‘The Fosters’’ Maia Mitchell Joins ‘The Lion Guard’ as a Helpful Hyena (VIDEO)

Do hyenas get a bad rap? Fan fave Maia Mitchell of The Fosters will play a most unusual one in the “Never Judge a Hyena by its Spots” episode of Disney Channel’s The Lion Guard (Friday, Jan 15, 9:30am/8:30c). The plot has Simba’s young son, Kion, separated from the rest of the Lion Guard and lost in the Outlands. He meets Jasiri, a friendly female hyena voiced by Mitchell, who rescues him and helps him face off against the bad hyenas. Preposterous? Maybe not.

A rep for Disney Channel tells us “the idea for a friendly hyena came from our consultants at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park who advise the Lion Guard production team on every script and offer insight on real-life animals and their habitats. They wanted to show that not all hyenas are bad and actually serve an important purpose in the Circle of Life.”

Adds Mitchell:”I loved playing Jasiri. She’s zany and very opinionated and definitely challenges the rest of the characters in the show—plus I get to use my native Australian accent. It was a blast!”

Here’s an exclusive first look clip:

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