Long live the king! When the Disney Renaissance began in the late 1980s, it ushered in a “shiny new era” of Disney animated storytelling. The Little Mermaid broke new ground in music in 1988. Beauty and the Beast shattered the ceiling of computer-generated enhancement in 1991. Aladdin showed us a “whole new world” of animated action sequences in 1992. The Lion King – arguably the pinnacle of the Disney Renaissance – proved in 1994 that Disney could successfully create a compelling original story for a feature film. The result of this creation was the highest-grossing traditionally animated film ever, coming in at just under a billion dollars.
Since 1994, The Lion King has gone on to become one of the most successful animated franchises of all time, spawning a majestically-successful Broadway musical recreation in 1997, a $1.6 billion live-action remake in 2019, and a soon-to-be-released live-action prequel continuation of the story. As we prepare for the much-anticipated release of Mufasa: The Lion King, enjoy five(ish) fun facts about Disney’s The Lion King.
The Lion King’s Musical Safari
The stunning visual imagery of the African Serengeti is a feast for the eyes, and it is amplified ten-fold by the sweeping music accompanying each and every scene. Disney Legend Hans Zimmer was offered the role as main composer largely based on his work for two other African-themed films he had scored – A World Apart (1988) and The Power of One (1992). Zimmer had never scored an animated film, but wanted to give it a go for the benefit of his daughter, who would be able to appreciate his music in a film that she could connect with. Zimmer’s friend Lebo Morake (Lebo M) – legendary African musician, composer, and lyricist – wrote and recorded the lyrics to match Zimmer’s opening sequence. What was supposed to be a 30-second piece leading into opening dialogue blossomed into two minutes of musical and cultural perfection. Believe it or not – that opening sequence was recorded in one single take. Perfection right from the start. Zimmer’s score and music won an Oscar for Best Original Score, as well as two Grammys, an American Music Award, a Golden Globe, and a Tony.
As amazing as Zimmer’s score was, the individual songs in the film were equally as impressive. Disney Legends Elton John and Tim Rice collaborated on the rest of the film’s soundtrack, which includes the unforgettable pieces “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, “Be Prepared”, “Hakuna Matata”, and “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” among others. In signing on to create music for the film, Elton John insisted that one of the film’s songs had to be a love ballad with potential to cross over as a radio hit. This song, of course, became “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” Believe it or not, the film’s producers originally intended the ballad as a duet between Simba’s friends Timon and Pumbaa. The duet was wisely shifted to Simba and Nala (but Timon and Pumbaa did get to sing the last line).
With all the promise held in “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, an advance screening of the film revealed that the song was planned to be left out of the finished cut. Elton John himself attended that screening, and was completely shocked that his most important piece was going to be left out. The Rocket Man promptly lobbied Katzenberg to put the song back in.
Reinstating the song proved to be a good choice. It won John and Rice an Oscar for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and it also earned John a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
The Plot Thickens
Fans of The Lion King widely recognize the fact that the film’s plot is loosely based upon William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. More specifically, when the story was first being written, it was billed to writers as Bambi, in Africa, meets Hamlet, or “Bamlet.”
The original idea for the story was conceived in late 1988 during a conversation between Disney executives Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney, and Peter Schneider (they were on their way to promote Disney’s newest animated film Oliver & Company). Katzenberg added elements involving coming of age and death, sowing the seeds for what would become the film’s “Circle of Life.” The first treatment was titled “King of the Kalahari”, followed by “King of the Beasts” and then “King of the Jungle.”
As the script evolved, the final version of the film turned out very different from the original. One early plot centered around a battle between lions and baboons, with Simba’s brother Scar originally conceived as being the leader of the baboons. Simba – living the life of an entitled heir-apparent – was to be a lazy character in need of redemption. By 1990, producer Thomas Schumacher got involved with the project because – in his words – “lions are cool.” Scar became a lion, but a rogue with no physical relation to Mufasa. Writers determined that the storyline would be more compelling if the two lions were related, This is why Scar and Mufasa differ so much in their looks; they weren’t originally designed to be related. Spoiler Alert: The upcoming film Mufasa: The Lion King appears poised to reset the family dynamic, with Mufasa being introduced in the film as an orphan, joining Scar’s pride. I can see how Scar might be chapped by the turn of events!
How The Lion King Became King
The Lion King was the first animated feature film to be an entirely original creation – instead of the tried-and-true formula of a Disney take on an established story. Because the concept came with a bit of risk, Disney executives weren’t sure how well the story would float. Hedging their bets, Disney execs deemed the film “experimental” in nature, and assigned “Team B” to the project. “Team A,” meanwhile, was working on the historical period piece Pocahontas, for which many at Disney had extremely high hopes. Katzenberg even saw Pocahontas as having a chance of earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, following in the steps of Beauty and the Beast. As production moved forward on the two films, opinions began to change. The Lion King gained momentum, and additional resources were allocated to the film over Pocahontas. The Lion King went on to receive almost universal acclaim from audiences and critics, became one of the highest-grossing films in cinema history, and also one of the best selling home videos of all time. Pocahontas, on the other hand, was met with mixed reviews and significantly less commercial success. Score one for Team B!
What’s in a Name?
Hakuna Matata – What a wonderful phrase! By now, just about everybody knows this Swahili phrase literally means “no worries.” Timon and Pumbaa’s motto became a worldwide craze in 1994, urging all to adopt a “problem free philosophy.” Let’s take a look at a few other Swahili names and phrases introduced to us in The Lion King.
