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Zazu (Rowan Atkinson)

Character Analysis

The red-billed hornbill who is both Simba's tutor and Mufasa's majordomo, Zazu can be a little shrill ("Step lively! The sooner we get to the watering hole, the sooner we can leave!"), but ultimately, he's just trying to protect the people he loves.

Because of this, he's strongly aligned with the forces of good.

Zazu is always reminding everyone to be cautious and careful and reciting the kind of dumb, embarrassing "words of wisdom" you'd expect to hear from a really annoying uncle. In Hamlet, he'd be Polonius. Although he doesn't have a very active role in the story, his tutelage and (attempted) witticisms help to set the scene for Simba's sheltered royal childhood.