Cecil Honored By ‘Lion King’ Animator With A Majestic Illustration

[news]

[news]

A Disney animator has created a breathtaking tribute to Cecil, spurred by his own love for animals. 

Following the death of the beloved Zimbabwe lion, Aaron Blaise, who was an animator for several Disney movies including "Lion King," decided to honor the animal by creating his own illustration on Photoshop of a regal-looking Cecil amid the clouds, in the style of the iconic kid's movie, according to his blog. 

A photo posted by Aaron Blaise (@aaronblaiseart) on Jul 30, 2015 at 10:21am PDT

Accompanying the portrait is an iconic quote from Mufasa. And in this context, it's especially heartstring-tugging. 

"Look at the stars," the quote reads. "The great kings of the past look down upon us from those stars." 

Blaise, a huge animal lover, documented the artwork's creation process in a mesmerizing time-lapse video uploaded to YouTube late last month. The animator told Distractify that Cecil's death had a big effect on him and he wanted to find a way to express his emotion. 

"I felt an urge to create something beautiful. I was an animator on The Lion King and the scene where Simba sees his father in the clouds after his death popped into my head right away," Blaise explained to the outlet. "I just wanted to create a noble, spiritual image that would move people. "

The animator ends his video with a hopeful call to action, asking viewers to donate to Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, the organization that had been tracking Cecil.  

We'll certainly be looking for Cecil up in the sky tonight. 

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