Weaver went on to co-star within the sitcom “Good Man,” sing on Chingy’s 2004 hit “One Name Away” and steadily work in movie and TV. Nevertheless it wasn’t till the previous couple of years, Weaver stated, that he started to obtain extra recognition for his “Lion King” function.
Disney can also be conserving the fanfare across the movie alive: In Could, the studio filmed an anniversary live performance, that includes Weaver and a number of the different authentic voice actors, that can stream on Disney+. It has additionally introduced a July theatrical rerelease of the unique movie, and a brand new live-action prequel, “Mufasa: The Lion King,” will premiere in December.
Weaver’s eyes sparkled behind thick-rimmed glasses as he spoke from Chicago, the place he’s presently capturing the Showtime drama “The Chi.” As an grownup, Weaver stated, he has a brand new appreciation for his half within the Disney basic.
These are edited excerpts from our dialog.
How did singing for younger Simba come about?
I used to be filming “The Jacksons” mini-series, and all through the manufacturing, there would all the time be huge artists that stopped by the set as a result of they have been mates of the Jacksons or have been simply curious. On this specific day, I used to be singing “Who’s Lovin’ You,” and Elton John [who co-wrote “The Lion King” songs with Tim Rice] stopped by. He noticed me performing reside and approached my mother. They needed the Simba singing voice to have a younger Michael Jackson vibe, and I used to be capable of get an audition the day after we wrapped “The Jacksons.”
What was the recording course of like?
It was merely presupposed to be an audition. I used to be simply getting into to see if they’d even think about me for the function. However [directors] Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers have been there, and the producer Don Hahn. After I got here into the Burbank recording studio, they’d storyboards with primary paintings sketched in pencil displaying what Simba regarded like. And so they stated, “While you go into the sales space, we’re going to have cameras set as much as seize your actions as a result of if we like what you’re doing, we might put it into the character’s animation.”
When the music got here on, I simply felt so comfy. There was vitality within the room, and it felt good. I sang “I Simply Can’t Wait to Be King” like two instances, and Roger stated, “Properly, you bought the job.” I needed to end all the recording that day as a result of I used to be scheduled to return again to Chicago on a purple eye. So, I additionally sang a part of “Hakuna Matata,” after which I did one other tune that by no means made the movie referred to as “Warthog Rhapsody.”
