Movies Why Rowan Atkinson originally didn't want to be the voice of Zazu in The Lion King By A. Cydney Hayes Published on October 28, 2018 11:00AM EDT Despite recent theatrical renditions and upcoming remakes, Disney's 1994 animated classic The Lion King is iconic. For adults who grew up with the film — and kids still watching the perennial hit — it would be incomplete without Rowan Atkinson's voice as Zazu, Mufasa's right-hand hornbill. When the project first came across Atkinson's desk, however, he wasn't immediately on board. "I didn't want to do it, really, because voiceovers, voice work is something I generally had never done and never liked," Atkinson reveals on the latest episode of PeopleTV's Couch Surfing. "I'm a visual artist, if I'm anything, and it seemed to be a pointless thing to do." RELATED VIDEO: Watch rare Lion King recording booth footage Luckily, Mr. Bean co-writer and actor, Robin Driscoll, convinced Atkinson to give voice acting a shot, and it sure paid off. "I didn't realize it would turn into a really, very special film, which it did," Atkinson says, adding how proud he now is to be a part of such an enduring film. Watch the full clip, including Atkinson's advice for fellow Brit John Oliver, who will voice Zazu in the 2019 remake, above. Related content: Each state's favorite classic animated Disney movie Beyoncé officially joins live-action Lion King as Nala The Lion King stars look back on the making of the animated hit