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I've Listened to 'Be Prepared' from The Lion King in a Dozen Separate Languages
And can now officially conclude that the top five, based on criteria such as 'Evilness of Final Laugh', 'Vehemence of "FOOLS!"', 'Competence of Translation' are as follows:
1) Russian (???? ??????!)
2) Japanese (Junbi Shiteoke!)
3) German (SEID BEREIT!)
4) Spanish (¡Preparaos!)
5) Bulgarian (Chatkay Zhak!)
Notes:
- The closest syllabic analogue to the original English is Cantonese. Every other version makes various changes to the rhythm and meter, the most egregious examples being Arabic and Japanese.
- Of the evil laugh at the end of the song, most languages stick with the tradition "MUAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!". Only the various French and Spanish versions buck the system with their actors choosing to lead off with a straight "HA!"
- The Japanese hyenas choose to celebrate the news that they'll be getting rid of the king in English. Additionally, an alternate Japanese recording inserts an awesome 80s lead guitar riff at the end.
- If you hear Portuguese and haven't explicitly been told you're listening to Portuguese, it sounds like English.
I thanks you.