Talk:The Lion King

Shakespear Controversy

Moved the following from the 'Controversy' section:

Some people feel that the plot also bears a strong resemblance to William Shakespeare's Hamlet

because I'm not sure how that is controversial in any way. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 19:03, 2 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I was the one who added it. I knew it should be in the article, but I wasn't sure where it belonged. That's why I put it with the other movie that the Lion King was allegedly copied from. Please reinsert it whereever you feel appropriate. →Raul654 23:26, Mar 2, 2004 (UTC)

Having just read the article I really feel that there should be more on the films MANY similarities both in characters and plotline with Hamlet, I would glady write such a section, though i'm not sure where best to put it as it is only really 'controversial' in that it offers evidence against Dinsey's claim that the story is original. MagicBez 15:42, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

S-E-X vs. S-F-X

I think most people are in agreement that the writing was meant to read SFX, not SEX (although I would have thought the artists might have thought of the possible mistake and so laboured to make sure that it couldn't be made, rather than leave that extra line there). However, as far as I can see, there are no sources or evidence stated that confirm that it was intended to be SFX, so I think the article should use softer language, saying that it was "probably" intended to be SFX, rather than just that it was. (I've also added a link to the relevant Snopes article) Justdig 20:10, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Could it be the name of the south korean animation studio, SEK? They look the same.--Finest1 18:10, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Character misjudgment?

Why does it say that the story is told from the POV of Zazu? The author - whoever that was - states that the reason of this comes from the final cast credits. After watching the movie, I had noticed that the credits in question are listed alphabetically by voice actor, thus putting Zazu (Rowan Atkinson) first. So this means that the story is told from Zazu's point of view? He wasn't even there for half of it! Why should this "fact" be included? I propose that Simba (the character with the most scenes, and the focus of the film at that) be first on the list, and Zazu's entry moved down between Scar's and Sarabi's. --Thirteen 05:43, 04 Sep, 2005 (UTC)

Names

Does anyone know the origin of the names Mufasa, Simba, and Nala? I seem to recall hearing that there was an interesting story behind each of the names. --Lowellian 07:53, Sep 22, 2004 (UTC)

I don't know about the other two, but I'm pretty sure that Simba is merely the Swahili word for 'lion'. AJD 22:45, 22 Sep 2004 (UTC)

This is correct. The other two are just names. Mufasa is derived from Mustafa, some previous monarch of some African country. I am not aware of an "interesting story" behind the names of Nala, Sarafina, Ed, and all the others that aren't Swahili words. — Timwi 10:40, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I think the two hyenas other than Ed have names meaning things like trash and evil in Swahili. --Speedway 19:14, Apr 15, 2005 (UTC)

A website with much information about TLK is http://www.lionking.org/faq.html

According to the second Lion King movie, on the DVD in the special feature where while watching the movie facts pop up, it said "'Nala' doesn't mean anything, but it sounds pretty." Bhargav mr 17:51, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

"Removed" scene?

The paragraph that begins "Some believe that a part of a scene was removed from the American version" is nonsense. Either it was deleted or it wasn't; this isn't a question of opinion, and it shouldn't be too hard to find out whether it was or not. If it was, we should just say so; if it wasn't, we should delete this whole paragraph. AJD 11:57, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Thirty-second film?!

The Lion King is the thirty-second film in the Disney animated feature canon…

I can assure everyone that The Lion King is much longer than 30 seconds! I suppose the intent of this sentence is to suggest that it followed the thirty-first film, but both meanings of the adjectival phrase "thirty-second" are punctuated identically. Could someone tweak this to make the meaning clear without being too verbose? Thanks. — Jeff Q (talk) 05:05, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Haha! You know, I had that exact same thought when I viewed the official trailer. It really does say that Lion King is "Walt Disney's all-new, thirty-second animated feature". It took me a while to realise it means 32nd and not 30sec. — Timwi 13:39, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for making the correction. I'm embarrassed to say that, trying various rephrasings, I failed to think of your logical and concise solution! — Jeff Q (talk) 14:35, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I didn't make that edit (though I would have if I had been first). :) — Timwi 23:14, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

S-E-X

Would it be a breach of copyright to put up one of the 'SEX' frames? (IE. one of the ones found at Snopes Urban Legend Pages - Lion King). It would certainly add more clarity to the Contreversy section. --Joey Roe 12:27, Jun 1, 2005 (UTC)

It shouldn't be a porblem. Cite the source and use the {{film-screenshot}} tag. --FuriousFreddy 13:58, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Controversies surrounding The Lion King

"The two child actors playing the lead roles of Simba and Nala in the Australian stage version were fired due to bad acting, lack of singing talent and inconsistent American accent."

