A former Disney animator shared recently that his son was used as a model for young Simba in an iconic scene from Disney’s The Lion King (1994).
Young Simba Model
Former Disney animator Broose Johnson shared on Instagram recently how his infant son, Wyatt, was used as a model for the “Circle of Life” sequence in The Lion King in which Rafiki lifts baby Simba high above Pride Rock for the other animals to see.
According to Johnson, fellow animator Russ Edmonds, longtime friend and work carpool companion, was assigned to animate the scene, but wasn’t sure how an actual baby would respond to being held up like that.
So, one morning before work, Edmonds asked Johnson and his wife if they could hold up their few-months-old son and let him observe Wyatt’s reaction. Johnson said yes and held up his son at arm’s lengths for just a few moments while Edmonds studied Wyatt’s facial expressions. Johnson admitted that he might have made a few monkey sounds as well to be in character.
Edmonds thanked Johnson and then the pair left for work. Based on Edmonds’ completed animation of the scene, Wyatt was a bit bewildered but not too concerned about what was happening.
Months later, after the film was complete and being shown in theaters, Johnson and his wife found a onesie in the store with baby Simba on it and “thought it would be fun to get a shot of Russ holding Wyatt up, wearing the onesie, like Rafiki and Simba.”
“However, it had been over a year, and Wyatt was a lot bigger,” Johnson noted. “He was walking, and he was heavier. Russ lifted him up as best as he could, but immediately started grunting, ‘Take the picture! Take the picture!’ So we took the picture.”
You can watch the full video below:
In other Lion King news, the North American touring production of Disney’s The Lion King is coming to Los Angeles, California, for a one-night show. For this showing, D23 Members are offered a special discount rate and access to an exclusive post-show talk featuring cast members.
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