The Lion King

The Lion King is an animated film.

In early March, 2005, a London bus, advertising a stage production of The Lion King, passed by Rose Tyler. (DW: "Rose")

During Christmas of the next year, the Tenth Doctor tried to impress upon the Sycorax leader his own belief in the potential of Human beings by remarking, "From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking, step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than...". Abruptly, the Doctor stopped talking, realising that his speech was in fact a quote from The Lion King. (DW: "The Christmas Invasion")

The Doctor's speech is actually from the song "The Circle of Life", a song written and sung by Elton John, and included in The Lion King's soundtrack. The original lyrics are slightly different, as the first line is, "From the day we arrive on the planet" (as opposed to the Doctor's version - "From the day they arrive on the planet". This change, of course, makes sense, as the Doctor is speaking from his alien, Gallifreyan perspective. The line that the Doctor did not finish is, in the song lyrics, "More to do than can ever be done".

Another song that featured in both Doctor Who and The Lion King is "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which can be heard in "Rise of the Cybermen", when it is played to mask the screams of homeless Humans being converted into Cybermen. However, the song's link to The Lion King has never been established in Doctor Who cannon.