Apparently the real reason "It's too expensive" really meant Disney (and other animation companies) didn't want to pay the unionized 2D animators their fair share as movies have been getting longer and more involved, so they switched to the newer non-unionized 3D animators. Which is why we really need to support 2D films when they do come out.

Fun fact about the "dress in drags and do the hula" bit. He said that as a joke and then made up the song. The crew was laughing so hard that they immediately decided it had to be in the movie.

I think simba saying "You dont deserve to live." Might be one of the most hardcore things a main character from disney has ever said.

'Nants ingonyama bagithi baba' at the start basically means 'Look, dad, there's a lion'. The next line translates to 'Yep, son, that's a lion all right'. And yeah, this might be the finest adaptation of Hamlet ever made.

The "He'd make a very handsome throw rug" quip Zazu makes about Scar was later used to put Scar in Hercules as a prop when Hercules poses to be painted on a vase and Phil uses 'm to wipe paint of his face

If I remember correctly, Scar's original death was him throwing Simba off of Pride Rock, and thinking that he's killed him from the fall, starts maniacally laughing to himself. Because he had gone insane by then, Scar keeps laughing as the flames surround him and he burns to death. He actually ironically saved Simba when he threw him off Pride Rock, because Simba was out of the flames' range

Fun fact: Scar’s VA Jeremy Irons blew out his voice box during Be Prepared yelling “you won’t get a sniff without me!” So they had to get the legendary Jim Cummings to step in for the rest of the song. It’s actually not noticeable at first, but then one remembers that Jim voices Tigger (and Pooh and many more characters), so it sounds like an evil Tigger singing for the later half of the song

Scar is arguably the best villain in Disney history by far. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for it with brains and that is his most dangerous weapon. He kills his own brother, puts the blame of his death on his only nephew and nearly destroys the Pride Lands and its inhabitants under his rule as king. He’s such a slime ball, but I still love his character and villainy. Plus, his song, Be Prepared is awesome!

34:39 remember when Mufasa talked about the circle of life about how the when the lions die they become the grass and the antelope eat the grass stalk. Thing is Mufasa was acknowledging the fact that animals do eat each other like the lions eating their prey but the whole thing with the circle of life and showing respect and restraint was meant to keep the ballots of what’s eating in a while so that they would always have something to eat as well as also the balance with the other animals. And scar disrespected that balance by pretty much having the hyenas eat everything and now they’re in a famine because a lot of the other animals at this moment have runoff from the pride land

In regards to why Simba never questions about just happening to be In the valley when the wildebeast were stampeding: Simba's little roar echoed through the valley, and he thought _that_ caused the stampede. He thinks the only reason they went through that valley in the first place was because of him roaring and scaring them.

Fun fact: there's a whole deleted scene with a reprise of Be Prepared that changes the lyrics as Scar is singing to Nala about the fact she should be prepared to marry him as he wants to have a Queen and cubs, she rejected him of course and he baned her from the Pride Lands and that's why she's so far from it when she meets Timon and Pumba.

Fun fact: The Lion King was added to the National Film Registry in 2016 for preservation. It is currently the most recent production from Walt Disney Animation Studios to be selected.

Mufasa's death still reducing people to tears even now. Such an amazing film.

Fun fact: Disney actually brought in an entire choirs straight from Africa to do the choir singing in pretty much all the songs! It's such a lovely touch! :D

The Mufasa/Simba scene after the stampede is so well made, that even dogs get sad and worried when they saw it.

Fun facts: 1) Jeremy Irons strained his vocal chords during Be Prepared and couldn’t finish the song, so they got Jim Cummings (Ed) to do it. 2) Nathan Lane (Timon) apparently ad libbed the dress in drag line during recording, and they loved it so much they kept the line and animated the dance.

This, Tarzan, and Aladdin were the first disney movies I've ever watched with the Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and Toy Story being my first pixar movies.

