One of my first and favorite live action shows at the Magic Kingdom was Legend of The Lion King. This live re-enactment of the Disney classic opened in July of 1994 where Mickey’s Philharmagic currently is today. This live show was vastly similar in concept to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid that is still present today at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Similar to the queue that can be seen for Mickey’s Philharmagic, large portraits of scenes in the movie lined the waiting area. Guests would file into the theater to view the preshow. The preshow featured a sleeping Rafiki who is awakened by loud African music and the roar of the crowd in anticipation of the show. Rafiki welcomes the guests and explains the everyone is connected through the Circle of Life. He begins with a brief introduction into the tale of Simba. The winds of change brought in the opening number, “The Circle of Life.”
The show was approximately 17 minutes in length and was a beloved favorite amongst Disney fans. The show consisted of 8 classic scenes from the animated film that followed the storyline. The show featured video screens that would play clips of the movie throughout the show and large puppets of the characters. The puppets were attached to backpacks, poles, or were on large wagons that were rolled onto set. The cast member who played Rafiki was the only “live” character on set. It’s truly amazing to see the amazing behind the scenes work that cast members did to perform each show every day. This video shown below shows a behind the scenes look of the puppeteers performing scenes from the show. Credit goes to Ana Cabrera for this video. Each puppeteer knew exactly where to stand and where to move to avoid hitting the other cast members. Each puppet required 1–8 cast members to manage.
The sets of the show were very large, thus requiring a large stage to produce the show. The stage itself was 125 feet long to accommodate these large sets. For example, the Pride Rock was 18 feet tall to mimic the size and perspective of the animals in the film. The sets were very detailed, as the show opened within weeks of the movie being released. The producers and art directors utilized artificial foliage to help portray the scenery to depict the African pride lands. With the opening of the show so close to release date, it was vital to have the show serve as a replica for fans may have seen one, but not the other.
The show featured hit songs such as “Circle of Life”, “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”, “Be Prepared”, “Hakuna Matata”, and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” As stated previously, clips from the movie helped supplement some of the scenes and also transitioned the show in between acts.
So why did the show ultimately end? With the opening of Animal Kingdom in 1998, the hit live action show, The Festival of The Lion King, attracted many guests. It was a booming success (even to this day) with the use of more live performers, extravagant costumes, and use of colorful puppetry similar to the hit Broadway show. With the opening of the brand-new park and musical, fewer guests were interested in the show. It is also speculated that the puppeteers were harder to cast and there were few puppeteers working in the company. It ultimately closed on February 23, 2002 to make way for Mickey’s Philharmagic. What happened to the puppets? According to Legend of The Lion King Wiki Page, some of the puppets were shipped to Disneyland Paris to be used in the Animagique. Others were on display in the film and movie props section in Disney’s Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that closed in 2014. It is currently unknown of their whereabouts.
Since we can no longer enjoy this show in the parks, the memory lives on forever on YouTube. I have linked the full show down below. A big thanks to DisneyRob for sharing the Disney magic with us all!
Have you ever seen the Legend of The Lion King? What was your favorite part of the show? If not, what’s your favorite live action show at the Disney Parks? Reply in the comments below!
Erin is a guest columnist for the Boardwalk Times
