THE LION KING [1994]

Hello everyone! Today we will be looking at the 1994 animated DISNEY classic “THE LION KING”, which is now thirty years old! So let’s get started!

Do you know what the opening chant in “THE CIRCLE OF LIFE” really means?

The opening lyrics of “THE CIRCLE OF LIFE”, the stirring song at the beginning of “THE LION KING”, are sung in ZULU, an AFRICAN language. You can probably hear them in your head right now, even if you don’t know what they mean in ENGLISH [YOUR WELCOME: "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba / Sithi uhm ingonyama / Nants ingonyama bagithi baba / Sithi uhhmm ingonyama / Ingonyama Siyo Nqoba / Ingonyama Ingonyama nengw enamabala"]. As it turns out, the lyrics translate 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,” which is more simple and direct than you might’ve expected them to be, given their dramatic grandeur.

Did you know that the film originally wasn’t going to be a MUSICAL?

It's hard to imagine “THE LION KING” without its ELTON JOHN soundtrack, but it originally wasn't even going to be a musical at all! The original concept for the film was called “KING OF THE JUNGLE”, and according to PRODUCER and DISNEY bigwig THOMAS SCHUMACHER, “KING OF THE JUNGLE was not a musical and bore more than a passing resemblance to an animated NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPECIAL.” While the finished product had all the stunning landscapes of a “NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPECIAL”, the narrative and musical elements made it way more crowd-pleasing than the more DOCUMENTARY-INSPIRED version would've been.