Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “The Lion King” returns to theaters next month in honor of the film’s 30th anniversary.
‘The Lion King’ 30th Anniversary
“The Lion King” will return to theaters beginning on July 12, 2024.
Fans can also celebrate the 30th anniversary with limited-time menu items at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, special Pandora jewelry, and 30th anniversary merchandise.
The film was first released on June 15, 1994. It was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff from a screenplay by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Songs were written by Elton John and Tim Rice and the score was composed by Hans Zimmer. Loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” the film follows the young lion Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) as he deals with the death of his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones), and his uncle, Scar (Jeremy Irons), takes over his kingdom. Simba is assisted by meerkat Timon (Nathan Lane), warthog Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), and fellow lion Nala (Niketa Calame and Moira Kelly). Other characters include the mandrill Rafiki (Robert Guillaume), hornbill Zazu (Rowan Atkinson), Simba’s mother Sarabi (Madge Sinclair), and the hyenas (Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings).
It was followed by direct-to-video sequels “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” (1998) and “The Lion King 1½” (2004). There have been two spin-off TV shows: “The Lion King’s Timon & Pumbaa” (1995 – 1999) and “The Lion Guard” (2015 – 2019).
In 2019, Disney released a remake, often referred to as the “live-action” remake although it was mostly photorealistic CGI. Directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, the remake’s story is mostly the same as the original’s. James Earl Jones returned to voice Mufasa alongside JD McCrary and Donald Glover as Simba, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Beyoncé as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Alfre Woodard as Sarabi, John Kani as Rafiki, and John Oliver as Zazu. A prequel to the 2019 remake called “Mufasa: The Lion King” will be in theaters on December 20.
The classic film inspired various theme park shows. First was the puppet show “The Legend of the Lion King” at Magic Kingdom, followed by the ongoing “Festival of the Lion King” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disneyland Resort recently featured “Tale of the Lion King.”
A musical opened in Minnesota in 1997 before moving to Broadway later that year. Performances continue to this day, making it Broadway’s third longest-running show.
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