‘The Lion King’ 30th anniversary: Remembering the animated classic that roared at the Oscars

With an award-winning soundtrack, a star-studded voice cast and hand-drawn animation capturing the vast and colorful African savannah, Walt Disney Studios’ “The Lion King” (1994) roared into theaters three decades ago. Years of story treatments, hundreds of workers and numerous hours of animal observation contributed to the evolution of the animated classic, making the development of “The Lion King” as grand a story as the film itself. On this 30th anniversary, let’s look back at how “The Lion King” became the King of the Box Office — despite the odds.

More than a dozen writers are credited with the story concept of “The Lion King.” In Disney’s 50-plus history up to that time, almost all of its animated stories were inspired by or based on another source, with only rare exceptions from segments in productions like “Fantasia” (1940) and some other propaganda films from the 1940s, such as “The Three Caballeros.” But a concept based on animal life in Africa began to materialize in the late 1980s, a kind of “‘Bambi’ in Africa,” and over the course of several years many Disney staff writers and professional screenwriters contributed to the project. Final writing credits went to “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) writer Linda Woolverton, who spent a year penning various drafts, and Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts, who were in charge of the final revision. The latter two worked closely with “The Lion King” lyricist Tim Rice to help develop the narrative and the characters. All the years of collaboration resulted in a Shakespearean coming-of-age tale set in the African savannah, with hand-drawn animation bringing the animal kingdom to life in vivid detail on film like never before, and rousing musical numbers that took on a life of their own — which was a long way from the original documentary-style concept.

George Scribner, director of “Oliver & Company” (1988), was initially slated to direct a documentary-style film, and was joined by the lead story man from “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), Roger Allers. These two men, as well as other crew members and animators, visited Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya for inspiration and to study animal movement and behavior. When eventually it was decided to turn it into a musical, Scribner bowed out, and another first-time director, Rob Minkoff, teamed with Allers.

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There was little faith in “The Lion King” from the onset, and many senior Disney animators opted to work on “Pocahontas” (1995), which was anticipated to be the more successful of the two. Many of the animators who worked on “The Lion King” were either interested in animal animation, or were assigned their major big project. Wildlife experts worked with the animators, either at a zoo or by bringing lions and other animals to the studio, so that the animators could get a sense of the movement and behavior of the inhabitants of an African savannah. Meanwhile, the filmmakers studied films like “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962) to find a way to capture the vastness and beauty of the land, endeavoring to capture the feel of that world in animation in a similar fashion to live action.

The animators also studied the “human” versions of their characters. The voice actors were picked before filming started, so the mannerisms of the animal characters correspond to their human counterparts, from the deep timber of James Earl Jones‘s voice as the majestic Lion King Mufasa, to the boyish, energetic tone of Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the rambunctious young Simba and the likable, sensitive Matthew Broderick as his adult counterpart. Several actors were considered for the voice of the villainous Scar, with Jeremy Irons accepting after initial hesitation. Irons had won the Best Actor Oscar for his dramatic role as Claus von Bulow, who was accused of the attempted murder of his wife, in “Reversal of Fortune.” Many of Scar’s characteristics came from that film, including his line “you have no idea.”

It was hoped that Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong could be reunited to play the hyenas, but Chong was unavailable, and Whoopi Goldberg and Jim Cummings joined Cheech to make the trio. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella were also considered for the hyenas, but had such great chemistry they were given the roles of Timon and Pumbaa instead. The tenor voice of Robert Guillaume brought the eccentric mandrill shaman Rafiki to life, while Rowan Atkinson provided the voice for Mufasa’s fussy majordomo Zazu.

The actors recorded their sessions separately, in different cities, and did not interact with each other often. Broderick had recorded with an actress cast as the adult Nala, and did not realize that actress had been replaced until the film’s premiere. Moira Kelly was given the role several months after she auditioned; it’s unknown who she replaced.

And all of this was brought together with the final piece of the puzzle: the music. Rice had worked with Alan Menken on “Aladdin” (1992), but the composer was unavailable, so Rice suggested Elton John. The pair wrote five original songs, while Hans Zimmer created the score. The three men captured four Academy Award nominations, with Zimmer winning Best Original Score against five live action films, including Best Picture winner “Forrest Gump.” Rice and John claimed three of the Best Original Song spots, for “Circle of Life,” “Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” which won. Zimmer and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” also won their categories at the Golden Globes, and the film earned nine Grammy nominations as well, with four wins that include Best Male Pop Performance for John’s rendition of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” The Best Animated Feature category had not been added to the Academy Awards yet, but “The Lion King” claimed Best Musical/Comedy from the Golden Globes.

“The Lion King” released for two days in two theaters on June 15, 1994, and earned over $600,000 at the box office, placing it at number 12 for that week — from just TWO theaters in TWO days. It spent two weeks at number one once it had its nationwide release on June 24, before “Forrest Gump” surpassed it. However, “The Lion King” was triumphant at the year’s end, finishing number one for the year 1994. It was the highest-grossing animated film up to that time, and remains the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, while its soundtrack is the highest-selling soundtrack of all time from an animated film, and one of the top-selling from any film. Despite all these impressive numbers, that’s not where “The Lion King’s” legacy lies.

Although studio executives didn’t have much faith in their first attempt at an original full-length animated film, more than 600 artists, animators and technicians put their hearts and energy into creating a unique film that would bring a faraway, majestic world to life for kids and adults alike. From the attention-grabbing four-minute opening sequence of wildlife varying from the smallest ant to a herd of elephants gathering to celebrate the future Lion King, to the horror of that cub watching his powerful father succumb to a stampede of wildebeests, to the fall of the Pride Lands that turn desolate and barren under Scar’s rule, audiences were captivated. The themes of brother turned against brother out of greed and jealousy, while a wronged child finds solace in new friends and matures to fight for his rightful place, are timeless and universal. It has rightfully earned a spot on the National Film Registry (2016), and spawned sequels, a Broadway adaptation, TV series and remakes, but none have quite captured the magic of the original “Lion King.”

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