Disney’s The Lion King is one of the most beloved animated classics of all time. Needless to say, the live-action remake had some pretty big shoes to fill.
Not only did the film stay true to the original, it introduced a much more in-depth look at the overall story. Here are 10+ hidden details about Disney’s live-action The Lion King fans didn’t notice.
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Rafiki’s character portrayal is a nod to Broadway.
In the original film version, Rafiki was used more for comic relief than for anything else. In the live-action remake, he’s much more serious and revered.
This is how Rafiki is portrayed in the Broadway version of The Lion King . The song ‘He Lives In You’ heard in the film, is lifted from the play.
John Oliver as Zazu is a nod to *Last Week Tonight With John Oliver*.
If you thought the voice of Zazu sounded familiar, that’s because it is!
John Oliver lends his talents for cheeky news reporting, much in the same way he conducts his show on HBO.
There’s a reference to another beloved Disney classic.
Fans will no doubt remember Timon and Pumba’s Hawaiian luau dance from the animated film.
For the live-action remake, in lieu of a grass skirt, Timon puts on a French accent and invites the hyenas to feast upon Pumba, much in the same way Gaston invited Belle to “Be Our Guest”.
New lyrics were added to the song ‘Hakuna Matata’.
In the original film version, Pumba sings “And I got down-hearted every time that I – -” before he’s quickly interrupted by Timon proclaiming “Pumba! Not in front of the kids!”
This time around, Pumba still doesn’t finish the line, but he very loudly passes gas.
Every single animal is CGI
I was sure fooled, that’s for sure. You’re telling me not a single one of those animals is real?! That in and of itself is an astonishing achievement.
CGI sure has come a long way.
James Earl Jones is the only cast member to return from the animated version.
James Earl Jones has one of the most recognizable voices in the history of Hollywood. Director Jon Favreau was quoted saying that Jones was irreplaceable.
I for one, couldn’t agree more!
Scar and Zazu have a very different interaction with one another.
The death of Mufasa is one of the most traumatic events in the history of animation. In the original film, before Scar kills Mufasa, he knocks Zazu unconscious with his paw.
In the live-action remake, Scar simply tells Zazu to go for help. This way, Scar gets rid of any witnesses.
Shenzi isn’t funny anymore.
One of the greatest aspects of the original animated classic was Whoopi Goldberg’s portrayal of Shenzi . She was comical but serious.
Fans of the live-action version will likely notice that this time around, Shenzi is deadly serious and mirrors her character likeness in the Broadway musical version.
Scar’s song ‘Be Prepared’ was drastically changed.
Not only did the updated version of the tune have new lyrics, but the overall timbre and tone of the song were changed as well.
In the live-action version, it’s a much more spoken word speech than it is a song.
Donald Glover’s portrayal of Simba was inspired by the loss of his own father.
Donald recalls that he lost his father the very same day that the trailer for The Lion King was released.
He called up director Jon Favreau and asked if he could re-record his lines so that they’d better reflect his own loss.
The film never would have been remade at all if it wasn’t for *The Jungle Book*.
Jon said,
“I knew that with the tools that we had and what the technology had to offer and the team that had done such a great job on Jungle Book that there was an opportunity here to show the naturalism of that world.”
Nala has a much more pronounced role.
In the 1994 animated version, Nala was a fairly minor character who showed up at the beginning and toward the end of the film. In the live-action remake, her character and storyline are much more developed and in-depth.
Favreau was heavily influenced by the Broadway version of Nala.
It’s supposed to look and feel like a documentary.
Jon said that part of his inspiration to remake the film in the first place was to adopt new technology into the story. He wanted it to feel and look as much like a BBC documentary as anything else.
Nala was modeled after Beyoncé.
Favreau wanted the character to look and move the same way that Queen Bey did on stage .
Pay extra close attention the next time you watch and you’re sure to notice some of the same quintessential moves.
Pharrell Williams was Seth Rogen’s vocal coach for the film.
“I literally had Pharrell Williams banging his head against a wall trying to extract like a [expletive] good note out of me. I’m like someone less famous would actually be more helpful.”