21:19 interesting that y’all say scar might be a coward because when I was a kid and I watch this movie every day I noticed the scenes were the army of hyenas with showup scar would always be at a distance from the army of hyenas and I always assume that scar was afraid of the hyenas especially in the climax of what happens to them at the hands of the hyenas

You guys should watch the sequel too its much better than than disney sequels usually are

This movie is SO special to me! I was able to experience it on the big screen in the year it was released, 1994, and I was blown away by it, from the visuals, incredible animation, cast of characters, and memorable music, songs and score. The biggest thing that came out of my experience with The Lion King was that it was the one animated feature film to ignite the spark inside of me to pursue the path of becoming an animator and I thank this film and the lord above for inspiring and granting me that artistic part of my life. 10/10 movie, my #1 favorite!

I think what pissed most people about the Live Action is exactly that, because it sounds more like an excuse: "they are realistic lions, lions don't smile or show human emotions". But a few years before Lion King Live Action we got Narnia and Aslan was a live action lion with a heck lot of emotions and Majesty! And so we're the rest of creatures in that movie...so...yep

It may be a long shot. but The Prince of Egypt is another great film from this time period

4:59 So I was born in ‘96, so I didn’t see the ORIGINAL Lion King until I was about 10 years old. However in ‘03, they released the Special Edition on DVD. In the special edition, the pouncing scene is a musical number called “Morning Report”, with a new actor playing Simba’s singing voice.

The Stampede, and particularly the regicide, still haunt me to this day. Especially now that I’m older and have more perspective on it. Scar *could* have just let Mufasa drop, and kept his hands completely clean. But he *wanted* to see his brother broken first. Just like the infamous Caster Scene in Fate/Stay, Scar gave Mufasa a*faint* glimmer of hope, in order to max out his despair. And oh boy was Mufasa despairing. Not just for himself, but because he *knew* that Scar would go after Simba next. A parent who can’t save their child: that’s Ultimate Despair. 16:35 If you read TV Tropes, this is the image they chose for “Oh Crap!” Nothing will ever top it.

I like to point out one of the reasons why Scar also didn't kill Simba himself is because cats rely heavily on their sense of smell. It's believe if the other lionesses found Simba's body they would have tried to rebel against him if they smelled Scar on him. At least by the hyenas, more than likely there wouldn't be any part left of him and he could tell the lionesses that "Simba ran off in grief and the hyenas went after them."

Ah yes, the child's introduction to Hamlet. I love it! Also having to ignore how a lion pride works to enjoy the romance lol, and tbh ef the "live action" Narnia had emotion in their lion so it was definitely possible, and I've literally seen a picture of a lion smiling soooo

You guys definitely gotta watch Lion King 1 1/2 and Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride. Some of the best animated sequels Disney ever made to their masterpieces.

It legit amazes me to see that, somehow, people have forgotten that this is one of the greatest artistic masterpieces in the history of our species. Yes. It still holds up. In 1000 years it will still. Hold. Up.

This movie and Pocahontas were produced at the same time. The "A team" at Disney worked on the latter, because they believed that was going to be their BIG movie of the year. That led to the artists working on The Lion King to have much more creative freedom, since the studio didn't really care that much about it. In conclusion, this is what happens when you trust your creative team.

Definitely also watch Lion King 1 1/2. It is funny how they retell the movie from completely different perspective.

I love Lion King 2, it had amazing soundtrack too! I had the VHS tape of both and literally played the shit out of both films until they actually broke. Also cant forget Lion King 1/2. I hope yall react to Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, and Oliver and Company! The music is phenomenal!

What can I really say about this movie? It truly is a great and timeless film. I've watched it many times and it never ever gets old. Definitely something that anyone of any generation can enjoy.

Be prepared. Top 3 best villain songs

Disney's Renaissance Era was and I think will always be peak storytelling. The only movies that currently hold up to Renaissance movies are Tangled and Moana. Lion King movie was a huge part of my childhood. No matter how many times I see it when Simba is crying for help after finding Mufasa I always tear up. The death itself doesn't get to me anymore but to hear a little kid crying for help and laying next to his dad's corpse just is too heartbreaking. The live action of this is crap. The only part that holds a candle to it is the shot for shot recreation of Circle of Life. Everything else like the lion animations are stiff and feel worn out. Even though they got James Earl Jones back to play Mufasa, even he sounds tired. There's just some things that animation can do that live action just can't replicate and the "Long Live the King" moment just feels bland because the CGI lions can't emote or have exaggerated expressions that instill awe and fear and disgust. The Lion King 2 is actually a pretty good sequel and has some deep themes that even adults can get enjoyment out of. I'd recommend watching it. The Lion King 1 1/2 though isn't that interesting in my opinion.

