Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has used a roaring lion as its logo since the studio's early days, with Leo the Lion becoming its most famous mascot. The 1995 roar heard here comes from that logo sequence shown before MGM films of the era, a brief animal call that audiences learned to associate with a big-screen feature. As video editing became widely accessible, creators lifted the sound for parody studio intros, meme openings and dramatic reveals, and it remains popular because it instantly signals cinema, grandeur and a joke that is about to land.