History WhatCouldHaveBeen / TheLionKing

* Timon and Pumbaa were nearly voiced by Creator/RikMayall and Creator/AdrianEdmondson. This was suggested by Music/TimRice, who wrote Hakuna Matata after watching ''Series/{{Bottom}}''. The characters would have also been a lot more jerkish towards each other (basically Richie and Eddie as a meerkat and a warthog). However, Katzenberg thought this characterization was too unlikeable.

* The [=DVDs=] as well as Website/YouTube have a couple of scrapped songs:

* Director [[WordOfGod Rob Minkoff]] revealed through a [[WebVideo/HonestTrailers Honest Reactions]] [[https://youtu.be/WYKgStQxixs?t=15m41s video]], that the "Lion Sleeps Tonight" sequence and song were supposed to be done and performed through Timon and Pumbaa's perspective. Elton John actually ended up overruling it because he felt the song should be serious.

* Concept art shows Simba with rosettes like an actual lion cub, unlike his simplified finalized design. A cub with rosettes wouldn't canonically appear until twenty years later in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard''.

* Kiara was originally named Shani. She had a twin brother named Chaka who was scrapped. Kovu's original name was Nunka. Vitani's original name was Shetani.

** In one script Simba was taken in not by Timon and Pumbaa, but by a group of (realistic looking) meerkat called the Komboli Rangers. Timon and his mate Tesma were a part of this group. Simba would have parted with them on his own. In a later script, Tesma was retooled as Simba and Nala's (mostly Nala's) childhood friend while Timon was Simba's childhood friend.
** One of Simba's childhood friends was a female bat-eared fox named Bhati. Timon's original mate Tesma was retooled into a childhood friend of Nala and Simba's.

* Timon and Pumbaa were at one point supposed to be friends of Simba from the very start. Bhati and Tesma were Nala's childhood friends while Timon and Pumbaa (then called "Harold") were Simba's.

* The Lion in the Moon was the [[AnimalReligion God]] of the lions that was ultimately scrapped between ''King of the Jungle'' and ''The Lion King''. He created lions and possibly all of the animals. Sarabi had a CutSong where she sang a lullaby to Simba about him after he had his encounter with the hyenas. The comics make reference to a different god, the Great Spirit.

* Kiara was originally named Shani. She had a twin brother named Chaka who was scrapped. Kovu's original name was Nunka. Vitani's original name was Shetani.

* Kiara was originally named Shani. She had a twin brother named Chaka who was scrapped.

** There was a scrapped rock python who would have acted as Scar's [[TheDragon Dragon]] and would have been voiced by Creator/TimCurry.

* Director [[WordOfGod Rob Minkoff]] revealed through a [[WebVideo/HonestTrailers Honest Reactions]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYKgStQxixs video]], that the "Lion Sleeps Tonight" sequence and song were supposed to be done and performed through Timon and Pumbaa's perspective. Elton John actually ended up overruling it because he felt the song should be serious.

* We were actually going to see Zira [[DrivenToSuicide commit suicide]] by deliberately refusing help from Kiara after accidentally being knocked over a ledge and jumping into the river below so she can drown! Some of the animation of the original death scene was still used; if you watch as Zira falls, you can see the manic grin on her face right as she falls.

* Kovu was originally Scar's biological cub with Zira instead of his adopted successor. This was changed when they realized this made him and Kiara KissingCousins.

* Timon and Pumbaa were nearly voiced by Creator/RikMayall and Adrian Edmondson. This was suggested by Music/TimRice, who wrote Hakuna Matata after watching ''Series/{{Bottom}}''. The characters would have also been a lot more jerkish towards each other (basically Richie and Eddie as a meerkat and a warthog). However, Katzenberg thought this characterization was too unlikeable.

* Tommy Chong was originally going to be the voice for Shenzi, turning the hyenas into a three man band, however he and Cheech Marin had had a falling out. Shenzi's sex was changed because hyenas are matriarchal.

* Tommy Chong was originally going to be the voice for Shenzi, turning the hyenas into a three man band, however he and Cheech Marin had had a falling out. Shenzi's sex was changed because hyenas are matriarchal. It really does make one wonder how the hyenas would have acted in an all man band.

* Originally, the movie was actually going to end with [[spoiler: Simba being the one thrown off the cliff during the final battle against Scar, who then starts laughing maniacally as the fire gradually burns him to death. Fortunately, it then turns out that Simba actually survived the fall]].

* The Lion in the Moon was the [[AnimalReligion God]] of the lions that was ultimately scrapped between ''King of the Jungle'' and ''The Lion King''. He created lions and possibly all of the animals. Sarabi had a CutSong where she sung a lullaby to Simba about him after he had his encounter with the hyenas. The comics make reference to a different god, the Great Spirit.

** Mufasa was to an upbeat song early in the film called "To Be King"
** Sarabi had a lullaby called "The Lion In The Moon". She sung it to Simba after he came home from the elephant graveyard afraid.

* Director [[WordOfGod Rob Minkoff]] revealed through a [[WebVideo/HonestTrailers Honest Reactions]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYKgStQxixs video]], that the "Lion Sleeps Tonight" sequence and song was supposed to be done and performed through Timon and Pumbaa's perspective. Elton Jon actually ended up overruling it because he felt the song should be serious.

* Director [[WordOfGod Rob Minkoff]] revealed through a [[WebVideo/HonestTrailers Honest Reactions]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYKgStQxixs video]], that the Lion Sleeps Tonight sequence and song was supposed to be done and performed through Timon and Pumbaa's perspective. Elton Jon actually ended up overruling it because he felt the song should be serious.

