a b King, Susan (September 15, 2011). "A 'Lion's' tale". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2011 . Retrieved October 24, 2011. Kehr, Dave (December 27, 2002). "The Lion Evolves". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014 . Retrieved April 5, 2014. By this point, Woolverton had left the production to work on the Broadway adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. [9] To replace her, Allers and Minkoff met with numerous screenwriters, including Billy Bob Thornton and Joss Whedon, to discuss writing the new screenplay. [35] During the summer of 1992, Irene Mecchi was hired as the new screenwriter, and months later, she was joined by Jonathan Roberts. Mecchi and Roberts took charge of the revision process, fixing unresolved emotional issues in the script and adding comedic situations for Pumbaa, Timon, and the hyenas. [38] [9] Lyricist Tim Rice worked closely with the screenwriting team, flying to California at least once a month, as his songs for the film needed to work in the narrative continuity. Rice's lyrics—which were reworked up to the production's end—were pinned to the storyboards during development. [39] Rewrites were frequent, with animator Andreas Deja saying that completed scenes would be delivered, only for the response to be that parts needed to be reanimated because of dialogue changes. [40] Casting Movie Awards Winners". MTV. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008 . Retrieved August 30, 2021. Likewise, it's hard to imagine anyone but Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella's voices coming out of the mouths of Timon and Pumbaa, respectively. This scene-stealing pair of social outcasts are a reliable comic relief duo, providing lots of irreverent glee and cheeky mischief to the animated family film — notably after its darkest moment. Their boisterous chemistry and rambunctious free spirits are richly indebted to these charismatic and charming voice performers, and it wouldn't be the same movie without them playing these memorable personalities. Which is why it's surprising to know that initially, Disney didn't have them in mind for these characters. In particular, Nathan Lane was sought for a number of side characters before he became Timon.

An earthquake in 1994 forced the Disney Studios to close down temporarily and much of the film was finished in the artists’ homes. "In the early phases, when the basic decisions were being made, Roger and I worked together a great deal,” Minkoff said. “As the movie went into production, we began to concentrate on our own sequences. Then, when the movie began to come together as a whole, we found ourselves operating in tandem again.” 18. Some characters were written out of the movie. The Lion King (1994)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016 . Retrieved May 31, 2016. Hollinger, Elizabeth (2004). Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories Official Strategy Guide. BradyGames Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7440-0473-1. Top Grossing G Rated at Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. August 18, 2019. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019 . Retrieved September 1, 2019.The film’s first director, George Scribner (who also directed Oliver and Company), wanted the movie to be a sort of animated National Geographic feature and left the film when the decision was made to turn it into a musical. 15. Disney's most important animators chose to work on Pocahontas instead.

Koenig, David (1997). "The Lion King". Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks. Irvine, California: Bonaventure Press. pp.227–232. ISBN 978-0-96406-051-7.

TOP OPENING WEEKENDS BY MONTH SEPTEMBER". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014 . Retrieved April 5, 2014.

Webster, Dan (January 1, 1995). "In Year of Disappointments, Some Movies Still Delivered". The Spokesman-Review (Spokaneed.). p.2. The wide release followed on June 24, 1994, in 2,550 screens. The digital surround sound of the film led many of those theaters to implement Dolby Laboratories' newest sound systems. [77] Localization Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys". Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys. Standard & Poor's Corporation. 164 (2): 29. 1996. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020 . Retrieved June 23, 2019– via Google Books. The top-selling video of 1995 was Disney's The Lion King, which sold more than 30 million copies in North America after its release in March of that year. Toward the end of 1995, another 23 million copies of the animated musical were shipped for sale in international markets.Gooding‐Williams, Robert (1995). "Disney in Africa and the inner city: On race and space in The Lion King". Social Identities. 1 (2): 373–379. doi: 10.1080/13504630.1995.9959442.