March 27, 1995 – The Lion King is Awarded Two Academy Awards: Best Original Score and Best Song for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”
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“There’s a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors, when the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours…”
The 67th Academy Awards were held on March 27, 1995, in Los Angeles, California. The Disney Studios continued their good fortune in the categories of Best Original Score and Best Original Song, winning for the animated blockbuster, The Lion King. Hans Zimmer won the award for Best Score, beating out Alan Silvestri’s score for Forrest Gump, Elliot Goldenthal’s Interview with the Vampire, and Thomas Newman’s Little Women and The Shawshank Redemption. Sirs Elton John and Tim Rice won for the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” competing against “Look What Love Has Done” from Junior and “Make Up Your Mind” from The Paper, as well as “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King.
The version of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” that exists in the film and the pop version sung by Sir Elton John over the end credits are vastly different lyrically. The song was originally going to be a comic song sung by Timon and Pumbaa (Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella). After that idea was scrapped, the song was going to be cut from the film, but John insisted that it remain, following the new format of Disney songs beginning when the characters run out of words and can only use song to describe how they feel. The pop version became a hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and is one of the most recognizable Disney songs ever written.
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