Who wrote and performed “The Morning Report” on the 1997 cast album?

Music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice; performed by Samuel E. Wright, Scott Irby-Ranniar & Geoff Hoyle.

Was the song ever part of the movie?

Yes - it was animated and inserted for the 2003 Platinum Edition home release, then removed from the 2011 3D theatrical/Diamond Edition in-film cut.

Why did Broadway drop it later?

Runtime trims in 2010 streamlined Act I; the production cut about nine minutes, including this number.

Any notable covers or language versions?

Brazil’s dub recorded “Relatório Matinal” for the 2003 Special Edition; Portugal issued its own localized version for home media.

Where should I start listening?

Start from the top for Zazu’s pomp; stay for the pounce lesson that flips the scene.

Morning Report Lyrics – Lion King

Morning Report Lyrics

ZAZU:
It's an honor and a privilege, a duty I perform
With due sense of decorum and with pride
With deference and great respect very much the norm
Plus a hint of sycophancy on the side
To lay before my ruler all the facts about his realm
To fill him in on all the beastly news

MUFASA (spoken):
Yes, yes, Zazu, get on with it!

ZAZU:
In order that His Majesty stands sturdy at the helm
Aware of all the fauna's latest views

MUFASA (spoken):
Zazu! The morning report!

ZAZU (spoken):
Er - yes, Sire: the morning report!

(sung)
Chimps are going ape
Giraffes remain above it all
Elephants remember
Though just what I can't recall
Crocodiles are snapping up
Fresh offers from the banks
Showed interest in my nest egg
But I quickly said, "No thanks!"
We haven't paid the hornbills

And the vultures have a hunch
Not everyone invited will be
Coming back from lunch

This is the morning report
Gives you the long and the short
Every grunt, roar, and snort
Not a tale I distort
On the morning report

MUFASA (spoken):
What are you doing, son?

YOUNG SIMBA (spoken):
Pouncing...

MUFASA (spoken):
Ah. Let an old pro show you how it's done

ZAZU:
The buffalo have got a beef

MUFASA:
Stay low
To the ground

ZAZU:
About this season's grass
Warthogs have been thwarted
In attempts to save their gas

SIMBA:
Yes, stay low

ZAZU:
Flamingoes in the pink

MUFASA:
Shh, not a sound

ZAZU:
Chasing secretary birds
Saffron is this season's color
Seen in all the herds

MUFASA:
Take it slow
One more step

ZAZU:
Moving down the rank and file
To near the bottom rung
Far too many beetles are
Quite frankly in the dung

MUFASA:
Then
POUNCE!

ZAZU:
AAAAHH!

YOUNG SIMBA:
This is the morning report
Gives you the long and the short
Every grunt, roar and snort
Not a tale I distort
On the morning report

ALL:
This is the morning report
Gives you the long and the short
Every grunt, roar and snort
Not a tale I distort
On the morning report
Last Update: August, 23rd 2025

Song Overview

The Morning Report lyrics by Samuel E. Wright, Scott Irby-Ranniar & Geoff Hoyle — Samuel E. Wright, Scott Irby-Ranniar & Geoff Hoyle are singing the 'The Morning Report' lyrics in the cast recording artwork.

Personal Review

This is Broadway briskness with a grin - a patter piece that turns exposition into entertainment. The lyrics spin newsroom-speed gags while the band pops like a pit orchestra having espresso. For searchers: yes, the lyrics sparkle and the lyrics land. Key takeaways: Zazu gets his bureaucratic moment, Mufasa mentors, Simba learns to pounce, and the whole savanna feels like a living headline ticker. One-sentence snapshot - a witty state-of-the-pridelands bulletin where duty meets play.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Samuel E. Wright, Scott Irby-Ranniar & Geoff Hoyle performing The Morning Report — Performance in the music video.

Zazu’s job is ceremonial and serious, but the song treats it like vaudeville.

“The Morning Report was originally written for the 1994 movie The Lion King, but was cut.”

That origin matters - it explains why the number works as quick exposition, packing character dynamics into punchlines.

At heart, it’s a protocol song about hierarchy.

“For the Special Edition DVD of the movie released in 2003, the song was fully animated and inserted into the film...”

Onstage, it sits early in Act I, framing the kingdom as a system of routines - even royalty runs on schedules.

The rhythm is patter with winked wordplay - think music hall with safari dust on the shoes.

“Coincidentally, when the Broadway show was retooled in 2010, the song was dropped again...”

That later cut underscores the show’s evolving pace - nine minutes here, a joke there - without dimming the number’s cult status.

Theme-wise, it’s governance through gossip: Zazu turns wildlife updates into palace briefings.

“The song sets up the relationships between Zazu, Mufasa, and Simba – a playful, mentoring one between Simba and his father, and a respectful, businesslike one between Zazu and the king.”

The relationships are the point - the jokes are the sugar.

The emotional arc starts crisp and dutiful, then loosens when Mufasa coaches Simba’s pounce.

“...a playful, mentoring one between Simba and his father...”

That tonal shift - from clipboard to cubhood - is the hinge that keeps the scene human.

Culturally, it nods to British comic patter and newsroom clichés, filtered through Broadway’s orchestral sheen.

“...a duty I perform with due sense of decorum...”

