"The Lion King is the best movie ever made on the face of this planet." - Anna Callari
Yup, that pretty much sums up my friend, Anna. She was inspired to make her only list of "Things You Only Notice After Watching The Lion King Too Many Times" after she read a different one that, in her opinion, wasn't up to snuff. This girl loves The Lion King, and if she can do better, who was I to stop her? Here are the things she noticed. How many have you picked up on before?
1. Sarabi's ears
Sarabi is distinct among the lionesses because she has dark rims on her ears.
2. Simba's ears
Simba also has dark ear rims as a cub, but not as a baby in the very beginning or as an adult.
3. Sketchy pictures
If you look closely sometimes you can see the sketch lines, especially in Mufasa and Simba’s manes.
4. A Hercules cameo
Zazu’s comment that Scar would “Make a very handsome throw rug” is referenced with a cameo in Disney’s Hercules.
5. Where are the whiskers?
None of the lionesses have whiskers, but all the male lions do.
6. The "whites" of the lions' eyes
The whites of Simba’s, Mufasa’s, and Sarabi’s eyes are yellow, except in scenes with darker lighting such as the one where adult Simba talks to Rafiki in the jungle.
7. Puns for days
Zazu’s morning report has a plethora of puns:
“The buzz from the bees is that the leopards are in a bit of a spot.”
“The baboons are going ape over it.”
“The giraffes are acting like they’re above it all.”
“I told the elephants to forget it, but they can’t.”
“Cheetahs never prosper.”
8. Who's older?
Scar complains of having a bad back and generally acts old and crotchety, but he’s actually younger than Mufasa, as he refers to Mufasa as his “big brother.”
9. What are the animals saying?
In “Just Can’t Wait to Be King” you can tell that the animals are whispering “Get Zazu” to each other.
10. What color are Nala's eyes?
Nala’s eyes slightly change color throughout the movie. They’re more teal when she’s young and more blue when she’s older.
11. Banzai's Butt
The scratches on Banzai’s butt disappear after one frame.
12. Scar's hunting skills
If Scar actually caught the prey he gave to the hyenas just before “Be Prepared,” it means he had to teach himself how to hunt in order to survive without a pride, since usually the lionesses are the ones who hunt.
13. Casual Hitler reference
The hyenas marching in “Be Prepared,” as well as Scar’s promises to the hyenas are supposed to resemble Hitler and the Nazis.
14. The late Wildebeest
The wildebeest that runs past Simba at the end of the stampede is the same one that falls earlier in the scene, when Mufasa is trying to rescue Simba.
15. The Lion King
The movie as a whole is visually stunning, and easily one of Disney’s greatest masterpieces.
Kinda makes you want to go watch the movie again, huh?
