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A True Story About "The Lion King."
a year ago
The opinions expressed on this page are my own and do not reflect those of Fur Affinity or of any other.
"Si quid per iocum dixi, nolito in serium convertere."
("If I have said anything in jest, do not turn it into a serious thing.") -Plautus
"Si quid per iocum dixi, nolito in serium convertere."
("If I have said anything in jest, do not turn it into a serious thing.") -Plautus
It goes without saying that The Lion King has helped shape this Fandom. It has not only been the number one driving influance on the vast majority of artists here (including myself), especially when it comes to how we draw lions and hyenas. Not to mention making 'yeens very popular.
But this is not about the movie's impact on popular culture, or how it help shape our sub-culture, but a personal story:
1994 was quite a defining year for me, it was the year that I graduated from High School, and "discovered" the existance of "Furrydom." (Actually, it was in late '93, but I had been drawing "funny animals" exclusively for the past 4 years.) As a Graduation Gift, my family was going to go to Disneyland (which I last visited 11 years earlier), and before that, San Diego (my first, and most likely only time).
A few months before Graduation Day, came the trailers for the new Disney movie "The Lion King," with music by the great Sir Elton John, and after seeing his music video for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," I was completely blown away! And after buying the soundtrack (which I brought with me and played almost constantly on the trip), I was absolutely convinced that this was going to be a (to quote "Joe Brandon") "A Big F***-ing Deal!" I was determined to see it before we got to Anaheim.
So the trip finally came, we arrived in San Diego, went to Sea World, the SD Zoo, but before we left for the long car drive to LA, I ADAMANTLY INSISTED to my dad that "We are not setting foot into Disneyland until we see The Lion King!!!" Because I knew, and told him, that Disneyland was going to go big promoting this movie, and it's going to be a major event there! And so, on the night before we left SD, we saw it, and it goes without saying, I/we were not disapointed.
And so we got to LA, and stayed with my Aunt, Uncle (who sadly is no longer with us), and cousin who lived in nearby Arcadia, got to Disneyland, and just as I predicted, there was quite a celebration for their new blockbuster with TLK making up a big part of the Main Street Parade.
I was RIGHT! And my dad [grudgingly] admitted that I made the right call.
I also rode Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (for what would be the last time ever), the Roger Rabbit ride was packed solid at all hours so I missed it, and I have a story about [the late] Splash Mountain, which is another story altogether.
And that's my Lion King Story.
Photo here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/57282276/
Tribute picture here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/57028272/
But this is not about the movie's impact on popular culture, or how it help shape our sub-culture, but a personal story:
1994 was quite a defining year for me, it was the year that I graduated from High School, and "discovered" the existance of "Furrydom." (Actually, it was in late '93, but I had been drawing "funny animals" exclusively for the past 4 years.) As a Graduation Gift, my family was going to go to Disneyland (which I last visited 11 years earlier), and before that, San Diego (my first, and most likely only time).
A few months before Graduation Day, came the trailers for the new Disney movie "The Lion King," with music by the great Sir Elton John, and after seeing his music video for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," I was completely blown away! And after buying the soundtrack (which I brought with me and played almost constantly on the trip), I was absolutely convinced that this was going to be a (to quote "Joe Brandon") "A Big F***-ing Deal!" I was determined to see it before we got to Anaheim.
So the trip finally came, we arrived in San Diego, went to Sea World, the SD Zoo, but before we left for the long car drive to LA, I ADAMANTLY INSISTED to my dad that "We are not setting foot into Disneyland until we see The Lion King!!!" Because I knew, and told him, that Disneyland was going to go big promoting this movie, and it's going to be a major event there! And so, on the night before we left SD, we saw it, and it goes without saying, I/we were not disapointed.
And so we got to LA, and stayed with my Aunt, Uncle (who sadly is no longer with us), and cousin who lived in nearby Arcadia, got to Disneyland, and just as I predicted, there was quite a celebration for their new blockbuster with TLK making up a big part of the Main Street Parade.
I was RIGHT! And my dad [grudgingly] admitted that I made the right call.
I also rode Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (for what would be the last time ever), the Roger Rabbit ride was packed solid at all hours so I missed it, and I have a story about [the late] Splash Mountain, which is another story altogether.
And that's my Lion King Story.
Photo here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/57282276/
Tribute picture here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/57028272/
Sadly I didn't get the chance to see TLK until years later when it came out on video and saw it at a friend's place. Still, it was well worth the wait!
I was six when it hit theaters, so I wasn't really there for "the splash", I'd seen it a few times, but it only really "awakened" me in my senior year of high school, and it was Hans Zimmer's music that triggered it for me, the background score just hit me in a way that I'd never been hit before, opened my eyes to the power of music to articulate emotions that I didn't know how to articulate with words; so it simultaneously got me on a track of wanting to do music with my life, and also led me step by step into the fandom
(I've since learned what an exploitive monster Zimmer is, but that's a story for a later chapter in the book, and I'm still happy to cherish this earlier chapter ^_^ )
The next year, 1994, fortunatelly this time the movie came to our theaters with little difference compared to it´s release date in USA, i remember going to see it at the same local theater i went to see Aladdin the previous year, this time with someone who was a great friend of mine back then, it was an unforgetable experience, today only ruins remains of that theater because it caught fire at the end of the 90s ( most probably the owner lit it intentionally to claim the insurance, something that make sense because the movie theater business were starting to decline at the beginning of the 2000s ) and that person who was my friend took a different direction-way in his life and i lost contact with, and never seen him again..... yet it was great while it lasted and this movie is a nice reminder of many good things i did and lived during that year
and now I am humbled by this journal entry