If you’re anything like us, you can likely recite The Lion King song by song and word for word. Learn a lot more facts about Rafiki Lion King here!
On the way to work, we sing along to the music, hold random objects up to our heads during meetings to channel our Rafiki, and say “Hakuna Matata” whenever possible.
This is all normal, right? We fell into a black hole of Lion King facts-finding because of our utterly rational obsession:
- The original title of the Lion King was “King in the Jungle”.
- Jeremy Irons hesitated to voice Scar.
He fell in love with Scar when he first saw the animation, and we are so glad he did. Scare with any other voice is impossible to imagine!
- It took three years for the wildebeest stampede to be created.
For a six-minute scene, it took three years. Crazy. The CG department needed to develop a completely new program that would prevent wildebeests from passing through each other as they ran. Imagine how long it would take for the wildebeests to be drawn if separated.
- In two days, the movie begins.
Simba wakes his dad at 3:00 am and runs off to find him. This takes place in just two days. Scar was prepared for his evil plot to take over the Pride Lands.
- Simba and Scar were animated separately on different coasts of the US.
Andreas Deja was Scar’s lead animator and was working in Florida. Mark Henn was the lead animator for Simba. He was working in California. To create some of our favorite scenes, the team had to travel back and forth.
- Nathan Lane (Timon), and Ernie Sabella(Pumbaa), auditioned for the role of hyenas.
If they were cast, we would be much less afraid of hyenas.
- “Be Prepared” would be “Thanks to Me.”
After Scar overtook Pride Rock, the song would come later in this movie. It became more logical to have an evil plotting track as the story progressed. This scene features yellow light and dingy colors to give it the feel of an old newsreel from 1940.
Also, read What Anime Is Astolfo From?
- Rowan Atkinson (Zazu) didn’t know the lyrics of “it’s just a small world”.
He didn’t live and breathe Disney like us. Atkinson had to practice and learn the lyrics for the scene where Zazu sings for Scar. He was able to pick them up quickly.
- Simba, Sarabi and Rafiki are all swahili terms.
They refer to lion, mirage and friend.
- When Mufasa talks to Simba, Leo’s constellation is visible in the night sky.
Can you find it?
This is it. These are ten things you probably didn’t know about The Lion King when you first started reading this article. You now have a lot of trivia. Take the ultimate The Lion King trivia test and watch this interview with The Lion King’s musical geniuses to find out more!
