<P> During the film's opening number, "Circle of Life", Rafiki introduces a newborn Simba to the crowd of animals gathered at the foot of Pride Rock by holding him high above their heads while parents Mufasa and Sarabi look on . Since the film's 1994 release, this scene has grown to iconic status . In November 2002, singer Michael Jackson sparked controversy by holding his son over the protective railing of a hotel balcony in Berlin . The event was witnessed by a large crowd of spectators who were watching from below . Some sources have claimed that Jackson was harmlessly attempting to emulate the scene from The Lion King . </P> <P> When Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge went into labor with hers and Prince William's baby in July 2013, the idea that the couple should reenact the famous scene from The Lion King became quite popular among Twitter users . Radio journalist Darren Simpson reportedly tweeted, "when your baby arrives please re-enact the scene from the Lion King". Shortly after Middleton gave birth to a boy, England native Tommy Peto initiated a petition asking the couple to welcome their baby by having the Archbishop of Canterbury emulate the scene by holding him over the balcony of Buckingham Palace . Ultimately, the idea was deemed "outside the responsibility of the government" and was declined . </P> <P> The scene has found itself the subject of both reference and parody in various forms of media, such as in the film George of the Jungle (1997). In what is almost an exact replica of the scene, George, portrayed by actor Brendan Fraser, takes the place of both Rafiki and Mufasa by standing at the tip of Pride Rock and presenting his young son to a crowd of onlooking animals, accompanied by wife Ursula, portrayed by Leslie Mann . </P> <P> During the third season finale of Once Upon a Time, the main character Emma Swan asked her parents Snow White and David Nolan if they were going to hold up her yet unnamed baby brother like in The Lion King . Since the release of The Lion King in 1994, the name "Simba" has increased in use and popularity among dog and cat owners . According to Comcast in 2010, the use of Simba as a dog name reemerged in popularity in 2009 after experiencing a noticeable decline in 2001, ranking the name ninth out of 10 on its list of "Top 10 Trendiest Dog Names of the Year ." In May 2013, Yahoo! Lifestyle included the name on its list of "Trendiest Dog Names ." According to YouPet, Simba is the 17th most popular cat name out of 100 candidates . Care2 included Simba in its article "All - around Cool Cat Names," while DutchNews.nl reported that Simba ranks among the country's most popular cat names as of July 2013 . In its list of "Top Popular Pet Names," BabyNames.com placed Simba at number 64 on its list of most popular dog names out of the 100 that were considered . </P>

Who played the voice of simba in lion king