1.) “The Lion King” wasn’t the original name for the film as it was once titled “King of the Jungle.” Disney ended up changing it once it was quickly realized that lions don’t actually live in the jungle.
2.) Some have said that Scar’s “Be Prepared” solo is a moment in the film that was inspired by old footage of Nazis marching toward Adolf Hitler as he stood on a podium.
3.) As “The Lion King” and Disney’s “Pocahontas” were being made at the same time, the company originally expected the latter to be the more successful of the two.
“Pocahontas” went on to gross $346 million in the worldwide box office while “The Lion King” brought in over $987 million.
4.) Matthew Broderick was a good singer, but he didn’t actually provide the singing voice for adult Simba. Joseph Williams, son of famous composer John Williams, sang as adult Simba for his songs.
5.) The horrifically tragic wildebeest stampede scene took around three full years for Disney to animate. It lasted a mere two and a half minutes on screen.
6.) One of the most infamous moments in Disney movie history is the “SFX” that appears in the dust as Simba collapses on the cliff. Many have claimed that it spells out “sex,” but the special effects team insists it is “SFX” in honor of them.
7.) Sean Connery was actually looked at as Disney’s first choice for the iconic voice of Mufasa.
8.) Believe it or not, “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” was not originally looked at as a love ballad, but as a comedic duet between Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). Obviously, no-one thought that was a good idea.
9.) When Nala first finds Simba after they’re both adults, many have wondered why she was so far from home (Pride Rock). The original reason was to be that Scar had banished her for ignoring his romantic advances toward her.
10.) James Earl Jones (Mufasa) and Madge Sinclair (Sarabi) had played a king and queen before when they starred in “Coming to America.”
11.) After Mufasa’s death, he was not originally scheduled to appear in the film again. Disney thought that Simba needed a reason to head back to Pride Rock and save his family, so the vision of Mufasa was put in.
12.) “The Lion King” is the best selling home video (VHS) of all time as it sold 55 million copies of the big plastic white box.
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