* We were actually going to see Zira commit suicide by deliberately refusing help from Kiara after accidentally being knocked over a ledge and jumping into the river below so she can drown! Some of the animation of the original death scene was still used; if you watch as Zira falls, you can see the manic grin on her face right as she falls.

%%!!''Disney/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf''

* The re-release DVD as well as Website/YouTube have a couple of scrapped songs:

** If you want to hear a bit of an earlier version of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", find the "work in progress" trailer for the film. It was included in the beginning of the early '90s release of ''Disney/TheFoxAndTheHound''. Originally, the song was going to be about how Timon and Pumbaa felt about Simba and Nala's blossoming relationship. The final version of the song only touches on this very briefly at the beginning and end.

* Disney has [[https://disneysecondscreen.go.com/TheLionKing/thelionking_app.html an official app]] about the movies development.

** Simba's mother Sarabi had three sisters: Naanda, Diku, and Dwala. They were all scrapped. Some semi-canon comics an magazines have shown that Sarabi has sisters, but they are never named.

* In one incarnation of the ''King of the Jungle'' script, Simba had a zebra friend named Lemuta. Lemuta and Simba were playing with an aardvark friend of theirs when Lemuta spots the Ndona pride hunting his herd. Simba's mother Sarabi tries to kill Lemuta's mother, but she manages to escape. Lemuta freaks out at the realization that he's Simba's food and runs away. They don't meet again until they're adults. When Simba tries to talk to his old friend, Lemuta tries to chase him off. Simba is confused about Lemuta's behavior but his father Mufasa tells him that Lemuta is building his own harem now and that he can't be Simba's friend anymore. The Lion in the Moon made them so natural enemies so that lions could eat and zebras wouldn't overpopulate.

* The Lion In The Moon was the [[AnimalReligion God]] of the lions that was ultimately scrapped between ''King of the Jungle'' and ''The Lion King''. He created lions and possibly all of the animals. He was described as an old, all-white lion. Sarabi had a CutSong where she sung a lullaby to Simba about him after he had his encounter with the hyenas. The comics make reference to a different god.

* Creator/VirginiaMcKenna, Creator/HelenMirren and Creator/VanessaRedgrave were considered for Sarabi.

Mufasa's stint as Rafiki's SpiritAdvisor was originally planned to be much more obvious, with the former Lion King's ghost actively speaking to the shaman. Wisely realizing this might come across as unintentionally hilarious, or at least a breaking of the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief, the directors decided to instead have all interactions between Rafiki and Mufasa symbolized by the blowing of the wind. This fact is later emphasized when the wind blows around Simba, just before he listens to Kiara and accepts the Outlanders back, and explains why he looks so happy and on the verge of tears at the end, even before he hears Mufasa say [[SoProudOfYou "Well done, my son."]]

** One of Simba's earliest friends was a female bat-eared fox named Bhati. He also had a meerkat friend named Tesma, but unlike Timon he was realistic looking.

* Timon and Pumbaa were at one point supposed to be friends of Simba from the very start.

** Simba's mother Sarabi had several sisters. They were all scrapped.

* We were actually going to see Zira commit suicide by deliberately refusing help from Kiara after accidentally being knocked over a ledge and jumping into the river below so she can drown! Some of the animation of the original death scene was still used; if you watch as Zira falls, you can see the manic grin on her face right as she falls.

* The story was originally known as "King of the Jungle" and the plot was far DarkerAndEdgier. It had a [[http://lionking.wikia.com/wiki/King_of_the_Jungle few variations]], one involving a war between prides.

** One of Simba's earliest friends was a female bat-eared fox named Bhati.

* Tommy Chong was originally going to be the voice for Shenzi, turning the hyenas into a three man band, however he and Cheech Marin had had a falling out. Shenzi's sex was changed because hyenas are matriarchal. It really does make one wonder how the hyenas would have acted in an all man band.

* Very early concept art shows a white cub who was probably Simba. This is commonly thought to mean that ''The Lion King'' was a ripoff or unofficial remake of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', however at this point in development none of the ''Kimba'' similarities existed.
* In early scripts the Pridelanders were called the Ndona pride. Scar was a rogue. It was decided to make him Mufasa's brother as it made the film emotionally investing.

** Nala's father was once a character but was scrapped. An earlier idea involved having Mufasa being her father like in real lion prides, however this made her relationship with Simba a weird combination of KissingCousins and BrotherSisterIncest.

* Nala's name was originally "Nadra".
* Tommy Chong was originally going to be the voice for Shenzi, turning the hyenas into a three man band, however he and Cheech Marin had had a falling out. It really does make one wonder how the hyenas would have acted in an all man band.

* The re-release DVD as well as Website/YouTube have a couple of scrapped songs, including an upbeat number for Mufasa to sing early in the film and a reprise of "Be Prepared" to be sung after Scar tells the pride of Mufasa's death.
* If you want to hear a bit of an earlier version of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", find the "work in progress" trailer for the film. It was included in the beginning of the early '90s release of ''Disney/TheFoxAndTheHound''. Originally, the song was going to be about how Timon and Pumbaa felt about Simba and Nala's blossoming relationship. The final version of the song only touches on this very briefly at the beginning and end.

* In early scripts the Pridelanders were called the Ndona pride. Scar was a rogue.
* The Lion In The Moon was the [[AnimalReligion God]] of the lions that was ultimately scrapped between ''King of the Jungle'' and ''The Lion King''. He created lions and possibly all of the animals. He was described as an old, all-white lion. The comics make reference to a different god.

* Concept art shows Simba with rosettes like an actual lion cub, unlike his simplified finalized design. A cub with rosettes wouldn't canonically appear until twenty years later in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard''.