I remember seeing this movie in the cinema with a friend and it truly blew me away. It's my favourite Disney movie and got me into drawing and soundtrack/score music. It's very dear to me.

My finger is going to be hovering over the right side of my screen the minute i see a wildebeast and not stopping till i see a meerkat or a boar.

I would love to see you all react to Hunchback of Notre Dame. I think the music is absolutely epic and if you have seen it but not for a long time, there will definitely be some surprises in there for you

Fun fact Jeremy irons lost his voice mid way in be prepared song and the talented jim Cummings took over

Such a classic. "Hakuna Matata" truly is a wonderful phrase.

(At 38:40) Ed: I'm stupid, but I'm not THAT stupid.

Lion King fun facts: - "The Lion King" is the #1 best selling VHS tape of all time. - The opening chant of "The Circle of Life" is Zulu, not Swahili, and translates to "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." - The animation team went on regular research trips to Africa. They were so impressed by Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya that they decided to base the entire movie on its landscape. The only location in the movie not based on Hell's Gate is Pride Rock, designed by the one animator that didn't go on that trip. - When he auditioned for the part of adult Simba, Matthew Broderick didn't realize it was an original movie and thought it was going to be a remake of the famous 1960s anime "Kimba the White Lion". - Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella originally auditioned for the part of the hyenas. Casting thought they were hilarious but not quite right for the part, but were perfect for Timon and Pumbaa. - Banzai and Shenzi were originally planned to be voiced by famous comedy duo Cheech & Chong. While they did get Cheech Marin to voice Banzai, they were unable to get in touch with Tommy Chong, so they cast Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi instead. - The part of "Be Prepared" with the marching hyenas was directly inspired by actual footage of a [German political party from 1932 to 1945 that begins with "N" and rhymes with "Yahtzee"] rally. (Edit: I needed to censor this word or else KZfaq wouldn't allow this comment to post _at all.)_ - Real spotted hyenas are actually very effective and intelligent predators, and are the only animals able to compete with lions for food and territory (and vice versa). In fact, it's more common for _lions_ to scavenge or steal kills from _hyenas._ - The wildebeest stampede lasts about two and a half minutes, but it took over 3 years to animate. The animation team had to write a brand-new CGI animation program that could both handle such a large amount of objects and make sure they looked right against the hand-drawn backgrounds. It worked so well that most people didn't realize the wildebeest were CG-animated; an audience member at the movie premier had been an animator on "101 Dalmatians", and reportedly commented "I feel sorry for whoever had to draw all those wildebeest." - Nathan Lane improvised the "dress in drag and do the hula" line and following song. - Pumbaa's "Mr. Pig" line was a reference to the 1967 crime drama "In the Heat of the Night". ("They call me _Mister_ Tibbs.") - Disney had sent most of their best animators to work on Pocahontas, because they believed that it would be the bigger success. They were incorrect. - "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" was originally removed from the final cut of the movie, and was only reinserted because Elton John insisted that they keep it in. - Pumbaa was the first Disney character to fart.

37:54 Hyena's got a bad rep from this movie as scroungy scavengers. Though they're also really adversaries in nature, lions actually steal more from hyena's than they do to them, and the biteforce of hyena's one of the strongest in nature.

Yeah, as it turns out, pissing off a warthog is an incredibly stupid mistake you usually only make once.

I heard on social media that Disney has plans to produce more 2D animated films in the future. I know, it kinda sounds too good to be true, but I know they can do it. Their latest Disney short, “Once Upon a Studio (an amazing short and worth the watch too btw)” is proof that they still have what it takes to make more 2D films.

