While at D23 Expo last month, I had the opportunity to sit in on a very special panel, Celebration of an Animated Classic: The Lion King. We were in for a tremendous celebration and reunion. I've got some behind-the-scenes, information from the makers of the film, and 10 Fun Facts About The Lion King.
Images courtesy of Joyce Duboise of Women and Their Pretties
The Lion King was released in theaters in the summer of 1994 and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 13 years old and saw it in the theaters. We bought it the moment it was released on VHS, and my friends and I watched it over and over again. When I learned that there was going to be a special celebration of The Lion King at D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, I truly hoped we'd get to go and I could relive some of those memories again. Thankfully, our group of bloggers was able to attend and, like I imagined, it was amazing.
Producer Don Hahn took the stage after the crowd roared "Hakuna Matata." He got the show started and soon introduced us to Director Rob Minkoff, and animators Tony Bancroft and Mark Henn. They started telling us all about how it was to make this film and I've got some fun facts to share!
The Lion King Director Rob Minkoff, animators Mark Henn and Tony Bancroft and Producer Don Hahn
10 Fun Facts About The Lion King
1.) The Lion King was an underdog.
Don Hahn told us that it was a long journey getting this movie to the screen. Studio executives didn't really think it was going to be "a winner," and there were several mishaps and catastrophes along the way. But, The Lion King turned out to be the highest grossing hand drawn animated film of all time!
2.) Most of the seasoned Disney production and animation staff chose not to work on The Lion King.
Director Rob Minkoff said, "We couldn't get people to work on this movie. When The Lion King was made, it was the first time two films would be made at the same time. Pocahontas and The Lion King. The Lion King was an experiment and Pocahontas was slated to be a home run. The Lion King became a HUGE success. They weren't sure it would make $50 million and it made $100 million the first week."
3.) Animator Mark Henn didn't get the job what he wanted.
Mark Henn, the legendary animator behind Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, Mulan, Tiana, was happy to put the princesses aside and work on The Lion King. BUT, he was excited to animate Scar. Turns out, the Directors and Producers had bigger things in mind for him. Don Hahn said, "Your actors are animators, so it's different. They're the true movie stars." The production team felt that Henn should animate Simba instead. Rob Minkoff said, "Simba is the key to this movie and if he doesn't work, then the movie doesn't work. So, he worked on Simba instead of Scar." Henn joked, "I think it turned out okay."
4.) Tony Bancroft also didn't get the job he wanted.
Animator Tony Bancroft was fascinated with drawing characters and had just finished animating Iago in Aladdin, so he originally hoped to animate Zazu in The Lion King. That all changed though. Bancroft said, "What I found about The Lion King was that it was a defining moment in Disney history, and it was a split in the unit. All the senior guys went to Pocahontas and it created an opportunity for young guys, like myself. I wanted Zazu at first, but was chosen for Pumbaa." I think that also turned out okay!
5.) Natural disasters and social upheaval caused delays.
In 1994, the Northridge earthquake shut down the California studio and required the animators to finish their work from home. Not only that, there were brush fires and the Rodney King Riots in 1992.
6.) Working with Elton John was a bit of a challenge.
Rob Minkoff told us, "Working with Elton John was a thrill, but we didn't spend a lot of time with Elton. We would usually get demo tapes from his travels. We got a version of "Circle of Life" which was totally different than what we ended up with." He explained that kicking back a demo to Elton John was a bit touchy, but it obviously worked out in the end since the song was nominated for Academy Award.
Ernie Sabella, Don Hahn and Tony Bancroft
7.) Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella used to record together since they had such great chemistry.
Ernie Sabella, the voice of Pumbaa took the stage and performed a little rendition of Hakuna Matata. Mr. Sabella was genuinely thrilled to be a part of such a legendary movie and recalled memories of recording with Nathan Lane. In fact, Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella used to record together since they had such great chemistry. That's actually pretty unusual for actors to do voice work together. Typically, they record their lines in the booth by themselves.
Ernie Sabella + Nathan Lane used to record #TheLionKing together since they had great chemistry. #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/CQOgpVL6JW
— Ruth V. (@vivaveltoro) July 16, 2017
We also got a fun little behind-the-scenes look at how the production team pitched the idea of Timon doing the hula in drag. They reenacted the song for us and it was awesome!
How a pitch went to include Timon in drag doing the hula in #TheLionKing ? #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/6lhPmbFHCL
— Ruth V. (@vivaveltoro) July 16, 2017
8.) Jim Cummings had quite a few roles in The Lion King.
Jim Cummings, who played Ed the hyena, also joined the panel to talk about his experiences with making The Lion King. We got to see a little video clip of him recording and he's SO talented. Not only did he voice the role of Ed the hyena (the name Ed was based on Ed McMcmahon from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Ed was the sidekick to laugh at the jokes), he also voiced the naked mole rate from the African underground and took on the role of Scar for the second half of the song "Be Prepared" when Jeremy Irons ran into vocal problems. Cummings is also known for lending his voice to Darkwing Duck, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and the Tasmanian Devil, among hundreds of others.
9.) Whoopi Goldberg actually requested to be in this movie.
Usually, when a movie is being cast there are auditions and the directors and producers might have a few actors in mind for a certain part. For The Lion King, Ms. Goldberg actually had her representatives reach out to the filmmakers to see if she could join the cast. Being that she is a Disney Legend for 2017 after all, Disney definitely made it happen. Whoopi made an appearance at The Celebration of The Lion King.
Check out Whoopi's surprise entrance here:
Ready for more Fun Facts About The Lion King?
10.) The Lion King is coming to digital on August 15th and on Blu-ray August 29th!
At D23 Expo, Disney announced that The Lion King, the coming-of-age masterpiece, filled with humor and heart, breathtaking animation and soul-stirring Academy Award®–winning music (1994: Best Original Score and Best Original Song, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”), will be joining the highly celebrated Walt Disney Signature Collection. The Lion King roars to Its rightful place in the Walt Disney Signature Collection on Digital Aug. 15th and on Blu-ray™ Aug. 29th.
Special thanks to Disney for hosting me for the D23 Expo. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Joyce Duboise of Women and Their Pretties for sharing these images with us!
G K says
It's amazing so many people thought it would fail. It's still one of my favorite animated movies.
Mia says
How lucky to get to hear firsthand about this marvelous production. It is one of the best.
Deborah D says
It would truly be a once in a lifetime experience to go to something like that.