Disneyland Paris guests will soon get to experience the Pride Lands from “The Lion King” with a new ride and surrounding area. Details of the Pride Lands were revealed in the model on display at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
‘The Lion King’ Pride Lands Model
The detailed model reinforces the ride’s striking resemblance to Splash Mountain, which closed to become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom but remains at Tokyo Disneyland. Instead of a large tree stump on the top of the rocky hill, the “Lion King” attraction will have Pride Rock.
The model and concept art feature adult Simba standing on the ledge of Pride Rock.
A log ride vehicle drops from below Pride Rock into a turning river. Despite the Splash Mountain similarities, the exterior flume is not the same layout as that of Splash Mountain.
The hillside is covered with pale grass and large boulders. There are also herds of animals like giraffes and zebras on the hillside.
In front of the ride are winding dirt-brown pathways. In addition to the ride, Pride Lands will have dining, shopping, and character meet and greets.
Details of the model include a feathery marquee above a cave entrance. This could be the entrance to the ride, which is set in the caverns below Pride Rock.
There are more colorful African-inspired decorations throughout the land.
In addition to the caves and caverns, there are manmade-looking structures. These are made of logs and sticks.
There are a couple show buildings hidden by rock structures and trees. These may house character meet and greets or other themed experiences.
Tiny models of people provide a sense of scale for the area. It will be located along Adventure Bay, an expansion of Walt Disney Studios Park that also includes World of Frozen. The park will be renamed Disney Adventure World.
On the right side of the model, brown walls separate the land from a gray swath of land. This may be a backstage area or another section of Disney Adventure World.
Trees and tree-like canopies provide some shade to the land.
One of the stick structures seems to be an awning covering a seating area.
That suggests the other structure will be a quick-service dining location.
Though the concept art (below) suggests the land will take inspiration from the 2019 remake of “The Lion King,” the announcement from Disney suggests it will actually be inspired by the classic 1994 animated film.
World of Frozen will open in 2026 but an opening timeframe for the Pride Lands was not provided. Disney Adventure World will also get a new nighttime spectacular.
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