Scar: "Long Live the KING!"

This movie is a classic

I can’t believe you guys didn’t remember Be Prepared, it’s the best Disney song ever and Jeremy Irons kills as Scar. I’d love to see a behind the scenes of him singing be prepared because you know he gave it his all

I was born in 2002 but I was raised like it was the 90s. I was so obsessed with this movie when I was a kid that my dad had to hide the DVD from me lol. When you guys mentioned the SNES game I immediately had fashbacks of that damn ostrich and how I never managed to do that double jump. The death and game over music are forever stored in my brain. I sometimes got to the stampede but not much after that. I only know about the rest of the game bc I watched my dad beat it one day. Anyway it's been a while since I watched this, and it's the first time I'm watching in english too. Goated movie

Lion King 2 and Lion King 1/2 are both a lot of fun, and definitely among the better quality Disney sequels.

The Lion King is incredible. The voice actors were great, funniest moments, important lessons and awesome songs. Long live the king 🤴🤴🤴🦁🦁🦁😢😢😢🤣🤣🤣

The second movie was actually surprisingly interesting, y'all should watch it too

To this Day the "Stampede" Scene is the Best execuded Scene in all the animated Movies. To me. The Music, the Wilderbeast´s running over the Edge, that Close up on Simba with the Look of Realisation and Fear. *Chef´s Kiss*

Mufusa played by James Earl Jones from Coming to America, Star Wars, CNN and the voice some people call God in voice overs.

(At 1:04) This movie has a lot of pride. Did you know when they made this movie in the studios in 1994, they actually brought REAL exotic animals from Africa in the recording studios?

So fun fact, a good deal of character names in this movie are Swahli (i think thats how its spelled) in origin. The ones i remember off the top of my head are Simba (lion), Mufasa (king), and Scar's real name, Taka, (dirt).

Also the stampede scene took 3 years to animate 3 freaking years!!!

(At 26:20) most of his hair is mixed with those petals. I didn't notice this until now.

27:50 when Timon said why do I always have to save your and got cut off I believe Timon was about to say a cuss word

James Earl Jones is a LEGEND

Nala the freaking goat. Soon as the jig was up and scar confessed and that one hyena that was sneaking ran up, she was immediately running and in the fight before simbas mom (but she wasn't far behind) mind you.

Hans Zimmer just absolutely nailing the score. I know he has made arguably better film scores since then, but this movie will always remain my favorite of his works.

Lion King 2 is so underrated. I love it, and the soundtrack ❤

This is my favorite movie! It's the first movie I ever saw in theaters (i was only 2) and I fell in love immediately. It has been my favorite movie ever since. And every time I question should I an adult have The Lion King as their favorite movie, I rewatch it and fall in love all over again. The animation, the voice acting, the music. It's perfection.

(At 39:55) Scar: _I believe I can fly~_ Oh, SHIT!

18:41 Simba was willing to die with his father when he laid beside him and Scar appearing like that almost like the devil rising out of the shadows

How does one not remember Be Prepared?

Better brotherly rivalry, Scar and Mufasa or Loki and Thor?

40:25 originally Scar was going to be laughing in the flames but the thought it would be too traumatizing so they cut it out.

Lion king one of the best movie ever

I’m glad you guys decided to watch this! This day I don’t think I’ve seen Ruff cry , and I damn near cried myself. Since you guys did this, you have to see the sequel and the “midquel “ starring Timon and pumbaa. Suggest another hilarious movie actors call “birdcage“ starring Robin Williams, who played the genie, and Nathan Lane.Lane who played Timon.

Me: *sees they reacted to The Lion King* Also me: Oh dear God, we're about to see some tears of laughter and depression

Grew up watching it and love it also find it really cool that Jeremy Irons accidentally hurt his vocals cords when singing be prepared at the part where he says you won't get a sniff without me and the voice actor who played the Hyena named Ed actually finished the end of that song as scar which I find cool

No way... Not even two days ago I hoped you someday watch the lion King 2. Maybe there is a chance now.

