Collectible Double-Sided Picture Disc Pressing!

Possibly the definitive moments of classic Disney animated films are when the characters burst into song and that is certainly the case with The Lion King. The skittish Simba trilling "I Just Can't Wait To Be King," Timon and Pumba's joyous "Hakuna Matata," the awe-inspiring grandeur of "Circle of Life," and of course the romantic "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" – all these melodies were composed by Elton John.

In 1991, Tim Rice was signed by Disney to write the lyrics for The Lion King, and they asked him who he would recommend to write the music. As he said later, "Elton was my first choice...I didn't think they could get him, to be honest, but they did." Together the pair wrote the soundtrack for the Disney film and, to this day, The Lion King remains the Walt Disney Animation Studios' highest-grossing film. It's also estimated to be the biggest-attended animated movie of the last 50 years.

Composer/arranger Hans Zimmer brought Elton and Rice's songs to life by adding African flavor, choral symphonies and filling them with the raw emotion that the film evokes. Zimmer recalls, "Elton was a very courageous man to just give me his demos and leave me to do whatever I wanted with them. I work like an animator, in a way. I do this sort of black and white sketch on a piano and then I start filling in the colours as I go along."

At the 67th Annual Academy Awards in 1995, three John/Rice compositions from The Lion King – "Hakuna Matata," "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" – were nominated for Best Song. "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" took home the Oscar.