7 Fun Facts about Disney's "the Lion King" You Didn't Know ...

1. Pumbaa

Okay, so my roommate knows how much I love both Disney and fun facts. So the credit for this fact about The Lion King goes to her for pointing it out to me. Pumbaa is the only Disney character in any Disney movie to fart. Sure it’s not the greatest precedent to leave, but when you come to think about it, it’s true. His stomach conditions cause him to have a problem with gas.

2. Hamlet and Osirian

It’s pretty well-known that The Lion King and Hamlet share key plot points - namely, a man who kills his brother in order to gain power. But less known is that Egyptian Osirian mythology also contributed to the storyline. The story likewise includes a murder for power. The murdered king guides his son by a ghostly appearance with revenge as his motivator.

3. Hyenas

The hyenas don’t get a good rap in the story. Spotted hyenas are rather intelligent creatures, like lions. They have social structures that focus on groups rather than self-interest. And in reality, lions find hyena kills rather than the other way around as the movie suggests. It’s interesting that the Disney animators changed the animal type so much.

4. Scar

Scar is the first Disney villain to be biologically-related to the protagonist. If the Disney team kept Ursula as Triton’s sister per the original plot for The Little Mermaid, then this wouldn’t be so. A few Disney villains are related by marriage but not biologically. I find this fact fascinating!

5. Nala

There are only three Disney heroines to have known the protagonist in their childhood and after a period of absence, be reunited. The two others can be found in Bambi and Robin Hood. And what do these heroines have in common? They’re all animals! Nala may not be one of the official Disney Princesses, considering she is a Queen, but this is a cool fact to have instead.

6. Mufasa and Aladdin

What do these characters share? A nearly identical scene! Although Mufasa climbs up the cliff, he is thrown off by Scar. Aladdin, meanwhile, tries to get out of the Cave of Wonders and after climbing up, is thrown down by Jafar. The difference is that Aladdin doesn’t die and Mufasa does. Disney crossed a line with Mufasa’s death in my opinion. It is one of the saddest parts of my childhood, leaving me heartbroken.

7. The Baboon

In early drafts, Rafiki wasn’t the baboon we now know him as. He was a cheetah! The Disney team wasn’t sure if Scar would be related to Simba, let alone be a lion. He was originally a baboon. Talk about a twist of fate there. Another fun fact is that Rafiki is the only one who uses his name in the film. He is either referred to by the ‘baboon’ or ‘monkey.’

These are a few fun facts about “The Lion King” that I’ve learned and wanted to share. What other facts do you know? Which one of these interested you?