My First Love, The Lion King Himself
When it comes to my first love, I have to be a sucker and admit that for me it was love at first sight. After walking out of the movie theater at the very grown up age of four, I was decidedly smitten with Simba from The Lion King. Honestly, who could resist such a furry, cute, musically talented, romantic, royal, and most importantly animalistic catch? That last characteristic alone really sent me over the edge, because boy, did I love animals and specifically cats best.
It’s probably no real surprise then to learn that Simba quickly became a crucial part of my life and being. Posters of the movie lined the walls of my room, and I owned at least five different Simba dolls. The Lion King was nearly permanently etched into the screen of our television from so much play, and my mother tells me today that it took years before we could safely walk past the Disney Store in the mall and escape without purchasing more Simba memorabilia. On second thought, perhaps it wasn’t just love at first sight, but love at the first and billionth sight. However, my love for Simba went deeper than just toys and movies; I absolutely wanted to be him.
So people may ask-how does one become Simba? For me, it meant running around on all fours, growling and roaring, and pulling my signature lion move-sitting up on my haunches like a squirrel and pretending to clean my face with my paw by licking my hand and rubbing my face. It didn’t hurt to have my family address me as Simba and make all of my friends pretend to be from The Lion King, either. My beloved wasn’t merely a cartoon; he was my idol.
As absolutely ridiculous as this all sounds and how silly I now feel from having recalled all these memories, I do have to admit Simba isn’t such a bad first love to have in the scheme of things. I like to think that he contributed to the honesty, loyalty, bravery, and compassion I uphold today at the tender age of nineteen, and he definitely added more fuel to the fire of my dreams of someday becoming a veterinarian. Looking back, I can now appreciate all the love, devotion, patience, and indulgence displayed by my family and friends who put up with me during my Simba years. Overall, however, I will always remember him as the lion who first stole my heart.
-September 1, 2009
It’s probably no real surprise then to learn that Simba quickly became a crucial part of my life and being. Posters of the movie lined the walls of my room, and I owned at least five different Simba dolls. The Lion King was nearly permanently etched into the screen of our television from so much play, and my mother tells me today that it took years before we could safely walk past the Disney Store in the mall and escape without purchasing more Simba memorabilia. On second thought, perhaps it wasn’t just love at first sight, but love at the first and billionth sight. However, my love for Simba went deeper than just toys and movies; I absolutely wanted to be him.
So people may ask-how does one become Simba? For me, it meant running around on all fours, growling and roaring, and pulling my signature lion move-sitting up on my haunches like a squirrel and pretending to clean my face with my paw by licking my hand and rubbing my face. It didn’t hurt to have my family address me as Simba and make all of my friends pretend to be from The Lion King, either. My beloved wasn’t merely a cartoon; he was my idol.
As absolutely ridiculous as this all sounds and how silly I now feel from having recalled all these memories, I do have to admit Simba isn’t such a bad first love to have in the scheme of things. I like to think that he contributed to the honesty, loyalty, bravery, and compassion I uphold today at the tender age of nineteen, and he definitely added more fuel to the fire of my dreams of someday becoming a veterinarian. Looking back, I can now appreciate all the love, devotion, patience, and indulgence displayed by my family and friends who put up with me during my Simba years. Overall, however, I will always remember him as the lion who first stole my heart.
-September 1, 2009