Disney animator says his own baby helped shape young Simba in The Lion King

For Disney fans, the story lands on one of the most instantly recognizable images in animation: baby Simba raised high above Pride Rock in The Lion King. A former Disney animator now says that moment was grounded in a very real infant reaction, and that the baby in question was his own son, Wyatt.

Broose Johnson recently shared on Instagram that his infant son was used as a model for young Simba during the "Circle of Life" sequence in Disney’s 1994 film The Lion King. In the clip below, Johnson recounts how a bit of everyday family life ended up feeding one of the movie’s most famous shots.

According to Johnson, animator Russ Edmonds, whom he described as a longtime friend and carpool companion, had been assigned to animate the scene where Rafiki lifts baby Simba for the animals gathered below. Edmonds wanted to know how an actual baby might respond to being held up that way. So before work one morning, he asked Johnson and Johnson’s wife if they could briefly hold up their son and let him study the baby’s expression.

A few moments that became an iconic scene

Johnson said yes. He lifted Wyatt at arm’s length for a short time while Edmonds watched closely, paying attention to the infant’s face. Johnson added that he may also have made a few monkey sounds to stay in character for the moment.

That small reference session gave Edmonds what he needed. Johnson said the finished animation suggested Wyatt’s reaction was slightly puzzled, but not especially distressed by what was happening. For fans who have watched that opening sequence for years, it is an unusually personal detail behind a scene that has long felt mythic and larger than life.

The anecdote also points to the kind of observation work that can sit behind even the briefest animated moment. Rather than inventing the expression in isolation, Edmonds wanted to see how a real baby would look when lifted and presented in that pose. Johnson’s account turns a major cinematic image into something unexpectedly domestic: a parent holding up his child for a few seconds before heading into the studio.

The family recreated it, with one complication

Johnson said the story did not end there. Months later, after the movie had been completed and was playing in theaters, he and his wife came across a store-bought onesie featuring baby Simba. They decided it would be fun to recreate the image with Edmonds holding Wyatt the way Rafiki holds Simba.

By then, Johnson noted, more than a year had passed. Wyatt was no longer the tiny infant from the original reference. He was walking, and he was heavier. Johnson said Edmonds lifted him as well as he could, but quickly began urging them to snap the photo.

For Lion King fans, that follow-up image may be almost as charming as the original memory: the animator who studied a baby’s expression for an iconic Disney scene, then later trying to repeat the pose with a much larger child in a Simba outfit.

How animators build a convincing young character

Animated child characters usually come together from two kinds of observation: real children and the species the character belongs to. Artists look for broad truths that read clearly on screen, such as top heavy balance, sudden changes in attention, clumsy turns, proud little struts, and the way young faces switch quickly from curiosity to frustration to delight.

Those details are then simplified into shapes and timing that can be repeated across many shots. A young character often has softer poses, shorter steps, quicker recoveries after a stumble, and stronger contrast between calm stillness and bursts of energy. The goal is not perfect realism. It is readable emotion. If a pose tells you what the character feels before any dialogue lands, the animation is doing its job.

What reference is for, and what it is not

Animators often use reference material while developing performances. That can include filmed acting, mirror work, sketches from life, and everyday observation at home. Reference helps with rhythm, balance, and behavior that feels lived in, especially for very young characters whose movement can be hard to fake from memory alone.

Reference is usually a starting point, not a template. Artists rarely copy motion exactly. They edit it for clarity, push expressions further, and remove anything that looks awkward in a stylized world. In hand drawn animation especially, the final performance depends on key poses, spacing, and timing choices that make motion feel appealing rather than merely accurate.

What fans can watch for on a rewatch

If you want to spot this craft in action, watch scenes with the sound low and focus on body language first. Look for delayed reactions, head tilts before movement, oversized effort in small actions, and moments where the whole body commits to a feeling before the face does. Young characters often lead with the eyes and torso, then let the limbs catch up.

It also helps to learn a few behind the scenes terms. A model sheet shows the approved design from many angles. A pencil test is an early rough version of motion. A supervising animator usually shapes a character's acting style across multiple scenes. Once you know those basics, making of material becomes much easier to follow, and rewatching familiar films becomes a search for performance choices rather than just plot beats.