(At 16:49) At this point I was confused, what DID startled the wildebeest to run? Simba's roar echoing or the hyenas chasing them?

Fun fact: Disney contacted the voice actor for Scar in the Egyptian dialect and gave him an award because he is the best voice actor for Scar, even better than the original performer, and as an Egyptian I admit this. ♥️🇪🇬

Haven’t seen this movie in over twenty years! Glad you guys are enjoying it again too after so long. And I noticed, I’m looking at young Simba mad at the hyenas, and he looks just like my cat when he knows it’s bath time. Idk. The original seemed to invoke realism just fine already. And it will probably hold up for way longer.

I love your reactions guys. Yes that scene when simba waking mufasa makes me cry. 😢keep up the good work

I love this movie so much. The characters, the songs, the plot. It’s so amazing and I hope that they continue to make more lion king movies and films in the future because its so good🦁👑❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

20:05 that's like saying "I didn't killed him, the bullet did" if he pushed him from the cliff, then he killed him by his own hand. 34:35 by having 2 of the most succesfull hunters team up instead of competing with each other, killing all the game or driving it away. Thus breaking the food chain completelly.

I feel Scar doesnt count as an incel. He's not running after any attention from the girls. He just wants power. I feel if ever Gaston would be the original Disney incel. Also I cried when I first saw the Mufasa death scene. This is a very magnificent movie even after all this time.

I'm excited to see their reaction to Simba's Pride and 1 1/2

(At 0:27) King Cold: Frieza what did you do?! Frieza: Daddy, not now!

22:25 Timon is a meerkat and Pumbaa is a warthog. Also if it wasn’t for Timon and Pumbaa intervening Simba possibly would’ve either died being eaten by the vultures or he would’ve eventually woke up and committed suicide out of his depression.

the most delightful thing bout Zazu, its that it was voiced by Mr Bean

What's interesting is that Scar not killing Mufasa and Simba himself and getting the hyenas and wildebeest to do it makes sense in that he wouldn't want the other lions to smell their blood on him.

"I mean, he shot him with the gun 13 times, but he didn't ACTUALLY kill him, he just pulled the trigger! Technically the bullets killed him."

I have been wondering for a long time who is Nala's father? It's a mystery to me. How can Simba survive off of bugs? Can the Pridelands really turn into a wasteland like that? In the song "I want to be King" there were a few none native animals like the monkeys and anteaters. The beginning song had leaf cutter ants that also not native. I checked on some of this.

This is so weird, I was just watching older reactions of this movie like two days ago 😂

Scar is voiced by Jeremy Irons from Dungeons and Dragons and Alfred in the DCEU. Scar’s behavior is similar to Jafar from Aladdin. Imagine if he was Thanos

Some fun facts about this movie (and some general animal facts): This was made by Disney’s B-movie team. They relegated the A-team to Pocahontas, as they thought it would be more successful. Scar is the only character whose claws are always unsheathed, hinting at his treachery. I’m sorry, but Lion King lied to you. Lions scavenge just like hyenas do, and often steal their kills, as well. In addition, hyenas are actually much more successful hunters. So they are not slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers. A hyena researcher actually sued Disney for defamation of character, over their characterizations of the hyenas. Probably not a winning battle, but the movie *did* mess with society’s view of hyenas. Dark manes in lions are caused by a higher level of testosterone, so really, Scar shouldn’t be on the shallow end of the gene pool when it comes to brute strength, considering that jet black mane of his. According to the book A Tale Of Two Brothers, Scar’s birth name is Taka, which roughly translates from Swahili as “waste” (but can also mean “to want” if used as a verb. A reference to his desire for power, perhaps.). He tried to make a fool of Mufasa as a cub by trying to bait a cape buffalo into attacking him, but it charged Scar instead. Its horns gave him his signature scar. He owned the name to remind himself of his mistake. This backstory also explains his resentment for his brother, who was always so favored. None of it’s canon, of course, but it is interesting nonetheless (and the new Mufasa movie coming out *did* use the name Taka for Scar.). Zazu’s comment about making Scar into a rug gets a cameo in Hercules. There’s a scene where you can see a lion skin rug, that looks strikingly like a certain fratricidal lion. Jeremy Irons lost his voice from yelling “you won’t get a sniff without me” during Be Prepared. So the last third of the song is done by Jim Cummings (who also voiced Ed). The stampede scene took over two years to create. Actual lions and hornbills were brought in by a wildlife expert to study their behavior, and make them more realistic in the movie, hence the headbutt when Simba and Nala reunite. That’s a way lions greet each other. When adult Simba lies down and blows dust into the air, there’s a common belief that the dust cloud spells out “sex”. The animators have said it *actually* says “SFX” in a nod to the art department. Can You Feel The Love Tonight went through 15 iterations. The version that plays in the credits, covered by Elton John, is the first version. Originally, Scar was going to have a whole song where he tries to court Nala, and make her his queen. Reeeeal gross. Staff at Disney World commonly refer to the It’s A Small World ride as “the asylum”, because the music will drive you insane. Scar telling Zazu to sing anything but that, is a nod to how annoying it gets.