Set in the African savannah, the film draws inspiration from African culture and geography. This includes the language of Swahili (side note: I remember riding the subway in Boston during my college days, seeing neverending ads for a language program offering “Guaranteed Swahili.” I was always intrigued).
Several character names in the film are based on Swahili words:
Simba = lion; a pretty direct correlation.
Nala (Simba’s love interest) = gift; a meaningful name.
Sarabi (Simba’s mother) = mirage; I’m not quite sure what to make of that one.
Rafiki = friend; a very appropriate tag.
Pumbaa = simpleton/weak-minded; this poor guy can’t get any respect!
Shenzi = barbarous/savage; that just about sums up all the hyenas in the film.
Interestingly enough, Rafiki is the only character in the original film to have an accent native to the film’s setting. All other characters have American or English accents. True to form, Rafiki sometimes speaks Swahili in the film. His famous phrase “Asante sana squash banana” translates to “thank you very much” in Swahili, with the “squash banana” added as nonsensical rhyming phrase used for comic emphasis.
Say What?
Let’s revisit the film’s opening number, “Circle of Life.” The lyrics in the song’s opening chant are written in Zulu as:
“Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama.
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba Sithi uhhmm ingonyama Ingonyama Siyo Nqoba Ingonyama Ingonyama nengw’ enamabala.”
This translates to:
“Here comes a lion, father, Oh yes it’s a lion.
Here comes a lion, father, Oh yes it’s a lion. A lion we’re going to conquer, a lion, a lion and a leopard come to this open place.”
Hmmm, I guess I’ll just leave that one right where it is.
The Lion King on Broadway – By the Numbers
Who would’ve thought an animated film entirely about animals could be transformed into a successful Broadway musical production? Over 15 million people have attended over 10,500 performances of The Lion King on Broadway, making it the third longest-running Broadway show of all time, behind Phantom of the Opera and the 1996 revival of Chicago.
When The Lion King debuted on Broadway in 1998, it won six Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, and Best Choreography. The production has traveled around the world, earning over 70 major theater awards internationally.
Over 200 puppets are used in the production, representing over 25 types of animals. The largest representation in the animal kingdom belongs to the hyenas, with 39. In addition to the hyenas, the production includes 22 wildebeests, 15 gazelles, 14 lionesses, 12 bird kites, three zebras, and six representations of Simba. About 50 performers and puppeteers are needed to bring these animals to life.
Changing it up: In the 1994 animated film, Scar hilariously makes his opinion known regarding the Sherman Brothers iconic song “it’s a small world“, demanding that his beleaguered majordomo Zazu sing “anything but that!” But in select productions of the stage show, Zazu originally annoyed Scar with renditions of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (as a nod to the world premiere of Mary Poppins – the musical – in Bristol, England) and “Let It Go” (shortly after the release of Frozen in theaters). As you might imagine, Scar’s mood did not improve.
Easter Eggs and Hidden Nods
Like every modern Disney animated film, The Lion King includes several treasures hidden in the Serengeti. Let’s explore a few of them here.
Timon’s Enchanted Tiki Room
The final battle scene of the film is quite intense, but it does include a humorous moment, courtesy of Timon and Pumbaa. You know when Timon tries to distract the hyenas by dancing the hula? The music in that little song is a fast-paced parody of the Aloha Chant, which guests can hear when visiting Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland or Walt Disney World.
Royalty
Mufasa and Sarabi carry the weight of the African animal kingdom with an honor fitting of their royal crowns. The pair are played by Disney Legend James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair. But did you know The Lion King is the second film in which the pair performed together as an African King and Queen? Jones and Sinclair also played King Jaffe Joffer and Queen Aoleon Joffer of the fictional African nation of Zamunda in the 1988 comedy film Coming to America.
Wrong Jungle
Timon and Pumbaa happily live their “Hakuna Matata” lifestyle in the Serengeti, but they also make an appearance in a jungle far, far away. In Disney’s 2016 remake of The Jungle Book, when Mowgli and Shere Khan face off in their final confrontation in the tree, many animals gather to watch. Among those animals are a wild boar standing next to an Indian mongoose, which are a nod to Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat.
These animals aren’t exact matches, since The Lion King is set in Africa and The Jungle Book is set in India, and the animal species on each continent are different. But this comical pair are definitely there in spirit!
Fun Fact: Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella – the voices of Timon and Pumbaa – were originally cast as the hyenas Banzai and Shenzi (played by Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin in the final film). The crew loved their performance and thought the duo would be even better as Timon and Pumbaa!
“They Call Me Mr. Pig!”
Far from the African Serengeti or Indian Jungle, Pumba makes an appearance high above the streets of Old Paris, as a gargoyle in Disney’s 1996 animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Scar’s Herculean Moment
Scar was never able to find respect in the pride lands, but he was able to get a second life in Disney’s 1997 animated film Hercules. Look for the scene where Herc is getting his portrait painted. He’s wearing a lion skin, and it is a match to Scar!
A Dog Among Scavengers
Perhaps the single most frightening scene in The Lion King may be the army of salivating yellow-eyed hyenas after they take over Pride Rock. If you look closely, you can see the silhouette of an unexpected guest – Jock the sophisticated Scottish Terrier from Disney’s 1955 animated film Lady and the Tramp. Be careful Jock!
Disney’s The Lion King has proven over time to be one of the company’s most successful and enduring film franchises. With another installment – Mufasa: The Lion King – arriving in theaters in a few days, The Lion King will continue to rule “everything the light touches.”
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