With the upcoming live action version of The Lion King to be released on July 18, 2019, here are 10 interesting facts about Disney’s The Lion King:
- The Lion King may have been the first Disney animated movie to be based off of an original story, but the plot was inspired by Bambi and Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The idea of Bambi in Africa and some elements of Hamlet was the basis of the plot. The script was even titled Bamlet until it got its name.
- Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin played the hyenas in the movie, but did you know that Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, the actors for Timon and Pumbaa, tried out for the role of the hyenas first? They met before the audition and tried out together. Their chemistry together was so good and funny, that the director decided to cast them as the meerkat and warthog instead!
- Speaking of Timon and Pumbaa, the hit song and probably the Disney favorite known as “Hakuna Matata” was not originally part of the script. It was written and added to the film after the team took a trip to Africa and decided that the catchphrase and song would be a much better fit.
- The song in Simba and Nala’s love scene “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” was actually originally intended as a comedic scene between Timon and Pumbaa, but Elton John did not agree with the usage of the song in that context, so it was placed as a love song instead.
- In 1994, The Lion King was the highest grossing movie of all time. It had narrowly defeated Forrest Gump in worldwide gross because of international box offices outside the USA. The movie made $968 million, a record breaker of its time. Today, The Lion King’s spot as the highest grossing animated film is taken by Disney’s Frozen.
- When the animals of the Wildebeest Stampede stampede in just two and a half minutes of the movie, three years worth of animation is screening. Three YEARS. This is due to the revolutionary new animation method used by the animators. They used computer technology for this scene for special animation effects. Sounds a little extra if you ask me.
- There are three adaptations/expansions of The Lion King’s original movie! The first is The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, an animated sequel to the original that focused on the story of Simba and Nala’s daughter Kiara. The Lion King is also a Broadway musical, and will also be made into a live action version, set to release mid-July 2019!
- During the making of Scar’s song, “Be Prepared,” the voice of Scar, Jeremy Irons, ran out of energy in the song, and Jim Cummings (the voice of Ed the Hyena) took over in perfect imitation of Jeremy Irons’s voice and demeanor as Scar.
- There were many characters who didn’t make the final cut for the movie. Ideas to add a sister for Sarabi (Simba’s mom), a little brother for Nala, Meerkat #2, and the father of Nala. Additionally, two other animals, a python to act as a sidekick for Scar and a fox with bat ears named Bhati, were not incorporated into the final film as well.
- Pumbaa was characteristically known to rub his belly. The action was inspired by the animator Tony Bancroft’s wife who was pregnant at the time and would rub her belly often. Then again, Pumbaa was also the first Disney character to fart on screen. So maybe he just had indigestion.
References:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6105098/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/fullcredits