The singer who provided the singing voice for young Simba in Disney's animated Lion King movie has revealed that he turned down a flat fee and instead opted for royalties, meaning he's still picking up cash 25 years later. Not a bad move, eh?
Jason Weaver told Vlad TV he was originally offered a $2 million (£1.6m) flat rate, but his mum recommended he turn it down in favour of royalties, as she thought Disney would be likely to re-release the flick in the future.
This meant he ended up with $100,000 (£81,937) upfront and a... lion's share of ongoing cash. And more than the original salary on offer.
Weaver said: "I remember it was like $2 million. You gotta remember, they're coming off of Beauty and the Beast. They're coming off of Aladdin. Disney had bread."
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Weaver provided the vocals for some absolute Disney bangers including 'Hakuna Matata' and 'I Just Can't Wait to be King'.
He added: "Disney had a reputation for re-releasing stuff. I think at that time they had put out Sleeping Beauty and some of their old catalogue from when Walt Disney was alive.
"They were releasing that stuff when they were releasing the new Disney stuff, so she [his mum] was able to see the playing field and go, 'Wait a minute, this is going to make a lot of money over time, so what happens when my son turns 40? Is he going to be able to get a check for this when they eventually re-release this.'"
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This proved to be a smart move, for Weaver who revealed that he has more than made up for turning down the initial offer. Although he didn't say exactly how much.
You can always rely on your mum to work out what's best for you, can't you?
Featured Image Credit: Vlad TV
Topics: TV and Film