Even the diction sounds like a civil servant in feathers.

As character study, Zazu’s sycophancy is affectionate, not cruel.

“Plus a hint of sycophancy on the side.”

He flatters because he cares - and because order keeps the kingdom safe.

Message

Order is a ritual, and rituals teach. Zazu keeps the wheels turning while Mufasa models patient leadership and Simba learns through play.

“It’s an honor and a privilege...”

Duty can sing - and teach technique mid-song.

Emotional tone

Brisk, witty, lightly pompous, then suddenly tender during the pounce lesson.

“Yes, yes, Zazu, get on with it!”

The eye-roll is loving, not dismissive.

Historical context

Born during the film’s development, immortalized on the 1997 cast album, briefly canonized in the 2003 home-video cut, then trimmed from the stage in 2010.

“...was cut... fully animated and inserted... dropped again...”

It’s the rare Disney song with two lives and a tidy exit.

Production

On record you hear tight woodwinds, bright brass stabs, and percussion nudging the tempo forward - classic pit clarity.

“...to lay before my ruler all the facts...”

The arrangement leaves space for jokes to land clean.

Instrumentation

Reeds chatter the patter, strings underline pageantry, horns punctuate punchlines, rhythm section keeps a near-scherzo clip.

“Every grunt, roar, and snort...”

It’s civic ceremony set to a sly two-and-a-half minutes.

Analysis of key phrases and idioms

“Going ape,” “above it all,” “snapping up fresh offers” - animal puns double as financial and social commentary.

“Crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers from the banks.”

Zazu talks like a city editor stuck in a bird’s body.

About metaphors and symbols

The “report” is governance as chorus line - information as choreography.

“Not a tale I distort.”

Truth, or at least official truth, sung with a smile.

Creation history

Drafted for the 1994 film, shelved, revived for Broadway in 1997, inserted into the film’s 2003 Platinum Edition cut, then excised from the musical during 2010 trims.

“...originally written for the 1994 movie... fully animated... dropped again...”

An unlikely boomerang of a show tune.

Verse Highlights

Scene from The Morning Report by Samuel E. Wright, Scott Irby-Ranniar & Geoff Hoyle — Scene from 'The Morning Report'.

Verse 1

Opens like a royal press briefing. Zazu frames himself as diligent functionary, the orchestra clicking beneath him. Wordplay and internal rhyme set the patter pace.

Chorus

The hook is a tagline: the kingdom’s bulletin - “long and the short” - sung like a newsroom sting. It’s repetition with variations, tightening the gag.

Bridge/Pounce lesson

Dialogue braids with underscoring while Mufasa teaches stealth. The joke is structural: a solemn report disrupted by practical parenting.

Key Facts

Featured: Samuel E. Wright, Scott Irby-Ranniar & Geoff Hoyle
Producer: Mark Mancina
Composer: Elton John
Lyricist: Tim Rice
Release Date: July 8, 1997
Genre: Broadway, show tune, patter song
Instruments: woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion, keyboards, bass, guitar
Label: Walt Disney Records
Mood: brisk, witty, ceremonial
Length: 2:32
Track #: 3
Language: English
Album: The Lion King (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Music style: wordy patter over orchestral sparkle
Poetic meter: mixed, patter-driven with quick anapestic runs

Questions and Answers

Who wrote and performed “The Morning Report” on the 1997 cast album?: Music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice; performed by Samuel E. Wright, Scott Irby-Ranniar & Geoff Hoyle.
Was the song ever part of the movie?: Yes - it was animated and inserted for the 2003 Platinum Edition home release, then removed from the 2011 3D theatrical/Diamond Edition in-film cut.
Why did Broadway drop it later?: Runtime trims in 2010 streamlined Act I; the production cut about nine minutes, including this number.
Any notable covers or language versions?: Brazil’s dub recorded “Relatório Matinal” for the 2003 Special Edition; Portugal issued its own localized version for home media.
Where should I start listening?: Hit the 0:00 mark for Zazu’s pomp, then stick around for the pounce lesson - the structural joke that makes the track sing beyond its punchlines.

Awards and Chart Positions

While the individual track did not chart, the parent album The Lion King - Original Broadway Cast Recording earned RIAA Platinum certification on January 17, 2007 - a rare feat for a cast album. The number itself reached additional visibility via its 2003 in-film insertion and remains a fan-favorite deep cut in the franchise’s songbook.

How to Sing The Morning Report?

Think patter clarity over power. Lead with crisp consonants and buoyant breath, then let the vowels glide so the jokes don’t thud.

Range & placement - sit in a speaking-tenor/baritenor pocket. Keep resonance forward and bright for Zazu’s officious bite.
Diction drills - practice tongue-twisters at tempo, then at +10% to build headroom. Aim for clean T/K/P landings.
Breath strategy - mark micro-pauses between clauses; sneak breaths on commas so phrases feel continuous, not chopped.
Tempo feel - brisk and lightly swung straight-eighths. Conduct two to a bar in your body to prevent rushing.
Character choices - think dutiful clerk with theater-kid sparkle. A raised eyebrow does half the work.
Safety - keep larynx neutral, jaw loose. If patter gets tight, drop volume and restore airflow before adding energy back.

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