Festival of The Lion King--Animal Kingdom

For me, Festival of The Lion King is worth the ticket price to Animal Kingdom. The show is phenomenal! Where else will you get fantastic singing, gymnastics, dancing on land and in air, stilt walkers, large animatronic puppets, fire, water falls, audience participation, and a story all in one show? Of course, all the favorite Lion King songs are included in the show while Timon and Pumba host the festivities.

The theater is located in Camp Minnie Mickey in Animal Kingdom and there are several shows throughout the day. Check the park map and Times Guide to plan which performance you will see while at Animal Kingdom. The show is performed in the "round" so there is seating on all four sides of the theater. The view is good from any seat in the house! The only difference will be what animal your portion of the theater represents. I won't tell you any more about that and let it be a surprise.

After being immersed in Festival of the Lion King the first time, I figured out why the Walt Disney World Resort hosts so many high school gymnastic, dance, band, and cheerleading competitions throughout the year. Disney is searching for performers to add to their payroll--many of whom may end up in Festival of the Lion King. Disney is the largest on-site entertainment employer in the world! And a former Festival of the Lion King performer was just nominated for a Tony Award on Broadway. That's the caliber of performers we're talking about here.

We try to hit the first performance of the day. The boy has been selected to parade and play an instrument in the show's finale twice. See photo above and last photo in the post.

The elephant is one of the large animatronic puppets. Find him during the show and watch the water fall.

Here are some of the dancers/singers. Check out the fantastic costumes. They each represent an animal from the savanah.

Pumba makes plenty of comments from his perch. His best line comes when the show is over and it is time to leave. I won't say any more than that--just let it be a funny surprise. And, don't be surprised if your child continues to repeat what Pumba says throughout the rest of the day!

The boy is pictured above during his debut in Festival of the Lion King. There is lots of audience participation throughout the show. And, I just can't stop myself from swaying, clapping, smiling, and singing along during the show.

Festival of the Lion King gets six thumbs up from the Williams Family. I hope you get a chance to catch the show the next time you are at Disney Animal Kingdom.