The Lion King Collection

Welcome to the Disney Hits podcast. Come join us in this special episode as we take a journey back to the Pride Lands and revisit our episodes from the Lion King all in one place. Hi, it's Leia D'Aleon Hades, your guide for the Disney Hits podcast. It's a hot day at Disney Hits HQ, but not as hot as where we're going. The watering hole from the Lion King. Where I've got some awesome stories about the Disney hit, Akuna Matata. There's no time to waste. Join us. Akuna Matata. What a wonderful phrase. Akuna Matata ain't no as in craze. It means no worries for the rest of your days. It's our problem-free philosophy. Akuna Matata. To moan, Pumba and the other animals on the savannah love to hang out at the watering hole. In every day, you can smell Pumba coming from a long ways away. He found his aroma like a certain appeal. He could clear the savannah after every meal. I'm a Santa the Soul. No, I sing next game. And it hurt that my friends never stood down. Actors Nathan Lane and Ernie Sibela are friends in real life. One of the reasons they play off each other so well as Tumon and Pumba. One early Monday morning when the actors were a little tired. Sibela started making fart noises to make Lane laugh. He laughed so hard he started crying. And that's how Pumba's gas problem made it into the movie. And all the shame he was at shame. On a change in my name. Oh, what's in the name? And I got down on a carnage of steel. And we come alive. Pumba, not in front of the kids. Oh, sorry. Lane and Sibela each originally auditioned for the Lion King to be one of the hyenas. Because Tumon and Pumba were in the early versions of the movie. Of course, without them, there would be no Hakuna Matata. The Disney hit was so popular that Hakuna Matata became a life philosophy for many of us, including me. And a great shower song. Would you like to hear me sing it? No, okay, well maybe later since we need to get back to Disney HQ. Hakuna Matata. Hakuna Matata. Hakuna Matata. Hakuna Matata is a great reminder to put away our worries and live life more like Tumon and Pumba. Listen to Hakuna Matata on the Disney hit playlist wherever you stream music. Hi everyone. It's Leia Delion Hayes. And it's with great pride. I bring you another episode of the Disney hits podcast. If you're wondering why I say pride, it's because we're off to the Pride Lands of Africa, where the Lion King takes place. Let's go. A bush in a bull looking down, a bush in all my blood. Welcome to the Pride Lands. Home of Mufasa, the King of the Jungle. That's his son, Simba. He's a young lion cub who dreams of the day who become the Lion King. He imagines all the things he's going to do and all the fun he's going to have doing them. Sasu is a bit different than Simba. He's an African Hornbill and assistant to Mufasa. Sasu tries to keep Simba in line, but he doesn't want any part of it. If this is where the monarchy is, had it count me out? Out of service, out of Africa, I wouldn't hang about. Learist and Disney legend, Sir Tim Rice, wrote the lyrics to fellow Disney legend, Sir Elton John's music for the movie. He told New York Magazine that when coming up with the song, he thought about children playing games. Since the song was going to be sung by a lion cub, Rice thought it had to be innocent and light-hearted. Jason Weaver sings the part of Young Simba. In an interview with Flat TV, he said he got the role after Elton John heard him on the set of a movie where he played a young Michael Jackson. Two days later, Jason was in the studio singing the part of Young Simba. That's what I like to call a voice fit for a king. Simba, Nala, and Sasu are the only characters who sing this song. It also features a chorus of giraffes, zebras, hippos, and countless other creatures. The animators brought in real animals to study to make sure they could accurately bring the African savanna to life. The Lion King didn't have to wait long to become the king of the Hollywood jungle. Within a few years of its 1994 release, it became the highest-grossing, hand-drawn animated movie ever, earning almost $1 billion. As much as I love the warm weather here at Pride Rock, it's time for us to get back to Disney hits HQ. I think we should all aspire to be like Simba, even if we can't become a king or queen. Listen to the Disney hit I just can't wait to be king and all your favorite Disney songs on the Disney hits playlist wherever you stream music. Hi, I'm Leia Delionne Hayes, your guide for the Disney hits