There have been seven theme park live adaptations of ''The Lion King'' at

Disney parks Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apr ...

since the animated film ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...

'' was released by

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...

in 1994. These have included a parade, two theater-in-the-round shows, and four stage shows.

''The Lion King Celebration''

''The Lion King Celebration'' was a parade that ran at

Disneyland Park Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

in California from June 1, 1994 to June 1, 1997. The parade's design centered around the story of

Simba Simba is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's ''The Lion King'' franchise. Introduced in the 1994 film ''The Lion King'', Walt Disney Animation's 32nd animated feature, the character subsequently appears in '' The Lion King II: ...

, the main protagonist of ''The Lion King'', as if it were a tale passed down in Africa for generations.''Disneyland Presents The Lion King Celebration'': VHS The lineup featured six floats designed around different aspects of African culture, dancers dressed in animal costumes, and a Pride Rock float featuring Simba and Nala. The design of the parade had strong roots in traditional African artwork, featuring vibrant colors, traditional designs, and dance routines based on traditional African dances. The parade featured six floats, accompanied by a total of 89 cast members. This included 56 dancers, 12 puppeteers, 10 acrobatic pole dancers, 6 musicians and 5 remote control operators. ''The Lion King Celebration'' also featured the first use of

Audio-Animatronics Audio-Animatronics (also known as simply Animatronics, and sometimes shortened to AAs) is the registered trademark for a form of robotics animation created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subse ...

in a Disneyland parade as well as the first use of " Puppetronics", a technique used to create the large, lifelike animal puppets featured on the floats. Puppetronics allowed the animatronic animals to be controlled by a puppeteer but still retain complex movement, allowing for a smoother and more realistic performance. A commemorative VHS, hosted by

Robert Guillaume Robert Guillaume (born Robert Peter Williams; November 30, 1927 – October 24, 2017) was an American actor and singer, known for his role as Benson DuBois in the ABC television series ''Soap'' and its spin-off, '' Benson'', as well as for voi ...

, was released by the park featuring the parade and behind-the-scenes footage. After the parade's run ended in 1997, four of the floats were moved to

Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the ...

for the ''Festival of the Lion King'' show. Other assets from the parade were reused in other parades, including ''

Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams premiered on May 5, 2005 as part of the Happiest Homecoming on Earth, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Disneyland in California. Conceived by VP Parades and Spectaculars, Steve Davison, the parade celebrates the ...

''.

Plot

Set to a mostly instrumental version of the song "

I Just Can't Wait to Be King "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is a song written by Elton John (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics) for the Disney animated feature film ''The Lion King'' (1994). The song is performed by American actor and singer Jason Weaver as the singing voice of y ...

", the first characters to appear are two

rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct specie ...

es, followed by tribal dancers, drummers and a float featuring Zazu and Rafiki with two giraffes. Zazu and Rafiki introduce the parade as it continues down

Main Street, U.S.A. Main Street, U.S.A. is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many theme parks operated or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Main Street, U.S.A. is themed to resemble American small towns during the early 20t ...

Next, a herd of gazelle dancers dressed in spandex costumes with hoods precede a float with tribal gazelle designs pushed along by wildebeest dancers. They are followed by a group of tribal crane dancers, the elephant float and two remote-controlled crocodiles. The elephant on the float occasionally shoots a stream of water from its trunk. In the first year of the show, the larger "mother" elephant was preceded by a smaller "baby" elephant whose costume was similar to that of the previously mentioned

es, only larger. Two pole dancers dressed in tribal bird costumes walk at the sides. Leopard dancers dance around the Rain Forest float, which features monkey dancers on swings and Pumbaa on the back. Pumbaa talks to Timon, who follows behind while chasing three remote-controlled bugs including a

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...

and a

rhinoceros beetle Dynastinae or rhinoceros beetles are a subfamily of the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). Other common names – some for particular groups of rhinoceros beetles – include Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles or horn beetles. Over 1 ...

. Two tribal-bird pole dancers lead the Drum Dancer float, which features drummers, dancers and percussionists in colourful, vibrant tribal costumes. The last float - Pride Rock - is led by a group of zebra and cheetah dancers, two tribal elephant dancers and two tribal bird dancers. Simba stands atop Pride Rock while Nala roars and drums out the beat with her paw at the foot of the float. Above them, Mufasa's face is represented in a spinning sun design. The end of the parade is marked by two tribal zebra performers holding a rope. The parade eventually stops and Mufasa's bass voice is heard telling Simba to take his place in the Circle of Life. The song "

Circle of Life "Circle of Life" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King''. Composed by English musician Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie (the deep female lead vocals) and Lebo M. (opening vocal ...

