There’s been a lot of debate about the death of Cecil the Lion, but a new tribute drawn by an animator on Disney’s The Lion King may be the most thoughtful piece of all.

Aaron Blaise released the following sketch on his website depicting Cecil in the clouds as lions look up at him from the ground below. The tribute includes a quote from The Lion King said by Simba’s father Mufasa. Like Cecil, Mufasa died too soon.

“Like many people around the world, I was extremely moved by the recent tragedy surrounding the hunting and killing of the beloved lion know as Cecil,” Blaise wrote on his website. “As you may be able to tell I am a HUGE animal lover [and] it drives me crazy when I see these beautiful creatures destroyed for no good reason. In fact, I’ve decided to get personally involved and hopefully our efforts can help educate people and prevent these horrible things from happening in the future.”

The drawing’s artistic style will immediately remind Lion King viewers of the animated classic. It paints Cecil as a larger-than-life figure — and indeed he was.

The gorgeous sketch is not unlike this special moment from The Lion King when Simba speaks to his departed father:

Blaise also released a time lapse of the sketch coming to life, which really makes you appreciate how much work goes into a piece of art:

In addition to The Lion King, Blaise was an animator on other Disney hits including The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Mulan. You can learn more about the animator by visiting his website.

Cecil was killed in July by an American dentist who was hunting in Zimbabwe. The lion’s death has sparked a debate about hunting animals.