Ages?

[Jiirani]

Well, i do know that they studied real live lions, but that doesn't truly mean they went into every minor detail. I suppose it makes more sense for Simba to be in the jungle for at least 4 years, but considering it doesn't mention how long he was in the jungle throughout the actual film, it doesn't really matter, because people would presume he was in the jungle for the natural length of time it takes for lions to grow, even if he really wasn't. And I'm sure when they found out that it was actually only 2 years, they would see it as one of Disneys usual flaws - Not looking into something as much as they claim to have done. At least they didn't shove any lions off a cliff like they did in that old lemming documentary of theirs.

[SuperBabySimba]

Well, that's true. Good thing they left the subtitle off. Did they say why they didn't include the subtitle? It's been a while since I last listened to the commentary track?

[Jiirani]

I have no clue

[atouchofgrace]

Meh, I don't really know much about lions. For some reason, I never really thought about his age in lion years. I don't know, I just think think about 10 year old Simba (on Broadway, Simba and Nala are supposed to be 10 years old - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7_IFOmd1c0 - and since the original crew was involved, I think they were 10 years old kids in the movie) and 18/19/20 year old Simba (the 1993 script draft describes "adult" Simba as an adolescent - http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Lion-King,-The.pdf - so, in my opinion, Simba is a late teen/young adult).

On the Laserdisc (I can't remember if it's on the DVD), they say their main concerns with adult Simba's design was to make him look young, to make him look like cub Simba and to show the audience he could be Mufasa's son, not as muscular, tall and filled out but still big for his age.

[Chumvikingpride]

in a nutshell, he attempted to a replica of less powerful mufasa

[Jiirani]

[quote="Chumvikingpride"]in a nutshell, he attempted to a replica of less powerful mufasa[/quote]

That sounds valid tbh xD

[atouchofgrace]

[quote="Chumvikingpride"]in a nutshell, he attempted to a replica of less powerful mufasa[/quote]
Yes. A younger, less powerful Mufasa.

[Golionking]

Pretty confusing!

[SuperBabySimba]

I checked the commentary track.

About that "Kenya, 2 years later" subtitle they talk about on the commentary track. (By the way they said they didn't have it there because they felt it would've been retro.)

Anyway, they didn't say that during the scene where we first see grown up Simba. They said it in the next scene where we see the destroyed Pridelands. (So, apparently Pridelands is supposed to be in Kenya? o.O) They said it after a short silence, so they totally knew what scene they were supposed to talk about.

I think that if they meant those 2 years to be the years Simba grew up, they would've said they meant to add them to the scene where we see him grown up, instead of the next, completely new scene. Because those "X time later" subtitles usually refer to the amount of time passed by since the last seen event in the story. In this case, since the day the grown up Simba walked carelessly away with Timon and Pumbaa. It would also make sense. Simba grew up in the jungle for some four years, becoming the full-grown, full-maned adult which he appears. Then, two more years passes by and we find Pridelands completely distroyed.

As for if they in some script visioned Simba to be in his late teens/early twenties as grown up, take note it's just that: an earlier script. They may have changed the vision into the final outcome.

[atouchofgrace]

[quote="SuperBabySimba"]Anyway, they didn't say that during the scene where we first see grown up Simba. They said it in the next scene where we see the destroyed Pridelands.[/quote]
Can you see them using the subtitle during the song? I can't. That would be corny and extremly distractive.
Also, he looks just the same at the end of "Hakuna Matata". He doesn't look younger.
[quote="SuperBabySimba"]As for if they in some script visioned Simba to be in his late teens/early twenties as grown up, take note it's just that: an earlier script.[/quote]
Yes, but the sequence where they say call Simba an "adolescent" is exacly the same thing we see today. They do it when Nala finds him, after the "two years later". They don't say he grews up later on. The script is from August 1993, that's too late. They had the final character sheets at that time. Also, check the deleted scenes. Some are from January 1993 but Timon and Pumbaa's version of CYFTLT (which is the one used in this script) is from July 1993. Simba looks the same to me. I wouldn't say he was supposed to be younger than he is today.