Truth or legend? In the Broadway version they use four child actors because of juvenile working time regulations, and I don't imagine that Australia would be any different. Anyway, why shouldn't the Australian cast use Aussie accents? None of the characters is American! Is Disney really that Americacentric? Lee M 22:06, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I agree, sounds fishy. According to the cast page for Australia, that production also uses 4 child actors for both Simba and Nala. So at the very least, the word "The" in "The two child actors" is incorrect. -LarryMcP, 24 Jul 2005

I work at TLK in the Melbourne Production, and can state categorically that the child actors do not use American accents, nor are they supposed to. (In fact, the only character who does is Timon, with his nasal Brooklyn-Jewish accent). Therefore, given at least one component of this 'fact' is false, the whole paragraph should be removed pending evidence for it's inclusion. W.Ross 02:18, 8 November 2005 (UTC)

Mufasa's name

"The name could also be derived from "Mustafa," another name of Kemal Atatürk. The hyenas in the movie at one point pronounce the name in a funny way that entered '90s American pop culture."

Certainly, Kemal Atatürk wasn't the only person who ever carried this name. It's a common Turkish name, so I don't see why Kemal Atatürk needs to be mentioned here, seeing as he has nothing whatsoever to do with the movie. Apart from that, in which part of the movie did the hyenas pronounce the name in a funny way that entered American pop culture? I thought Hakuna Matata was the major thing from the movie that had become popular in the 90's for a while. Did I miss something?

Similarities to other movies

The lion king seems to have been influenced by at least three other movies/plays:

1. Obviously, Hamlet is the major influence for the plot.
2. The appearence of the movie partially comes from Kimba the white lion.
3. Most unusually of all, part of the movie seems to come from Universal's The Land Before Time. Here are some similarities:
   • Both movies have a dead parent (Mufasa or Littlefoot's mother.)
   • Both movies have a male quadruped protognist getting lost in a desert (Littlefoot or Simba)
   • There is a fight between the main male and female protagonist in each movie (Simba vs Nala and Littlefoot vs Cera.)
   • The Land Before Time was the first movie to EVER use the pharse "Circle of Life."
   • Both movies have a ghost in the clouds at the end.
   • Both movies have a ghost appear in a pool of water.
   • Both movies have the killer of the parent be killed (Scar dies; so does the Tyrannosaurus.)
   • Both movies have an annoying little flying character (Zazu or Petrie)
   • Both movies have a "wise man" character (Rafiki or Rooter.)
   • It should also be noted that The Land Before Time came out in 1988, 6 years BEFORE The Lion King.

controversy

I'm sure this isn't the place for wild speculation, but isn't it obvious to anyone else that the 'SEX' cloud is actually 'SEK' as in SEK Studio, referenced in the lower part of the article?

---No, the only sources you have to back up your claim is a blog and one newspaper. Now personally I don't think it says anything. Some soccor mom just got scared and said you're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air. And Disney did not officially say anything about this! It is just generally accepted that the letters spell SFX.

Article for the Musical?

Am I the only one who thinks it would be a good idea to give the musical its own article? I think it deserves it, with a little tlc. Clarkefreak ∞ 23:12, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

Done. Cburnett 06:07, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Similarities with Hamlet? I don't see it.

User MagicBez refers to the "MANY similarities both in characters and plotline with Hamlet." Having been a student of Shakespeare's works for many years, and having performed in two productions of Hamlet, I don't feel out of line in calling myself very knowledgeable of the subject. I see no true parallels between this movie and Hamlet. Both concern an uncle who commits murder to usurp the throne, but that's about it; any similarities end there. I certainly don't find "MANY similarities." Consider: In the Lion King, there is no character who can be considered a parallel to Polonius, nor Horatio, nor Gertrude, nor Laertes, nor Ophelia, nor even the character Hamlet for that matter. Yes, yes, the "father appearing as a ghost" scene might imply a reference to the play, but that is only IF one's familiarity with Hamlet is merely superficial.

Hamlet's father tells him specifically that his uncle committed murder. Mufasa simply tells Simba that he has lost his way. Simba has no knowledge or suspicion that his father's death is anyone's fault but his own, until the very end of the film. Hamlet spends nearly the entire course of the play consumed with the desire for vengeance (though he is tormented by his inability to act on this desire). Simba spends most of his story resigned to the idea that in essence, he killed his own father, and is completely unaware of events back home, or the truth of what has happened.

And the notion that Timon and Pumbaa are representative of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is equally without foundation to anyone who has actually studied the play (or even simply watched it).

Furthermore, if it were true that there are "MANY similarities both in characters and plotline," or as another user put it, "Obviously, Hamlet is the major influence for the plot," then one would expect to find in the Lion King that:

1. Serabi has married Scar and is pleading for Simba to accept him as his new father.

2. Nala has gone insane and killed herself because Simba has told her he doesn't love her.

3. Nala has a brother, who is intent on avenging her death by conspiring with Scar to kill Simba in a duel.

4. Nala's father is a trusted counsel to Scar, and while eavesdropping on Simba's confrontation of Serabi, is killed by Simba.