" begins to play and the dancers dance and leap around the floats as the drummers drum along to the song. At the end of the song, Simba roars and white doves are released from one of the floats, symbolizing hope and peace.

''Festival of the Lion King''

''Festival of the Lion King'' is a live stage musical performed at

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

and in Adventureland at

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...

. The show, an original interpretation of the Disney animated film ''

'', uses songs, dance, puppetry and visual effects to portray a tribal celebration in an

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground ...

setting filled with

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, '' Giraffa camelopardal ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zebr ...

s and

gazelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third ...

Disney's Animal Kingdom version

The

version of the show is presented as a celebration with Simba and his friends (including a band of four human singers). The show is in the form of a

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

, and not a condensed version of either the film and Broadway show. The show features

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

and

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ...

's award-winning music from the movie. The show is performed inside an enclosed theater-in-the-round. Guests sit in four sections, each designated with an animal name:

Giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, '' Giraffa camelopardal ...

Elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...

Warthog ''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly con ...

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

. These animals are represented by large puppets on four parade-style floats, which were originally built for

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

's ''The Lion King Celebration'' parade. The show is hosted by four performers dressed in costumes inspired by traditional African dress. Each has a Swahili name: Kiume (meaning "masculine and strong"), Nakawa ("good-looking"), Kibibi ("princess"), and Zawadi ("the gift"). After the hosts welcome the audience to the show, the curtains open and a procession of dancers, puppeteers, and stilt walkers enter the theater ("

"). Among them are ''Lion King'' characters

Pumbaa Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King'' and The Lion King (franchise), its franchise. Timon was played through his many appearances by N ...

(both puppets on floats), and

Timon Timon is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to: People * Timon of Athens (person), 5th-century Athenian and legendary misanthrope * Timon of Phlius (c. 320 BCE – c. 235 BCE), a Pyrrhonist philosopher of Ptolemaic Egypt and He ...

(played by a live performer). Acts include gymnastic "Tumble Monkeys" (" Hakuna Matata"), a

fire knife The fire knife is a traditional Samoan cultural implement that is used in ceremonial dances. It was originally composed of a machete wrapped in towels on both ends with a portion of the blade exposed in the middle. Tribal performers of fire k ...

-twirling

hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the cl ...

with

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

s (" Be Prepared"), and an

aerial dance Aerial modern dance is a subgenre of modern dance first recognized in the United States in the 1970s. The choreography incorporates an apparatus that is often attached to the ceiling, allowing performers to explore space in three dimension ...

featuring performers dressed as birds ("

Can You Feel the Love Tonight "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King'' composed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. At the 67th Academy Awards in March 1995 it won the Academy Award for Best Original So ...

"), leading to an interactive sing-along ("

The Lion Sleeps Tonight "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube" for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. Linda's original was written in isiZulu, while the English version's lyrics were wri ...

"), and watched first sing-along version ("

") in celebrating African savannah animals gathered together forever.

Relocation

Due to the construction of Pandora – The World of ''Avatar'' replacing Camp Minnie-Mickey (which was the show's original location), the show went into a five-month hiatus while a new theater, the ''Harambe Theater'', was constructed in an unused dense

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

area in the Africa section of the park. Construction on the Harambe Theater was completed in May 2014 and the show reopened there on June 1, 2014. This relocation was part of a wider expansion of Africa, which included a new path, restrooms, and new restaurants.

2020 labor dispute

When Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020 following the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

shutdown, all stage shows such as ''Finding Nemo'' – The Musical, ''Beauty and the Beast'' Live on Stage, Festival of the Lion King, and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! remained closed due to a dispute between the

Actors’ Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a book ...

and Walt Disney World over allowing performers to wear face masks and providing regular testing. An updated version of the show, retitled A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King, premiered May 8, 2021, a week before its official opening date on May 15, in time for Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration. On July 4, 2022, following the closure of the park, Disney's Animal Kingdom announced that original version of ''A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King'' will have its final performance until the updated version of the original show. That version premiered on July 16, 2022, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration.

Hong Kong Disneyland version

The Hong Kong Disneyland version of the show is presented as a simplified version of the story of ''The Lion King'', told through songs from the movie. The show is performed in the "Theater in the Wild" in Adventureland. Similar to the theater setting in Disney's Animal Kingdom, guests sit in four different sections themed to a specific animal, and accompanied by a parade-style float. The performance is mainly in English, but two actors dressed as monkeys summarise and translate some of the lines into Cantonese in order to accommodate Hongkongese guests.

Simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions ...

subtitles, for Chinese visitors, are also projected onto the screens above each seating section. The show is presented to Simba by the Storyteller (portrayed by a female actress) as a re-telling of Simba's life. Simba is represented by a large, elaborate puppet on the "lion" float.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack CD was released in 2001, titled ''Festival of The Lion King (Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World)'' Track listing:

''Legend of The Lion King''

The ''Legend of the Lion King'' show at the

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The ...

in the

in Florida was a stage performance retelling the story of the film using life size puppets. The show debuted on July 8, 1994 in the

Fantasyland Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at all of the Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed after Disney's animated fairy tale films. Each Fantasyland has a castle, as well as several gentle ...

Theater. ''Legend of The Lion King'' replaced the 3-D movie '' Magic Journeys'', which was shown in the theater from December 1987 through December 1993. This show featured what Disney described as "Disney Humanimals", which were "larger-than-life figures that look just like their animated film counterparts". The Mufasa "humanimal" measured long from tail to tip, feet tall, and was perched upon an Pride Rock that rose from below the stage. The stage for the show was wide, and was bigger than the seating area in order to permit the use of giant sets. The attraction closed on February 23, 2002 to be replaced by Mickey's PhilharMagic.

''The Legend of The Lion King''

''The Legend of The Lion King'' at

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...

ran from 2004 to 2009 and played at the

Videopolis Fantasyland Theatre, formerly Videopolis, is the name of a outdoor amphitheater at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Located in Fantasyland, it functions as a venue for various shows. In 1995, the location was renamed to Fantasyland Theater. I ...

Theater located in

Discoveryland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions ...

. This Broadway-style show used human actors, including some from the West End production of ''The Lion King'', and featured popular songs from the movie. The show ran for 30 minutes and had performances in both English and French.

''The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands''

''The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands'' debuted on June 30, 2019 at

in the Frontierland Theater in

Frontierland Frontierland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run by Disney around the world. Themed to the American Frontier of the 19th century, Frontierlands are home to cowboys and pioneers, saloons, red rock buttes and gol ...

as part of "The Lion King & Jungle Festival". Disney describes the show as "a tribe of singers, dancers and acrobats dressed as Rafiki, Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, Nala, Mufasa and Scar brilliantly bring famous Pride Rock anthems to life." Told in both English and Chansigne (a French sign language that interprets rhythms and song lyrics through interpretive hand movements), the show follows the story of ''The Lion King'' and features songs from both the film and the Broadway musical. The staging features a large, elaborate moving set based on djembe drums which rotate and tilt. The show closed on September 22, 2019. It returned on 15 August 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was cancelled twice and eventually the run was ended early.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack for the show was released in 2020. Track listing: # Nants' Ingonyama/Circle of Life – 3:44 #

– 2:47 # Be Prepared – 2:30 # The Stampede – 1:42 # Hakuna Matata – 2:41 # One by One – 5:13 # Shadowland – 2:52 # Can You Feel the Love Tonight – 3:30 # Endless Night/He Lives in You – 3:29 # Simba Confronts Scar – 2:12 # Finale (King of Pride Rock/Circle of Life) – 3:10

''Tale of the Lion King''

''The Tale of the Lion King'' show at

Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure Park, commonly referred to as California Adventure or by its acronym DCA, is a theme park located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Park ...

, which opened in June 2019, features a narrator, Mwongozo (Swahili for "guide"), who leads a troupe of 18 performers called the "Storytellers of the Pride Lands". The performance is presented in a contemporary story-theater style that retells the plot of the film through language, song and dance. On November 24, 2021, following the Disneyland Resort's reopening, Disneyland announced that ''Tale of the Lion King'' would relocate to the

Fantasyland Theatre Fantasyland Theatre, formerly Videopolis, is the name of a outdoor amphitheater at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Located in Fantasyland, it functions as a venue for various shows. In 1995, the location was renamed to Fantasyland Theater. I ...

on May 28, 2022.

References

External links

Walt Disney World Resort - ''Festival of the Lion King''

Hong Kong Disneyland - ''Festival of the Lion King''

Disneyland Park (Paris) - ''The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands''

Disneyland - ''Tale of the Lion King''

HKDL ''Festival of the Lion King'' full show

Wedsite
{{Disneyland Amusement park attractions introduced in 2020 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2020 Amusement park attractions introduced in 2022 The Lion King in amusement parks Hong Kong Disneyland Adventureland (Disney) Camp Minnie-Mickey Africa (Disney's Animal Kingdom) 1998 establishments in Florida 2005 establishments in Hong Kong Walt Disney Parks and Resorts parades Audio-Animatronic attractions Disneyland Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions 1994 establishments in California 1997 disestablishments in California Fantasyland Tomorrowland Frontierland Magic Kingdom Disneyland Park (Paris) 1994 establishments in Florida 2002 disestablishments in Florida 2004 establishments in France 2009 disestablishments in France Disney California Adventure Paradise Gardens Park Theatres in Paris