Festival of the Lion King

One of the most popular live shows at Walt Disney World takes place daily at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park.  The Festival of the Lion King is a live stage musical performed daily.  The show is an adaptation of the movie that uses songs, dance, puppetry, costumes, and visual effects to portray a tribal celebration in an African savanna setting filled with lions, elephants, giraffes, birds, zebras and gazelles.

Simba, his friends and four amazing singers entertain the crowd for about 30 minutes.  The show is in the form of a revue, and not a condensed version of either the film or Broadway show. The show features Elton John and Tim Rice’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, Elephant, Warthog, Lion. These animals are represented by large puppets on four parade-style floats, which were originally built for Disneyland’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 (“I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”). Among them are Lion King characters Simba, Pumbaa (both puppets on floats), and Timon (played by a live performer). Acts include gymnastic “Tumble Monkeys” (“Hakuna Matata”), a fire knife-twirling hyena (“Be Prepared”), and an aerial dance featuring performers dressed as birds (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight”), leading to an interactive sing-along (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”), and watched first sing-along version (“Circle of Life”) in celebrating African savannah animals gathered together forever.

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Check your MyDisneyExperience App or pick up a times guide upon entering the park for show times.