'Endless Night' by StarryHeavenDragon on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

'Where has the starlight gone?
Dark is the day
How can I find my way home?'

This past week, I've been experiencing a couple of tragedies. One of them is something I share with fans and people who had Disney's The Lion King and Star Wars in their childhood.

The man who gave voice, heart, and legacy to Darth Vader, King Mufasa, and many more characters on the stage and the screen just passed away a couple of days ago... a true legend who reached a ripe age of 93. I feel the heartbreak of his passing, and just like with other legends from childhood including but not limited to Robin Williams and Angela Lansbury, it's like another part of my youth has left this world...

I've been thinking of the song 'Endless Night' from the Broadway version of The Lion King... the context and role it plays in Simba's character development really drives home the themes the show and the movie are all about. The only thing is, when I wanted to create my own tribute, I don't have any experience with drawing Disney characters at all, so I decided to adapt it to one of my favorite game franchises. The idea to have a Luxray represent Simba (and by extension, we who are mourning James' death) was inspired by a flipnote image I remember seeing one time. I wanted it to look accurate and as perfect as possible, since I've never drawn the Gleam Eyes Pokémon before. I noticed in the anime that they don' really emote that much, and that brow is in that position constantly. I had to take a creative liberty or two just to try to convey the emotion of sadness. I will say, I'm really happy about how it came out, especially for a first time. Plus, I now realize that I love Luxray, because, well, I was born in August, my star sign is Leo, and come on! Lions are powerful and beautiful!

'Look at the stars. The Great Kings of the Past look down on us from those stars. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you...and so will I.' James Earl Jones as King Mufasa, January 17th, 1931 - September 9th, 2024

Pokémon belongs to Nintendo and Gamefreak

The Lion King belongs to Disney