Lion King Archives

Hakuna Matata. What a wonderful phrase and an even better song. My family has watched The Lion King movie at least 100 times. The story is one of our favorites. Hakuna Matata is my 14-year-old daughter’s favorite thing to say. The story of young Zimba is both inspiring and uplifting.

The Lion King is one of those heartwarming Disney movies that we watch together and feel closer after doing so. It’s super glue for families. We love it in every iteration and we are looking forward to seeing it this spring for the first time ever live on stage.

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Did you know there are 6 indigenous African languages sung and spoken throughout the show:
Swahili, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Congolese? I’ve seen a lot of Broadway musicals in my lifetime and I’ve seen The Lion King production at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom and I’ve got to say,

I can’t wait to see what next-level performance we’ll get to experience at the Lion King Broadway tour.

After 22 landmark years on Broadway, THE LION KING continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 25 global productions have been seen by more than 100 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), THE LION KING has made theatrical history with three productions worldwide running 15 or more years and three others running 20 or more years.

The North American touring productions of THE LION KING have been seen by more than 20 million theatergoers. Having already played more than 80 cities across North America, THE LION KING now proudly makes its premiere engagement in South Bend.

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Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of THE LION KING can currently be seen on Broadway; London’s West End; Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; on tour across North America, Japan, and The U.K. & Ireland, with a separate production touring internationally, for a total of nine productions running concurrently across the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 20 countries on every continent except Antarctica, THE LION KING’S worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.

THE LION KING won six 1998 Tony Awards®: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical. THE LION KING has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy® for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design and now, its coming to a city near you!

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The show’s director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show’s ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award® for Direction of a Musical, Taymor continues to supervise new productions of the show around the world.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from “Rhythm of the Pride Lands,” an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy® Award-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to Lebo M’s rich choral numbers.

Elton John, Lebo M, and Hans Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Julie Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto extraordinary worldwide success.

Disney Theatrical Productions and Broadway Theatre League South Bend are thrilled to announce that tickets for the long-awaited premiere engagement of Disney’s THE LION KING Performances Begin on March 4th and Play for Three Weeks at The Morris Performing Arts Center through March 22nd.

Tickets are available at the Morris Performing Arts Center Box Office windows only. At 10:00 AM, tickets will be available via LionKing.com, at The Morris Performing Arts Center box office, 211 N Michigan St, by visiting BroadwayInSouthBend.com, MorrisCenter.org, or by calling 574.235.9190. Groups of 10+ call 866.314.7687. Tickets start at $31.00. VIP Ticket Packages, which include a prime seat location, a commemorative souvenir program and an exclusive merchandise item, are also available.

For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com.

The performance schedule for Disney’s THE LION KING at the Morris Performing Arts Center.

Week 1

Wednesday, March 4 – 7:30pm

Thursday, March 5 – 2:00pm

Thursday, March 5 – 7:30pm

Friday, March 6 – 8:00pm

Saturday, March 7 – 2:00pm

Saturday, March 7 – 8:00pm

Sunday, March 8 – 1:00pm

Sunday, March 8 – 6:30pm

Week 2

Tuesday, March 10 – 7:30pm

Wednesday, March 11 –7:30pm

Thursday, March 12 – 7:30pm

Friday, March 13 – 8:00pm

Saturday, March 14 – 2:00pm

Saturday, March 14 – 8:00pm

Sunday, March 15 – 1:00pm

Sunday, March 15 – 6:30pm

Week 3

Tuesday, March 17 – 7:30pm

Wednesday, March 18 –7:30pm

Thursday, March 19 – 7:30pm

Friday, March 20 – 8:00pm

Saturday, March 21 – 2:00pm

Saturday, March 21 – 8:00pm

Sunday, March 22 – 1:00pm

Sunday, March 22 – 6:30pm

Please Note: BroadwayInSouthBend.com, MorrisCenter.org, and The Morris Performing Arts Center box office are the only official sources for tickets to the 2019-20 Broadway In South Bend Series. If you purchase tickets through another source, you may pay inflated prices and your tickets will not be guaranteed.

For information and to purchase tickets: https://bit.ly/2NV4ckz

Thank you to the Broadway Theater League for providing me with tickets to see the Lion King Musical and providing a family four-pack for one lucky reader.

Simply leave a comment below telling me who’s is your favorite The Lion King character and why?

One lucky winner will win 4 tickets to the March 4^th opening night production of The Lion King. I will choose a winner randomly on February 29th, 11:59 pm. via rafflecopter Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I remember seeing the animated movie, The Lion King, in theaters in 1994. I was blown away by the story. I’m not ashamed to admit that I wept openly in the theater while young Simba went through some of the most harrowing situations a child, animal or human, ever could; he lost a parent and then lost himself. His life was forever changed. He went from being the proud son of the king of the Jungle; the apple of a pride’s eye to an orphan.

I’ve watched The Lion King movie at list 100 times with my daughters. It’s a family favorite. Hakuna Matata is my 13-year-old’s favorite thing to say. Both girls still laugh their heads off at Timon and Pumba. It’s just one of those heartwarming movies that we love as a family. It’s the kind of movie that you watch together and somehow feel closer after doing so. It’s like magnetized super glue for families; pulling us together and then keeping us there.

You can imagine our excitement when we heard that they were remaking it into a live action version in 2019. We honestly can’t wait to see how they are going to take such an iconic movie and parlay that into live action. How can you take a story that includes animated animals speaking like humans and remake it with real animals without losing the integrity of the movie of coming across as cheesy? Well, leave it to Disney to do it and you will not be disappointed.

I’ve, obviously, not seen the movie yet but if the trailer is any indication of the quality of the upcoming movie, I am excited…jump up and down, can’t wait to take my girls and the Big Guy to see it, excited.

From Disney Live Action, The Lion King will be a drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures, written by Jeff Nathanson, and directed by Jon Favreau. It is a photorealistic computer animated remake of Disney’s traditionally animated 1994 film. The film features the voices of Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Keegan-Michael Key, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa.

Plans for a remake of The Lion King were confirmed in September 2016 following the success of Favreau’s remake of Disney’s 1967 animated film The Jungle Book. Much of the main cast signed on in early 2017 and principal photography began in mid-2017. The film is scheduled to be released on July 19, 2019.

Director Jon Favreau’s all-new “The Lion King” journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

Who else is excited to see the new Disney’s the Lion King?

THE LION KING opens in theatres everywhere on July 19th, 2019

Lion King

Lion King Broadway Musical Giveaway

I can’t wait to see what next-level performance we’ll get to experience at the Lion King Broadway tour.

The performance schedule for Disney’s THE LION KING at the Morris Performing Arts Center.

Thank you to the Broadway Theater League for providing me with tickets to see the Lion King Musical and providing a family four-pack for one lucky reader.

Disney’s the Lion King a First Look and Insider Trailer

Who else is excited to see the new Disney’s the Lion King?