Festival of the Lion King

If you’re visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Festival of the Lion King is an absolute must-see. I first watched this show when I was a child and still remembered how moved I felt, so this time I came back to see it again with my husband. And honestly—it was amazing. The singers in particular were outstanding. Their voices were so powerful and beautiful that at the end I found myself completely absorbed, almost forgetting to even clap because I didn’t want to break the moment. Some parts of the show felt just like I remembered, which made it especially nostalgic for me. Walt Disney World isn’t an easy trip from Japan, but if you ever get the chance to visit Animal Kingdom, this is one of those experiences I’d happily watch again.

Love how they let kids participate in the show. Floats, monkeys,bird, fire the best of lion king in a Broadway like musical production which is a favorite And must do if in animal Kingdom

Great show! All the acrobatics are a blast, the flame dancing is really fun to watch, and a little bit of humor thrown in all the kids can enjoy.

Festival of the Lion King is an absolute must-do at Animal Kingdom! This vibrant live show captivates with incredible acrobatics, spirited singing, and fantastic dancing. It's truly a well-produced and engaging experience. Tip: If you have young children, consider using a Lightning Lane pass, as there are many fun, interactive moments with kids near the front.

You must see this show! It is one of the best shows all of Disney World has to offer. From the dancers, to the singers, to the acrobats, this attraction showcases the vast talents of the Disney cast members. While the show is notorious for its section with the Tumble monkey’s (which is very entertaining), the rest of the show is not talked about enough. The vocalists are so powerful and the dancers have a great ability to interact with the audience. Definitely a worthwhile experience!

Ah- what a breathtaking & beautiful show. This show features impressive acrobats, great songs from the movie, and a talented cast. You could skip forward a few years and still see the same people! My only gripe about this is that it’s really hard to secure a seat here. However, the actual show is worthwhile! The monkey dancers, bird actors, and the four main actors are all great, but the be prepared section is the best part! You’ll hear great music, and an impressive fire acrobat that’ll leave you amazed yet unsettled. Overall, is worth watching and securing that lighting lane!

Interactive and cool sing along and performance of the Lion king! There is of course a lot of singing, dancing, and they even have parade floats! Pretty cool

Best show at Disney Parks. It has been condensed down a bit, and it was better before, but it's still something you should not miss when visiting Animal Kingdom.

The wait queue for this show was unbelievable. We came 30 minutes early for the 1 pm show and didn't make it in and had to stay in the line for the 2 pm show. Fortunately we made it for the 2 pm show and got to watch it. The presentation is an approximately 25 minute parade related to the lion king. They have animatronic animals, fire dancers, actors in costumes and singing. Overall a quality show but they should have reservation capacity limits for attendees to the Parks so that these ridiculous waiting lines are not happening. My favorite parts of the show were the fire dancing and the cirque du Soleil style acrobatics. The singing was also quite good.

I've never seen this show before in all my trips to Animal Kingdom so when I was there and with the last show being in 20 minutes, why not? While The Lion King is not my favorite Disney movie I really enjoyed the Broadway musical when it came to Jacksonville. Disney influencers I follow said the show was pretty good so off we went. The show was actually a welcome relief because it was hot and sitting in some A/C was great. We sat in the Giraffe area and did the animal noises when it was called for. Let's be real, Timon and Pumbaa were the best part of the show. The tumbling monkeys were cool, the fire dancer was great, and the dancing birds with one of them being spun around in the air was awesome but the duo hold a special place in everyone's heart. Definitely glad we got to see this.

This show is located inside Disney's Animal Kingdom, and you do need a park ticket and a park reservation to see it. This is the BEST Disney show on property, in my opinion. It is located over in Africa, very close to the Safari ride. They finally built themselves a theatre a few years ago. It is a pretty large theatre, has lots of seating and is really cool inside. This is the perfect place for a summer sit down when you are so hot! I absolutely love this show! We see it every time we visit the park. It is the Lion King. Singing, dancing, tumbling, fire dancer, more singing, more dancing, it has it all. It is one of a kind because the stage comes out from the back and gets set up as the show is going on. It is literally so smooth you do not even notice. You are just engrossed in the singing and dancing. The cast members are always so enthusiastic, they are all dressed as animals, and they really get into it. They tell the story of the Lion King in a 30-minute show. The show starts with 4 singers and then goes into a tumbling act, followed by a Hawaiin Luau inspired fire set, then some high flying routine and ends with lots of singing and lots of dancing. The best part of the show to me, is when the dancers pull kids out to dance with them around the stage. It is always so fun to see their faces light up and be apart of the show. This show can be dark and is very loud. I always see small kids and babies absolutely freak out and have to leave. Just know that it is going to be very loud. But if you have time, I 1000000% recommend heading over and seeing this show once or maybe even more during the summer. It is by far the best show on Disney property.