podcast. Love is in the air at Disney HQ, which is perfect because we're headed to the jungle from the Lion King to get the inside scoop behind the Disney hit. Can you feel the love tonight? Here we go! I can see what's happening. What? And they don't have a clue. Oh, they'll fall in love and here's the bottom line. Our trios down to two. Originally, Timon and Pumba sing the entire song. According to CinemaBlend.com, Ernie Sibela, who plays Pumba, said a change was made after Elton John said to the filmmakers, "I don't want a big stinky warthog singing my love song." The sweet carousel of Twilight. There's magic everywhere, and with all this romantic atmosphere, disasters in the air. Simba is destined to become king of the Pride Lands. At first, he is just a young cub who loves to play with his best friend, Nala. After a horrible accident, Simba runs away from home thinking it was his fault. Nala searches for Simba and is so happy to finally find him. She helps he will return to their home and be the king everyone wants him to be. He's holding back, he's hiding. But what I can't decide, why won't he be the king I know is the king I see inside? And you feel the love tonight in the least big pain waiting for the world and the world. In perfect harmony with all this great pain, I'm in love with all your pain. Can you feel the love tonight was the first song composers Tim Rice and Elton John wrote for the Lion King. Rice believed that once you have a strong emotional song, the rest are easier to write. Although the song was the first to be written, it was still reworked time and time again. According to the production notes, Rice wrote 15 sets of lyrics for the song over several years. Oh, you'll need to look too far. Still in the blue, the night sun searches. Love is where they are. Can you feel the love tonight was almost cut from the Lion King because it did not fit the film's father in Sunpei. Buzzfeed.com says after Elton John saw the almost final version of the movie, he felt the love ballad needed to be in. And he was right. In 1995, the song went on to win an Academy Award. And if he falls in love tonight, it can be assumed. His every days with us all his dream, inshort our battle is due. I loved sharing the inside scoop about the Disney hit, Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King. Listen to Can You Feel The Love Tonight and all your favorite Disney songs on the Disney Hits playlist, wherever you stream music. Hey everyone, it's Leah Delionnez and that's no ordinary band waiting for us outside Disney Hits HQ. It's a safari band. We'll need it to trek deep into the African savannah on this episode of the Disney Hits podcast. All the animals are coming together for the birth of the King's new son and the Disney hit Circle of Life from The Lion King. Hold on tight, we're headed to Pride Rock. Down in front, tell that giraffe she's blocking my view. I can't wait to get my first look at Simba. That Zulu chant is the very first sound we hear when the Lion King begins. The lyrics translate to a grand announcement of the arrival of a lion, which is exactly what's going on in the movie. Composer and Disney legend Hans Zimmer tapped the South African musician, Lebo M, to supply the vocals. He and the American singer, Carmen Twilly, combine their voices to create movie and music history in one of the most famous opening numbers of all time. I remember hearing Circle of Life the first time I watched the trailer for The Lion King, and I'm definitely not the only one. When The Lion King roared into theaters in the summer of 1994, it had the biggest opening for an animated movie at the time. Sometimes all it takes is a really great song to bring in a really big crowd. Oh, elephant coming through. Better watch my chose. Did you know songwriters and Disney legends, Sir Elton John, and Sir Tim Rice wrote Circle of Life faster than Achita sprinting across the Savannah in the new illustrated treasury of Disney songs Rice says he gave John the lyrics at two in the afternoon and by 330 they finish writing and recording the demo. We better head back to Disney hits HQ before all this music triggers a will to be stamped. Quick, jump back in the van! Whew, that was wild. Thanks for joining me for the Disney hit Circle of Life from The Lion King. Listen to Circle of Life and all your favorite Disney songs on the Disney hits playlist wherever you stream music. Watch The Lion King on Disney Plus. If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review.