Shenzi, Banzai and Ed
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Shenzi, Banzai and Ed are a fictional trio of villainous hyenas who first appeared in the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. They were the loyal followers and minions of Scar.
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[edit] The Hyena Trio
[edit] Shenzi
Shenzi is the only female of the hyenas. According to Timon in The Lion King 1½, her full name is Shenzi Marie Predatora Veldetta Jackalina Hyena. She is the leader of the trio and the smartest hyena. This is actually consistent with actual spotted hyena behavior, in which the females are more powerful physically and politically than the males. She deals best with Scar and knows how to talk with him. She has a big, black tuft and normal, grey snout (unlike Ed and Banzai). Her name means "savage", "demon", "uncouth", or "barbarous" in Swahilli. She was voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. In fact, the animators may have taken her into consideration when designing the character. Shenzi was originally going to be male and played by Tommy Chong, thus reuniting him with partner Cheech Marin. [1]
Shenzi first appeared in the Elephant Graveyard with Ed and Banzai. They were sent by Scar to kill Nala and Simba. During the chase Simba scratched her cheek. When she and hyenas tried to kill the cubs, Mufasa appeared and attacked them. The hyenas were frightened and ran away. Later, still in the Elephant Graveyard, Shenzi yelled at Ed and Banzai (they were fighting) and appeared a few times during the song "Be Prepared". After that she sat on the meadow near the herd of wildebeest. After Scar's signal she scared the herd and triggered the stampede. Scar soon ordered her and the others to kill Simba as the stampede had failed to do so, but they failed because Simba tumbled down into a patch of thorns and they did not want to follow. She also appeared with Banzai and Ed to ask Scar for food and water during Scar's reign. When Simba and the lionesses fought the hyenas she and Banzai tried to eat Timon and Zazu, but were beaten up by Pumbaa. She appeared for the last time with the other hyenas, that hadn't fled the pridelands, before they killed Scar.
[edit] Banzai
Banzai was voiced by Cheech Marin. His name means "skulk" or "lurk" in Swahilli.
He first appeared in the Elephant Graveyard with Shenzi and Ed. When Mufasa attacked them, Banzai tried (with Shenzi) to "explain" why they were chasing the cubs. After Mufasa roared at them he was the first that ran away, but Mufasa slashed him. Later on, Ed began laughing at Banzai's injuries and the two fought before Shenzi stopped them. After that he was with the others on the meadow near the herd of wildebeests and scared them with Ed and Shenzi to trigger the stampede. As the hyenas were chasing Simba on Scar's orders, Banzai tumbled down into the thorn patch. He also came with Shenzi to ask Scar for some food ("It's dinnertime, and we ain't got no stinkin' entrees!") and then tried to eat Zazu and Timon during the battle at Pride Rock.
[edit] Ed
Ed is considered stupid, but the creators themselves said they don't know if he's only pretending. He almost always has a smile on his face and usually laughs (he never speaks at all; as such, his voice is left untouched in the movie's dubs. He can, however, be seen singing in Be Prepared briefly.) He has two round cuts on each ear. He was voiced by Jim Cummings.
Ed first appeared in the Elephant Graveyard with Shenzi and Banzai. He had fun torturing Zazu with the others and he also chased the cubs. When Mufasa attacked them, they got into even more trouble when he confirmed (by nodding) that he knew Simba was Mufasa's son. Later he laughed at Banzai because he was wounded. Banzai got angry and attacked him, but after the scuffle ended Ed was actually biting his own leg. After that he was with the others on the meadow near the herd of wildebeests and scared them with other hyenas to trigger the stampede. After they failed to kill Simba, Ed laughed (again) with Shenzi at wounded Banzai. He later appeared with Banzai and Shenzi when they wanted to ask Scar for some food and water. During the hyena fight with adult Simba he was waiting for his friends at the entrance. Although Ed is considered stupid, he understood Scar's betrayal. When Shenzi and Banzai asked Ed for his opinion on what to do with the fallen Scar, he just gave a sadistic smile, licked his lips, started laughing (a low, frightening chuckle rather than his usual insane laughter), and killed Scar along with the other hyenas.
