion King and The Lion King 1 1/2
Sarabi gives birth to the newborn cub Simba. Sarabi and Mufasa embrace as Rafiki presents their baby son Simba to the other animals of the Pride Lands.

She is given dialogue in the deleted version of the opening song

Sarabi is seen rarely in the midquel. She is seen from a distance in Pride Rock where Timon and Pumbaa try to get pass the angry animals. Like young Nala, she isn't animated at all. She is a background lioness with no speaking lines.

Months later, Sarabi wakes up with Simba (now a young cub) wakes up Mufasa so he can be shown The Pride Lands. When they exit their cave, Sarabi gives Simba a playful nudge and watches him and Mufasa go up to the top of Pride Rock.

Later that day, Sarabi is seen sleeping on a rock across from her friend Sarafina who is cleaning her daughter Nala. When Simba arrives to ask Nala to come with him to a "cool place", Sarabi wakes up and gives a reluctant Simba a bath. Sarabi questions her son on where the cool place is, Simba tells her that it's around the waterhole (but it is really The Elephant Graveyard). Sarabi and Sarafina allow the two cubs to go but as long as Zazu goes with them. Sarabi is later seen the following night with Nala, Sarafina, Zazu and the rest of the pride mourning Mufasa and supposedly Simba's deaths before watching in horror as their new King Scar allows hyenas to roam The Pride Lands.

Sarabi is later seen years later, arguing with Scar over the hunting party not doing their job as the herds have moved on. When Sarabi accuses her brother-in-law of not being half the king Mufasa was, Scar strikes her and snarls that he's ten times the king Mufasa was. Just then Simba appears and comes to his mother's defence where both Sarabi and Scar believe him to be Mufasa but Simba reveals who he is. Sarabi along with Nala and the pride are at first shocked when Simba says he was responsible for Mufasa's death but then realizes it was Scar who really killed her husband and Simba was being framed and fights the hyenas when they attack Simba with help from Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki.

After Scar's death, Sarabi watches proudly as Simba becomes king and gains a daughter-in-law in Nala and becomes grandmother to her and Simba's child.

Musical
Sarabi's role is the same as in the movie, though she appears with more roles in another song ("The Lioness Hunt"). She is last seen during Mufasa's death in the song ("Rafiki Mourns").

Other media
Sarabi makes two appearances in the book series. Sarabi is seen first in the book "How True, Zazu?". After Zazu leaves, an angry water snake tries to kill them but Zazu alerts the two about the threat. In her last appearance ("Friends in Need"), she is seen as a young adult in the gorge.

Trivia

 * In the original script to The Lion King, Sarabi had three sisters; Naanda (who later became Sarafina), Diku and Dwala and would have been Nala's aunt.


 * In the 1993 script of The Lion King, Sarabi was originally going to witness the presentation of Simba and Nala's cub at the end of the film.