Andrew Gajadhar

I literally can recite every single word in this film. I remember how I felt the first time I watched this, too. I was entranced with excitement. As an adult, with children of my own, I wanted my kids to feel this same experience. It’s actually one of the reasons why I became a Producer/Director in the film industry myself. Unfortunately, along with the satisfaction and gratitude of seeing creativity flourish, my children have also seen how the industry has historically been in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion. With the beauty this film has offered, there are also underlying factors that my kids have pointed out without me even provoking them. Knowing that their father and his colleagues intentionally and purposely make every production diverse and inclusive, the first question I was asked by them was, “Who played Simba?” I responded with telling them who played the adult version of Simba, followed by telling them who played Simba with the dialogue, but that another person played his vocals with the music. Then, they asked me why they just didn’t use the same kid for all the voices with the acting and singing. Before I could even respond fully, they were googling who the cast was, followed by the Director, Writers, and everyone else involved. By the end of the conversation, several conclusions were made regarding people of color representation, how the storyline reflected their involvement, and the lack of their involvement “above the line.” Ultimately, the film itself is one of the best we’ve seen with Disney (can’t knock the skill and talent), but I also can’t overlook the aesthetics of decisions made with its production.