Jon Favreau’s The Lion King is beginning its predicted mammoth run at the box office today. And in more ways than one – but trust me, not all of them are good – the presence of the 1994 animated classic can be felt in every scene. That’s probably because this latest film is, in truth, little more than a digitally upgraded imitation.
But I digress. As the roar for the surefire blockbuster grows stronger, conversations have picked up about the original Oscar-winner. Regularly regarded as one of the greatest animated films ever made, Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff’s The Lion King also contains one of Disney’s most debated urban legends.
It comes up about two-thirds of the way through the film, when Simba (now grown and using the voice of the great Matthew Broderick), Timon and Pumbaa are laying on their backs and looking up towards the stars. Simba then removes himself from the conversation, walks over to the edge of a cliff and flops down on his belly. In doing so, he kicks up a cloud of dust which swirls all around the sky. Fans have argued for years that the specks spelled out the word “SEX,” and it was such a popular argument that it led to complaints from the American Life League.
Naturally, the House of Mouse declined these claims. But now, according to Screen Rant, the dust did form letters – it just wasn’t supposed to spell out those letters. Apparently, in a Pixar-like move, it was supposed to say “SFX” and act as an Easter egg from the film’s special effects department.
So, now that this has been put to rest, you can officially dismiss one adult-oriented myth from the banks of your childhood. But that dust isn’t the only thing called into question in 1994’s The Lion King. And honestly, that poster does look a little risqué.
