The Lion King franchise is such a huge hit for Disney that it has struck gold for the studio twice. Now, the live-action version is even receiving a prequel, Mufasa. But one element the new movie wont have is music by Elton John, who once had a hot take on his Oscar-winning song from the film. And I think it ultimately paid off.
There’s a famous story regarding the time Elton John first heard how his song, “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?”, was going to be used in The Lion King. Apparently, he took issue with it and complained that Disney was using it all wrong, leading to the studio going back and trying again. The master musician now says the anecdote isn’t quite right, because originally Disney wasn’t going to use the song at all.
Speaking with Variety, the 77-year-old musician explained that at one point during production, he was shown a version of The Lion King by then-Disney Studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg. He was surprised that one of his songs “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” wasn’t in the film and, while it didn’t particularly bother him, he suggested that they find a place for it, as all the best Disney animated movies have great love songs. John explained…
The whole Disney team came down to Atlanta and showed me a rough cut of the film, nearly finished, and there was no ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’. [So I asked], ‘Jeffrey [Katzenberg] where’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”?’ And he said, ‘Well, we just couldn’t find a place for it,’ and I said, ‘It’s a love song. Every Disney animation film has a great love song. You really ought to reconsider this.’ I was quite astonished that it wasn’t there, not hurt, just greatly surprised. and to his credit, they went back and found a place for it, and it won the Oscar.
At this point, it’s difficult to imagine The Lion King without the love ballad. The producers of the film previously admitted that it was difficult finding the right place for the song, leading to it being handled in a comedic way, being sung entirely by Timon and Pumbaa. Pumbaa voice actor Ernie Abella previously told CinemaBlend it was Elton John who killed the idea.
In the end, Timon and Pumbaa would sing the intro and outro, but a more traditional long song took over in between. The tune would go on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. While Sir Elton John is happy to have taken home the trophy, he says a different Lion King song should have won the Oscar, and it’s a biggie:
Because it’s the song of The Lion King. It starts The Lion King and you hear The Circle of Life, and you think of The Lion King. To me, that’s the song that makes The Lion King, but I’m not going to complain.
If “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” had remained a comedy number, there’s a strong possibility “The Circle of Life” would have won the Oscar. Considering that three songs from The Lion King were nominated, the odds were the movie was winning one way or another. There’s no argument that Elton John knew what he was doing.
You can stream The Lion King and its sequel, spinoffs and remake using a Disney+ subscription. Also, be sure to check out Mufasa: The Lion King when it opens in theaters on December 20 amid the 2024 movie schedule.