Disneyland is offering a production of The Lion King that has never been done before. Since its debut in 1994, the animated film has been adapted for the stage as an award-winning Broadway musical and reimagined in a 2019 live-action film. But Tale of The Lion King brings the story to life in a way unlike ever before. The show was originally birthed in 2019, but amid the coronavirus pandemic, shows of course were halted. Luckily, now that the world is opened back up, Disneyland attendees have an added treat with this show. Narrated from Simba’s point of view, the 30-minute live show uses the cast as actual people versus having them become chameleons in the form of animals and puppets.
It’s celebratory of African culture as evidenced through the music, choreography, and costumes incorporated into the production. Also noticeable is the all-Black cast, which Associate Show Director Paul Bryant says was only fitting. But what Bryant is most excited about is how much the show differs from the way it’s been told previously. For those who may have had the pleasure to see the Broadway show, Bryant promises it’s nothing like it.
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“It’s not [like the original or the play]. And the thing that we’re so proud of is the fact that we are telling the same story but in a different way with this whole storytelling aspect of the story. It’s not like we’re not trying to be the animals within the cast,” Bryant told us firmly during an interview at an advanced live showing of the production. “We’re not trying to necessarily turn into puppets or all of that other fun stuff either. And even in some of our other resorts where we have The Lion King or whatever the titles may be and all those shows, there are aspects of people trying to pretend to be animals. And our main goal was not to even go down that road. Instead, we wanted to be storytellers, where you can sit around the campfire and tell a story and keep everyone engaged. This story is different than any other version of The Lion King, no matter if it’s on Broadway or in Hong Kong, Florida, or Paris – I think they have one as well. But it’s all the same story. But I like the fact that in our cast, they are people, they’re human beings who have been telling this story time and time again. And every time you tell it, it changes a little bit.”
The difference between the original 2019 production is also the brand new choreography from the Wilson brothers, Kevin and Marcel, who are icons in the Broadway realm, as well as the live pop world having curated choreography for the likes of Janet Jackson and Britney Spears.
“Kevin and I come from such a versatile background in dance and we love all different styles of dance. So we definitely wanted to incorporate that in Tale of The Lion King. We had the hip-hop, the jazz, the contemporary, all of these styles of dance helping to further the story as people watch the show,” Marcel told us.
Kevin loved the ability to use the live music to his advantage to make the dancing even better. “We even incorporate tap dance. You didn’t see necessarily tap in there with actual tap shoes per se, but what we use is the benefit of tap dance was the musicality, the rhythm, and the timing that was offered,” he added.
Cosmetologist Shemika Draughan, who specializes in braiding and highly textured hair care, is the mastermind behind the hair and makeup of the cast, all inspired by the African diaspora’s tradition. For Draughan, having a young daughter who beams with excitement over the cast’s hair because she sees a true representation of herself was the icing on the cake. The show fits right into Disneyland’s Celebrate Soulfully campaign, a dedication to bringing Black culture to park attendees.
Tale of The Lion King gives audience members a traditional theater experience with a specially crafted menu from Disneyland Chef, Natalie Willingham. Just as in a traditional theater, there are beverages and small bites/snacks offered. But this time around, the food is an embodiment of African culture.
Guests will dine on perfectly seasoned curry chicken over kale and sweet potatoes yam coupled with non-alcoholic libations with infusions of sweet tea, lemon, and ginger. The Caribbean flavors and element is something Chef Natalie heavily researched to bring the food and show together seamlessly.
“It was kind of the region of Africa. So, it’s actually Malawian spices. Malawi is a region in Africa. We actually tried a bunch of different curries and different spices,” she explained. “We were using a Berber spice as well that you will see with Ethiopian cuisine and you can turn both of those into a curry. But we did prefer the Malawian. And with that, I just added a coconut chicken, kale, sweet potato, and all that. And it was just items that you will find in Africa. So again, it was based on the region, and how they were doing it. And then we did our own little twist on it.
The show is currently running four times a day Thursday through Monday at Fantasyland Theatre in Disneyland Park. Check Disneyland.com or the Disneyland app for specific showtimes.
