Disney's The Lion King is an incredible animated film, and without a doubt, one of the best movies the company released in that era. There are a lot of memorable moments that stick with me to this day, but unfortunately, I now have one tied to the theme song I'd rather forget.
If you're a fan of the opening sequence in which a song sung in Zulu opens up the movie, I'm warning you, a viral video about the lyrics has forever changed how I'll hear it. According to this video from Yahmigz, the following is the English translation of what is being said:
Look! There is a lion! Oh my God!
I will note there are alternative translations out there that change it to "Here comes a lion, father. Oh yes, it's a lion," but either way, I'm absolutely crying with laughter. For years, this epic moment felt like it was building something spiritual in the opening, and I viewed it with such reverence. Now I'm cursed with the knowledge that it's someone shouting at full volume that they see a lion.
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Disney hired 600 animators and brought in real lions for them to draw, and these are the lyrics they went with for the opening sequence? In fairness, maybe the writers hadn't considered how globalized the world would get with the internet, and banked on a bulk of the world never encountering someone who spoke Zulu and would share this fact with the masses. It took me decades to find out, and I kind of wish I never had.
I guess while we're at it, I should point out that the movie never used actual lion roars either, but instead people growling into trash cans. Or, what about the fact that "The Circle Of Life" ends with its big drum shot because Hans Zimmer had no other ideas on how to end the already long song? Many choices were made with this movie, and honestly, it's wild that so many of them happened to be the right ones!
People in the '90s were so captivated by the trailer alone for The Lion King that they turned out to see what became one of Disney's most-beloved movies. I know I've been eager to see a ride based on the movie in the United States for a while, and will now have to live vicariously through Disneyland Paris as it constructs one. Hopefully, they add the opening chant of the movie to it, because even with this cursed knowledge, I'm not sure I could envision the movie without it.
Stream The Lion King, its live-action adaptation, and Mufasa: The Lion King over on Disney+ right now. Even with the questionable lyrics, the original is still a phenomenal movie, to the point that just writing about this has me wanting to watch it.
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