Old Article: "How long was the log?"

[KopaLeo]

[quote]From mccauley@databahn.net Wed Mar 27 23:44:54 1996
Newsgroups: alt.fan.lion-king
Subject: How long was the log?
From: mccauley@databahn.net (Joe McCauley)
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 05:44:54 GMT

From the strange brain of Mwalimu...

How long was the log we saw Simba, Pumbaa and Timon walking on in the log
crossing scene? I would estimate they were walking about 3-4 yards every 5
seconds, or about 36-48 yards per minute. Using a figure of 40 yards per
minute, it works out to 57600 yards, or about 32.7 miles per day. Estimates
on the length of Simba's exile vary from 2 to over 5 years, but for the sake
of argument, let's say it was 3 years, or 1095 days. That would make the log
about 35800 miles long, and the tree it came from would reach about 1/7 of
the way to the moon (if the tree were located on the equator, you could climb
it to perform maintenance on satellites in geosynchronous orbits).

"But Mwalimu, wouldn't they have to eat and sleep?"

Oops, I forgot about that. Okay, so figure they only spent half their time
walking and the other half eating, sleeping, and whatever else. That makes
the log 17900 miles long (with apologies to the geosync bird engineers).

"That's still pretty long. The weight of that thing, and the forces that the
trunk would have to withstand would be immense. Not to mention the orbital
dynamic forces on an object that tall which would tear it apart."

Good point! That means the wood of this tree would have to be one of the
strongest materials known to lion. It would also explain why the log didn't
break under its own weight. Such a material would be one of the greatest
discoveries in the history of lionkind - if you can figure out a way to cut it.

"But don't you think they might have crossed the same log more than once?"

Ummm... errr... well, yeah, I guess that's possible. Oh well, back to the
drawing board.
--
Joe McCauley <mccauley@databahn.net>
"Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend
Inside a dog, it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx[/quote]


Wow, it's been a long time since I've been here... I don't expect anyone to remember me... Three years were spent obsessing over ponies.

So, 4 years ago, I found this place http://snowlands.ru/en/library/humor/
and I asked the admin for the English original, and that's the attachment to the reply.

[TheLionPrince]

I believe the log was just a metaphor for the passage of time hence Simba maturing from cub to adult. Since the log is in front of a waterfall and leads out over a pool (where Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa can dive into), it shouldn't be no longer than 50 meters. And now that you mention it, the log would be unable to support Simba's weight, but the movie requires a heavy amount of suspension of disbelief given other parts of the story are fantasized (like Scar collaborating with hyenas when the two are natural enemies in reality) among other things.

[Elton John]

I agree that it's a metaphorical passage of time.

I think the more puzzling thing is that, when young simba starts singing and there's a spotlight under him.....but then I remember that it's just a movie and there's room for liberties taken.

Like how would Timon and Pumbaa know the lyrics to "the lion sleeps tonight" by the tokens....because it's a movie.

Dressing in drag and doing the hula? It's a movie

Referencing the movie "out of africa", it's a small world after all? Referncing previous jeremy irons movies?

breaking the fourth wall during hakuna matata?

It's basically the artists and scriptwriters having a bit of cheeky fun. Nothing wrong with that at all! The movie wouldn't be nearly as fun without that stuff.

[Sigurd]

Well they don't walk on that log all the time, they do other stuff in between but that would kind of pointless to show.

[KiarasBiggestFan]

The Lion King 1 1\2 seems to answer this