Some thoughts about The Lion King

It seems like The Lion King has always been there for me.

Even though it really wasn't there until I was eight.

I saw The Lion King for the first time on July 7, 1994.

This movie made such an impact on me. When I first saw the preview, I went home and tried to animate the scene where Mufasa jumps up and saves the falling Simba from being trampled by wildebeests. I drew Lion King pictures endlessly. I will put one here. Be warned:

I drew them for everybody. Friends. Family. Teachers. The Principal.

Not only did it enhance my drawing skills, it also budded my interest in writing, with me writing (really bad) fan-fictions with the characters that should never (ever) see the light of day again. I will not even post an excerpt they are so badly written. You would want to rip your eyes out. Even I don't read them (because I like my eyes).

Lion King always makes me think of my friends. It is our childhood; I would go watch Lion King at my best friend's house and then we'd play the SEGA game afterward. (This still makes us laugh because, since we were always watching it there, it's a funny thing when he told me that his mom never knew Mufasa died until she saw the Broadway show last year.)

(Oops. Spoiler alert.)

I took my friends for my 18th birthday on January 12, 2003. It was in IMAX then, and there was only one other group in the huge theatre. It was for a little five year old boy for his birthday. So when they sang happy birthday to him, my friends sang happy birthday to me.

Then, last year on August 14th, my best friend took me to see the Broadway version. It was utterly fantastic.

Today, me and three of my best pals went to see it in 3D.

My friend sums it up with these words: "By far the best movie of our childhood."

And, if you know us, we are still eight years old.