5. Timon and Pumbaa, while on a mission for Scar, are ordered to their deaths by Simba, by means of a forged letter.

Admittedly, these are harsh examples, and I don't mean to insult anyone's opinion, but these events are each CENTRAL to the play, yet aren't referenced in the film. I'm simply trying to point out how far from each other these two stories actually are. Crazed actor 19:32, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

I agree. On the other hand, many Disney films have been based directly on a story and had as many differences. (I consider the "new lamps for old" scene to be the key feature in the Aladdin story, but it's not in the movie). Daibhid C 23:54, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

Original Broadway Cast

I just added the Principle players from the Original Broadway Cast, however they really aren't in any order, just the order that IBDB had them. Anyone feel they know what order they should be in?

Also, does anyone think I should list the Ensemble members of the cast as well?--Swiftblade21 03:38, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

Sarafina

Is it really necessary to list Sarafina in 'key characters', if the character only gets one line, and then vanishes for the rest of the movie? PlatformerMastah 02:10, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, Sarafina doesn't technically vanish, as she's seen when Scar is informing the lionesses of Simba and Mufasa's death, and when Simba returns to Pride Rock to fight Scar. But I'll agree with you on the fact that she isn't a key character. Blue Phoenix 10:42, 29 April 2006 (UTC)

Nomination

I was considering nominating this article to be a featured article (again), as I think it is pretty decent as far as a movie article goes. What do you think? PlatformerMastah 05:39, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

it is the best

it the best movie and i hope to have lion king 2 ,3,4,5,6

Shopping and Fucking?

• Mark Ravenhill's controversial play Shopping and Fucking refers to The Lion King, albeit not by name, in one scene in which the characters are discussing mythology.

To be honest, I'm not offended by this bit of trivia, but is it really so important as to warrant inclusion? My guess is that a lot of different things have referred to the Lion King, surely we can't (or don't want to) get them all in the article? El Pollo Diablo (Talk) 09:10, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

I agree. I could come up with a list of TLK references as long as your arm but very few warrant mention. If we included every obscure little thing the Trivia section would be an article in itself. Blue Phoenix 21:40, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

Spoiler in "About the film"

I reworded a sentance that contains spoilers.

The original text was: (Bambi's mother was shot off-screen, and was not seen afterwards; whereas Mufasa's body appears in a scene in The Lion King.)

Here is my version: Bambi's mother was shot off-screen, and was not seen afterwards; whereas Mufasa's body appears in a scene in The Lion King.

Bye --Starionwolf 06:14, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

transcript

Anyone know of a transcript for the film? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bole2 (talk • contribs) .

• Please post your name, and yes, here is one. [1] PlatformerMastah 21:53, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

Kopa

Kopa was the cub of Simba and Nala at the end of The Lion King. --Mrsanitazier 02:58, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

• Hi! Welcome to Wikipedia. Your edits are welcomed, but they are conflicting with the edits and opinions of other editors. If you have any evidence to support your claim, please post it. Most editors agree that he is not in the movie series. In the meantime, please stop adding Kopa to this article unitl the other editors give their opinions. I have reverted your edits for now. Thank you for understanding and have a nice day. --Starionwolf 00:21, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

Chaka is the newborn cub of Simba and Nala in the end of film as stated in the script of the film —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Lionkingfan123 (talk • contribs) .

Proof? Canon says it's Kiara. It wasn't Kiara before Simba's Pride was made, evidently, but I still haven't heard anything about Chaka. Kopa? Yes. "Fluffy", a joke name given to the cub at the end of TLK? Yes. Chaka? No. Blue Phoenix 00:21, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

• In an attempt to organize this discussion about Kopa and Chaka, please direct further comments to Kopa's talk page for the continuing discussion about Kopa and Chaka. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Cheers. --Starionwolf 00:57, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

Films containing giant ghosts

• Since it's not just The Land Before Time or The Lion King that has giant ghosts, could you name other fillms that have giant ghosts? The "Ghost Host" episode of SpongeBob SquarePants referenced these two films and has a giant ghost who speaks to Squidward Tentacles; Mrs. Tentacles. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.73.14.84 (talk • contribs) .
• Name them now! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.73.14.84 (talk • contribs) .

Removed deleted images

Just a note to say that I have removed some images from the page beacuse they were speediable under either:

Category:Images with no fair use rationale

Category:Images with no copyright tag

Category:Images with no source

Or similar category. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 15:24, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Kopa II

Can we call the cub Kopa in the plot synopsis section. Simbafan34 11:47, 4 July,2006 (UTC)

Original poster vs other poster

I do not think the original poster displays the characters and other details well enough and there is no requirement forcing the original poster. --Cat out 08:37, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

The other Disney films are all using their original theatrical poster, as it reflects the period of the film's release which is more proper. It's seems weird putting that other poster and not every poster in the infobox has to display all the characters and details. Chris1219 05:30, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

Trivia about Kopa

The Lion King: Six New Adventures is a canon So that means that Kopa is definitely the cub at the end of the film. Mrsanitazier 23:41 7 July, 2006 (UTC)

Kopa III

I think it is neccasary that Kopa should be listed in the Characters section even though he makes a breif apperance. Mrsanitazier 13:10 8 July, 2006 (UTC)

(This section was updated three times).

Kopa IV

the person who animated Kopa was Judy Katschke Mrsanitazier 15:10 8 July, 2006 (UTC)