6:41 One time my mom told me to stay in her sight while she was walking around the track and this kid showed up and asked me to ride around this area with him that was kind of nearby the track and we rode around this area which took me out of my mom site and after a while we came to the end of the area and both my mom and his mom were waiting for us with their arms folded and very angry. I imagine he was in just as much trouble as I was

A good point is made about Scar... almost. Him not doing any killing himself isn't a show of cowardice, to me; it's a show of arrogance. It's not that he's too afraid to get his hands dirty (we see later in the movie that he'll kill Simba personally if he has to), it's that he believes himself above it. His view of being King is the antithesis of everything that Mufasa shows and tells it to be. Where Mufasa shows that being King means he has _the most_ responsibility, Scar's vision of being King is having _none of_ the responsibility. There's an irony here in that, at the time, it was believed the female members of a pride were responsible for hunting, while the Pride Male (Mufasa) was responsible for protecting the lands they hunted in. Other males would hunt solo, but only occasionally. Scar, as a male who isn't the Pride Male, has... no responsibilities whatsoever, essentially. He already has his vision of being King. ... He just doesn't have the title of "King," and that bothers him to no end because he's so full of himself that he believes he should have that title. He sees it as his birthright. He would have had that title, in time, without Simba being born. He didn't skip the ceremony because he's mad at Mufasa, he skipped the ceremony because he's mad at Simba. Scar blaming Simba for Mufasa's death is more than just Scar being an S-tier manipulator and gaslighter, it's his way of saying, "you made me do this."

This movie is a month older than me (July 1994), it feels like an honor to be the same age as the best Disney Renaissance movie.

34:30 The monkeys uncle joke came full circle first scar said that he would be a monkeys uncle and now Timon asked if the monkey was Simba‘s uncle

Nala changed her mind pretty fast about wanting to eat Pumba. Sure he's a friend of her childhood friend, but has she had anything to eat since she arrived?

"I thought I knew Hercules until we watched Hercules" God help you guys if you watch Hunchback XD

I was born early 2005 and my late grandmother collected basically every Disney movie out at the time for me on VHS. This was one of my absolute favourites!

Fun fact, not one of the Lion roars were recordings of lions, it was Frank Welker who did all of the roars as they wanted specific sounds for specific scenes

Simba: 🎶Oh I just can't wait to be Ki- Bardock: No, none of THAT!...Shame on YOU! (Flys away)

Fun Fact: This was actually worked on by Disney's "B-team" and wasn't believed to be as big a hit as it was. Their "A-team" and major budgets, meanwhile, were working on what they thought was gonna be the real big money maker: Pocahontas. Edit: Another Fun Fact: The excuse of 2-D animation being "too expensive" is mostly a lie. (At least for big companies like Disney.) The truth is that, at the time that 2-D animation was fading out, 2-D animators and the industry had unionized; while 3-D animation had been fairly new, hadn't yet unionized or had as many amenities, and was easier to extort (even though technically, it cost more). They kinda did the same thing to VFX artists, especially for Marvel movies.