The iconic roar of the lion at the beginning of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) movies is one of the most recognizable sounds in cinema history, but it's not what it seems.
The Voice of a Tiger:
- 🐅 Sound designers found that a real lion's roar was actually too quiet and not "grand" enough for the big screen
- 🔊 To create a more powerful and intimidating effect, they used recorded tiger roars instead, which are deeper and more resonant
Seven Different Lions:
- 🎬 Since 1917, there have been seven different lions used for the MGM logo; the most famous one, named 'Leo', has appeared in most films since 1957
- 🎥 In the early days, trainers had to keep the lions calm on set while cameras captured their movements and roars manually