Zazu is a feisty Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill who acts as majordomo to Mufasa. He is first seen in the film during the opening sequence in which Simba is presented. He later confronts Scar and is almost eaten by him. When Simba has grown into a cub, Zazu is often ridiculed by him, being the target in Simba's pouncing lessons. He is ordered to watch over the Simba and Nala by Sarabi when Simba claims they wants to go to the waterhole when in fact, Simba had been lured by Scar to go to the elephant graveyard. After the song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", Simba and Nala successfully lose Zazu and go to the graveyard. Zazu later catches up with them, but they encounter the hyenas and the hornbill is put into the hyenas' "birdie boiler" geyser which rockets him up to the sky. Zazu flies quickly to get Mufasa and they race to the graveyard, just in time to save the cubs from the hyenas. During the wildebeest stampede engineered by the hyenas under Scar's signal to kill Mufasa and Simba, it is Zazu who alerts Mufasa about Simba. He later intends to go back for help, but is struck by Scar into a wall and rendered unconscious.
After Simba runs away, Zazu is hardly seen again. He briefly appears in a scene during Scar's kingship of the Pride Lands. Scar has imprisoned him in a ribcage and never listens to his advice, using him only for entertainment purposes, and even tells the hyenas that they are welcome to eat him.
After Simba runs away, Zazu is hardly seen again. He briefly appears in a scene during Scar's kingship of the Pride Lands. Scar has imprisoned him in a ribcage and never listens to his advice, using him only for entertainment purposes, and even tells the hyenas that they are welcome to eat him.