He is ordered to watch over Simba and Nala by Sarabi when Simba claims he wants to go to the waterhole with Nala. When Simba has grown into a cub, Zazu is often ridiculed by him, being the target in Simba's pouncing lessons. When Scar leaves, Zazu humorously suggests to Mufasa that Scar would make an excellent rug. He later confronts Scar on his absence from the ceremony and is almost eaten by him until Mufasa arrives.

He is first seen in the film during the opening sequence in which Simba is presented. He also has a quirky habit of sliding blatant puns into his morning reports.Īs King Mufasa's majordomo and close friend (he is one of the few who calls Mufasa by his name), Zazu is very serious and always sticks to the rules. Zazu is also shown to have a sense of humor, as he was able to make a joke about turning Scar into a throw rug (to which he adds that Mufasa can 'take him out and beat him whenever he gets dirty'). If not for Zazu, Simba and Nala would have very well met their demise at the jaws of the hyenas, as it was he who had informed Mufasa of the danger before things could take a turn for the worse.

As the king's 'eyes and ears', Zazu knows all and tells all, especially when trouble arises. Nevertheless, Zazu is undoubtedly loyal to the king and has proven his usefulness on numerous occasions. Even Mufasa has had his share of fun in teasing Zazu. Similarly, Scar saw Zazu as nothing more than a pest and repeatedly sought to torment the hornbill when given the chance. Unfortunately, the demanding, and sometimes dangerous nature of his job has left Zazu with a considerable amount of anxiety and emotional instability he is prone to falling into a panic when things go wrong, and he can be rather irritable and snappish.īecause of his fragile temper and high opinion of himself, Zazu is not taken very seriously by the other characters, specifically Simba and Nala, who would often tease the majordomo as children. He takes his position as a royal advisor very seriously, and carries himself in a no-nonsense-and oftentimes, pompous-manner. When Zazu was young, Zuzu trained him to take her place when Mufasa's rule began.Īs the king's majordomo, Zazu is knowledgeable, diplomatic, and stern. In How True, Zazu?, Zazu's mother, Zuzu, was a steward to Kopa's great-grandfather Ahadi. Mufasa realizes that the little hornbill is useful after all and appoints him as the royal adviser. Zazu finds a tree trunk that Mufasa drags over to the pit, allowing Sarabi to climb out. But Mufasa can't find a way to rescue Sarabi. Zazu flies back to tell Mufasa who leaps up and runs to the gorge. Zazu flies over to where the vultures are anyway and sees that Sarabi has fallen into a pit and can't get out. He asks Mufasa if he wants him to fly over and see what's happening, but Mufasa is not concerned and lies down for a nap. One day, Zazu notices some vultures hovering. Mufasa quickly gets tired of this as Zazu disturbs his hunts and his private time with his betrothed Sarabi. Zazu follows Mufasa around and watches over him. Zazu is thankful and hopes that he can be of service to the future Lion King someday. In the book Friends in Need, Young Zazu is about to be cooked and eaten by the three young hyenas (which explains his cry of 'Oh, no! Not the birdie boiler!' in the first movie) Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, when an adolescent Mufasa comes along, frightens off the hyenas and saves him. Zazu has two conflicting histories as to how he became the King's majordomo:

Zazu meaning