[edit] The Lion King
The hyenas first appear in the Elephant Graveyard that Simba and Nala venture into. The hyenas, under Scar's orders, chase the cubs in an attempt to kill them, but are frightened off by Mufasa. Afterwards, they help Scar carry out his plan to kill Mufasa by triggering the wildebeest stampede. Immediately after Scar tells Simba to run away and never return, he commands the hyenas to kill Simba too, but Simba eventually eludes the clumsy hyenas. Years into Scar's reign, they complain about lack of food in the Pride Lands but Scar ignores them. When Simba returns to overthrow Scar, the hyenas join the fight, but when they overhear Scar telling Simba the hyenas are the enemy, they turn against their master. Together with the other hyenas, they corner Scar after he is defeated by Simba and kill him.
[edit] The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
In the direct-to-video sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the hyenas are only briefly mentioned by Nuka as he and his sister Vitani arrive at the Elephant Graveyard:
| Yeesh. This place is even creepier since the hyenas ran off. |
[edit] The Lion King 1½
In the direct-to-video midquel The Lion King 1½, the hyenas have a fairly major role despite being minor characters in the original film. They are the main predators of the meerkat colony where Timon lives. They also make an appearance at the end of the film in the battle against Scar. Timon proposes to Shenzi as a desperate move to buy time for his mother and Uncle Max as they dig a tunnel. Then the hyenas fall into the trap the meerkats built.
[edit] Backstory
The hyenas were also featured in two spin-off books of The Lion King, set before the events of the original film.
In A Tale of Two Brothers, it is revealed that Shenzi, Banzai and Ed had known Scar since they were young. They advised Scar, who was called Taka at that time, to make Ahadi think Mufasa was useless by making Mufasa enrage a selfish buffalo. The plan did not turn out well, and Scar's eye was wounded by the buffalo herd in the process, hence the nickname "Scar".
In Friends in Need, the young hyenas appear at the beginning of the book, where they are preparing to boil a very young Zazu in the elephant graveyard like in the first film. A teenage Mufasa passes by, scares the hyenas away, and befriends Zazu.
[edit] The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa
The three hyenas made occasional appearances in the TV series The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa. While Jim Cummings reprised his role as Ed, Tress MacNeille and Rob Paulsen replaced Whoopi Goldberg (Shenzi) and Cheech Marin (Banzai) respectively.
[edit] Kingdom Hearts II
The hyena trio also appeared in the Disney/Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts II. In the game, they appeared in the Pride Lands world, and were also Scar's followers. The trio first encountered the game's main protagonists, Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy, when they first appeared in the Pride Lands and battled with them twice. Later on, Sora and company defeated the hyenas again when they were attempting to kill Timon and Pumbaa, just before helping Simba fight Scar. After Scar was destroyed, the hyenas went back to the Elephant Graveyard and started eating carcasses again, though Shenzi considered it a mixed blessing. The trio had one final part in the story, having some knowledge relating to Scar's "ghost" and forcing Sora and Simba to pursue them for answers. Just then, Shenzi remembers about Scar's ghost that it only appears when cats are frightened. In the English version of the game, Tress MacNeille replaced Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi's voice whereas Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings reprised their respective roles.
[edit] References
| The Lion King | |
|---|---|
| Films | The Lion King | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride | The Lion King 1½ |
| Characters | Ahadi | Kiara | Kopa | Kovu | Ma | Mohatu | Mufasa | Nala | Nuka | Rafiki | Sarabi | Sarafina | Scar | Shenzi, Banzai and Ed | Simba | Timon and Pumbaa | Tojo | Uncle Max | Uru | Vitani | Zazu | Zira |
| Songs | "Circle of Life" | "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" | "Be Prepared" | "Hakuna Matata" | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" |
| Books | The Lion King: Six New Adventures | The Lion King: The Brightest Star |
| Games | The Lion King | Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games |
| Other media | Original motion picture soundtrack | Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable | Rhythm of the Pride Lands | The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa | Broadway musical | Festival of the Lion King | Festival of the Lion King soundtrack |
| Misc | Kings of the Pride Lands | The Lion King family |
| See also | "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" | Kingdom Hearts II | Kimba the White Lion controversy |
