Across the Universe

With her one-of-a-kind artistic vision, Julie Taymor has wowed audiences with her 2002 Oscar®-winning film Frida and her dazzling stage adaptation of The Lion King. With its groundbreaking makeup and design, that production has racked up awards and delighted audiences around the world—including the students at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy. Oprah and her girls helped The Lion King celebrate its 10th anniversary at the South African opening.

"The next day, one of my little daughters, Thando—if you watched the special, she was the girl who said she wanted to be an actress—said, 'Mama Oprah, it was a feast for my soul,'" Oprah says. "She said, 'My eyes didn't know where to land. I couldn't take it all in, but it's all right here. I'm going to carry it for the rest of my life.'"