The Lion King Movie Facts
31 of the most interesting The Lion King facts you didn't know about. Handpicked and verified, these little-known details can be obscure enough most people will miss. These behind the scene easter eggs and hidden messages will give you another view of The Lion King movie message.
The lions retract/extend their claws as needed (even in subtle moments) . . . but Scar's claws are always out.

The Lion King Movie Trivia Facts
These trivia from Reddit and other sources can be used as questions with answers in quizzes or games.
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You can see the number 45 written between Simba's back and tail. It appears at 9:16, right as Mufasa says the word 'you' in the line "...and it will rise with you, as the new king". It lasts for only one frame.
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Pumbaa gets angry when he's called "pig" and screams "They call me MISTER PIG!" This is a reference to Sidney Poiter's line in "In the Heat of the Night" where he had just been insulted by a southern cop.
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The characters Timon and Pumbaa were only put in the movie because Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella auditioned so well together. They were originally auditioned for the hyenas, but were so funny that Timon and Pumbaa was created for them
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Before attacking the hyenas in the cave, Pumba shouts "They call me, Mr. Pig!" This is a reference to the 1967 "In the Heat of the Night" quote, "They call me Mr. Tibbs."
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When Simba is in front of the elephants' skull in the elephant graveyard he borrows a line from Bob Hope in Road to Bali (1952) "I laugh at danger (ha ha ha)"
The Lion King Easter Eggs
Hidden objects, characters, easter eggs, and their meanings are wonderful ways to discover the filmmaker's perspectives of any given movie.
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(2019) omits lyrics from Circle of Life including the line "some have to live with the scars."
The Lion King Hidden Facts






At the end of "I Just Can't Wait to be King," Zazu says to the rhinoceros sitting on him: "I beg your pardon, madam, but get off!" He knew it was a female rhino because of what he was looking at while he was stuck under her.
Timon tells Pumbaa the stars are fireflies and not burning balls of gas. This mirrors a line from Hamlet, which the movie is based on: "Doubt thou the stars are fire." (Act 2, Scene 2)
Simba's claws are extended when he climbs a branch in 'I Just Can't Wait to Be King' - The Lion King (1994)
Zazu rhetorically asks Scar "Didnt Your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" Later on, directly after Mufasa's death, Scar passes up his chance to kill Simba by essentially "playing with his food." In the end, this leads to his demise.


There a quick shot of a Wildabeast skull being washed away as Simba ascends Pride Rock

Rafiki, played by John Kani, makes the same noise as the border tribe of Wakanda. Kani played T'Chaka in Black Panther.
Mufasa tells Sarabi, "before sunrise, he's your son" because he's king of everything the light touches.


When Silva descends to the Lionesses after Scar's defeat, you can see Zazu speak but no sound comes out from him. If you look closely, you can see he's saying "Your Majesty"
Vs 1994 vs 2019)
- Donald Glover, Seth Rogen - animation

Cast and Details
Here are the full cast and crew of The Lion King. The goofs, crazy credits, and trivia they have performed may have not taken your attention. Some are hidden for a reason, while others randomly forgotten.