Hi.. This is _maybe_ very childish to you, and maybe not interesting as it seems.. It's just something I like to share with other The Lion King fans who DO / WILL understand me, and have respect for what I felt during the film, and still feel. If you're not interested, it's ok with me, but please leave then NOW.

My "The Lion King" addiction: How it started, merchandice and what it is today.

Let me tell you that I don't go to cinemas very often, and it was for me a real pleasure to see the movie ALADDIN. It was very humoristic, and very good drawn. I liked it very much but I didn't thought much about it after it was over. It was just a good movie.

The Lion King was released in the USA June 24, 1994. Here in Europe, The Netherlands, we don't have the same release date for films (unfortunately). By the time this movie was out, and the trials where running in the cinemas, I didn't know it.. Or had even heard from it.

How it started:

A fellow student, who works at the cinema, spoke to me about it when it was IN the cinema. It was late November.

He kept talking about it, sung a funny song in Dutch. I found the lilics weird, but for my experience with Aladdin, it was making sense in a way. My parents asked me to go to the film "The Lion King". Okay.. a free movie isn't bad. We went there, and the lights fade out.. Commercials started, until finally, the movie (a Disney logo appeared) started. The movie was old, you could see it when you looked at the colors and how they drawn ed it. It was Lambert the Lion.

Many people thought this was it, but as I remembered from the entrance, it was just a "warming up".  The lights got slowly on, and we started to walk for a drink.

After the pause, the lights went finally out, for more than 88 minutes.

The movie started.. From this point on I don't know WHAT exactly has happened, but the music, images, the whole thing took over control. I could't move for the full length of film, I was brain washed. Never was there a movie that had made this kind of impression to me.. I was knocked out of my socks!

How I got home, I really can't tell, ofcource with my parents, but I can't remember anything.. I could only think of "The Lion King". Slowly, very slowly took normal life over, and I could think a bit.. This was a few day's after I watched it.

Merchandice

I bought immediately the soundtrack, and played it. The moment the music started, I was frozen to the ground. It happened again! I couldn't move, hardly breathe, as if there was an elephant on top of me. Tears went down my face, just like when I was watching it in the cinema. I played it a REAL long time, I think that much that my CD player know ed the music with out the CD in it.

Then I saw some merchandize in a poster shop. A The Lion King poster, greeting cards and postcards!!! That was the start of a great collection I have today, and it's still expanding. It's going only not that rapid as it went in the beginning. But every time I saw something new from The Lion King, my hard missed a beat. I _HAD_ to have it as well.

Meanwhile,

I had finished school, and had found work as a temp employee by Laser, a computer factory. With the help of a good friend of mine, I build my own computer, a 486 DX4 100. We also decided to get connected to the Internet. I discovered that there where much people who also like The Lion King. I got connected to the The Lion King List, got connected to the The Lion King Muck and made there much friends. Getting friends on the Net was much fun, also for my collection. I have some exclusive objects, and would never have it if I wasn't connected!

How it is today...

The Lion King is still standing on the first place, but I got used to the great feeling it once gave me. This is something I regret, but like a drug, you get used to much things in life. I now have a steady job in my own town, and I can spend more money than I could ever do. I'm having only so much stuff, I now search only the "rare" or "beautifully" things that come across my path.