Upon unexpectedly reuniting with an adult Simba, whom she had long since been tricked by Scar into presuming dead, Nala encourages him to return to Pride Rock, overthrow his uncle and ultimately become king.

Beyoncé and Shahadi Wright Joseph voice the character in the 2019 CGI live adaptation of the original film directed by Jon Favreau.

Screenwriter Linda Woolverton conceived Nala "as part of a gradual progression ... which have driven recent public conversation about what young girls should be able to expect from their cinematic role models".

[5] Because The Lion King was originally conceived as a much more mature and adult-oriented film, Nala was intended to have been banished from the Pride Lands as punishment for rejecting Scar's romantic advances.

[8] Asked at an anniversary event who Nala's father was after fan speculation, producers Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers suggested that they had "hoped nobody would notice," but that it would probably have to be Mufasa or Scar based on the behavior of real-life lions.

[9][10] Candice Russel of the Sun-Sentinel believes that Nala contributes to the film's love story – "an indispensable factor in Disney cartoon features" – in addition to convincing Simba to return to Pride Rock.

[11][12] It has been observed that, unlike Disney's three previous animated efforts (The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992), the romantic relationship between Nala and Simba is not main plot of the film.

Ella Ceron of Thought Catalog observed that "At [Simba's] return, she's not exactly the friendliest little kitten, either ... but is willing to overlook her own hurt ego in the spirit of their friendship.

"[13] The speaking voice of adult Nala is provided by American actress Moira Kelly,[14] who had learned that Disney was auditioning actors for the role from her agent.

[16] Actor Matthew Broderick, the voice of Simba, had already begun recording opposite a different actress who had been cast as Nala before she was replaced with Kelly.

[15] Additionally, the filmmakers would also film Kelly's performances in order to incorporate her own facial expressions into her character's design, the process of which impressed the actress.

[20] A classically trained pianist and chorister, Laura Williams provides the singing voice of young Nala, which can be heard in the song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King";[18] the singer was 15 years old at the time.

[18] When asked by Disney if she was interested in reprising her role as Nala in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Kelly immediately accepted, joking, "Sure, you wanna do a third, fourth, fifth?

[30] Often identified as the film's second most important character,[31][32][33] Taylor Orci of The Atlantic felt that "Nala is really the agent of change in The Lion King", dismissing Simba as a "rich, lazy boyfriend.

[29] Writing for the University of Waterloo's Kinema, Vicky Wong believes that Nala reinforces the film's "take your place" motif, reminding main character Simba of his responsibilities.

[29] Mouse Morality: The Rhetoric of Disney Animated Film author Annalee R. Ward wrote that Nala's role in The Lion King reflected "a 1990s feminist reversal".

"[28] Nala is also a more skilled fighter than Simba, proven by the character's ability to overwhelm him in battle,[37][38] which is reminiscent "of the physical power of lionesses in the real nature.

"[40] Bacher believes that had The Lion King featured Nala as the Pride Lands' hero as opposed to Simba, the film could have avoided having a "patriarchal structure.

Leab continued, "It almost sucks more that Nala is such a strong ... female character and still ends up constrained by this plot device", accusing the film of depicting women as weak.

[28] Alongside Faline from Bambi (1942) and Maid Marian from Robin Hood (1973) added, Nala belongs to a trio of Disney heroines who, after having been separated from their love interests for several years, eventually reunite with them.

[citation needed] Stephens believes that Nala and Simba's separation allows the characters to fall in love "properly" upon reuniting as young adults.

[46] The Daily Californian's Miyako Singer argued that "Nala is no poor, tragic Ophelia", instead resembling a "fierce princess warrior" similar to the strong heroines Disney introduced during the 1990s.

By the end of season 3, Nala also gains Rani as her daughter-in-law after she marries Kion, who is becoming the king of the Tree of Life and retired as the leader of the Lion Guard.

Her Broadway debut,[61] at first auditioning for the role proved a challenge for the singer due to her Ragtime contract, which her agent was eventually successful in getting her released from.

[62] Director Julie Taymor felt that Nala's journey in the film was underdeveloped and among the story's weaker elements, and thus decided to "strengthen" the character's narrative for Broadway.

[29] The New York Times' Janet Maslin cited the film's lack of a strong heroine among its weaknesses, dismissing Nala and Simba's interaction throughout "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" as "obligatory" and "gratuitous".

"[38] Criticizing the film for "being merely distracting when it could have been both meaningful and instructive", Robert Humanick of Slant Magazine wrote, "Small potatoes, then, when Simba's former childhood friend and betrothed queen Nala ... unexpectedly reappears in his duty-free, protein-rich life, demanding he return to his kingly responsibilities and coaxing the lion to sleep tonight with arguably the most blatant 'fuck me now' face to ever appear in a PG-rated film.

"[66] Kathryn LeBey Davidson of Her Campus believes that Nala's reputation is harmed by her limited screen time and role, ranking her the 19th greatest Disney heroine.

According to Johnson Cheu, author of Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability, the fact that Mufasa, Scar, and Simba appear to be the only male lions present in The Lion King suggests the possibility that either Mufasa or Scar is Nala's father, which would in turn make Nala either Simba's half-sister or cousin.

[73] In a 2014 interview, actor Eddie Redmayne admitted that Nala was his first "celebrity crush",[74] having been specifically attracted to the character's "sweet" face and singing voice,[75] referring to the experience as his "sexual awakening".