This is one of my favorite things to see in Animal Kingdom. Lion King is one of my favorite Broadway musicals and Disney managed to bring it to life in a half hour show. The enthusiasm of all the cast members is infectious. The singers have great voices, the monkeys do a great act and all the singers and dancers are interesting to watch and listen to. Loved seeing kids brought out of the audience for the finale. Great show which shouldn't be missed.

I feel like this is probably one of the biggest attractions in this park. Plenty of seating and they have always been fairly well packed when I've been here. Always best to get in line early for this one as it fills up quickly. We sat in the front row and had a great view of everything. Even some of the performers in it I remember from 12 plus years ago. They put on a wonderful performance that is wonderfully entertaining. We were lucky enough to sit in the lion section but there is excellent entertainment through all four sections of the audience as the performers work to include the audience for certain things. I would definitely recommend making time for this one on your visit.

Festival of the Lion King is a captivating show that brings the beloved characters to life! The performances are energetic, and the acrobatics add an exciting flair. The costumes and set design are impressive, creating a visually stunning experience. Deducting one star because seating can be a bit cramped. Nevertheless, it's a must-see for Disney fans of all ages, combining music, storytelling, and spectacle in a memorable way

It's a fun show and perfect to get out of the heat. They play all the Lion King songs which is fun.

This dancing and singing show brings back memories of the original Lion King movie - a personal favorite. A mix of puppets, animatronics and human singers and dancers, this is a mix of movie tunes and a few added new scores. The smooth moving animatronics of Simba and the elephant especially show off how much advancement technology has become over the years, as the heads are able to sway, bob and weave smoothly - very entertaining. The down side? Tired and cranky kids all around. We went to the 4 PM showing, and kids and parents were at the end of their patience ropes, and it was very apparent.

This is my favorite show in Animal Kingdom. As a 90s kid, the Lion King is core memories and a comfort movie for me. The show brings the magic of the movie to life and puts a beautiful spin on the music we know and love. The Simba/Pumbaa/Timon additions add to the fun, and I love watching the animal puppets dancing around and vibing to the music as the performances are going on.

One of the better shows available here at animal kingdom for the kids. Inside a a building so it's cooled and makes it enjoyable. Show is decent but could be a better if they had maybe crowd interaction with the kids. Overall it was okay.

I love this show so much! The actors and performers are incredibly talented and the music is amazing! Best show by far! :)

I'm reviewing this for the Mammoth Club. Justice for the Festival of the Lion King!! :)

Prior to the shutdown, this show as a 5 star show and one of the very best in all of Walt Disney World. The re-imagined "Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King" is a letdown. Even with the updated animatronics and improved Timon. The original show featured a set with acrobatic tumblers who performed as monkeys. They were the highlight of the original show, really energetic and entertaining. All of their apparatus is still suspended from the ceiling and I presume their trampoline is still mounted to the bottom of the large stage that's rolled out to the center of the stage. Secondly, the two birds who currently do a dance number on the stage was formerly an aerial number with the female (and possibly male) dancer performing aerial sequences. Now they just dance on the stage and it's a very slow, not nearly as entertaining number as it once was. The animatronics have been greatly updated since the last time we saw the show. Simba's movements are quite lifelike, Pumba and the Giraffe sway and sing along with the music. Timon has the new animated eyes and mouth making him much more lifelike. Overall it's still a decent show, the singers and performers are still amazing. And you're in air conditioning for 25 minutes so that's a good thing in the Florida heat. No clue why those two aerial aspects got cut, but the energy was sorely missed as the show felt very short and abrupt without the tumblers.

This is the Best Show! Highlight of our Disney Trip. We saw it twice while we were there.

This show was fantastic! Really a great performance by all involved. They've got selections from all of the songs from the movie and they presented it very well. The wait time wasn't bad and it's a perfect opportunity to get into some air conditioning and take a break from the sun. If you're a fan of the Lion King or musicals in general - don't miss this!

New version of the same show - still excellent. We have seen this show several times prior to COVID. It is always enjoyable. I believe they stopped it during COVID and just recently re-opened it. We went to see it recently (July 2021) and were pleasantly surprised. They have kept the singing and dancing and the overall show the same. For those of you that remember the original show, there is no more high-wire act and no more monkey gymnastics. Even with the differences, it is a wonderful show with good viewing from all seats in the theaters. I highly recommend going to see it if you are in the park.

Disney's biggest disappointment: Prior to COVID this truly was the coolest and most talented show of Disney's live performers. However, now that they removed the tumbling, flipping, and all acrobatic performers it is the biggest disappointment as my expectations were extremely high. The actors that performed were talented; just the expectation and acrobatic performers not participating was a HUGE let down. I'm so disappointed.