Live Lion King Show Coming to Disneyland Resort

Disney California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort will soon premiere Tale of the Lion King, a "highly-theatrical" limited time outdoor musical production featuring live performers.

Found at the Palisades Stage, the story-theatre production features an 18-performer ensemble, the Storytellers of the Pride Lands, a traveling troupe of singers, dancers, and live drummers who specialize in retelling stories in a contemporary style.

Scenic, prop and costume designs celebrate the spirit of Africa as the storytellers present a new adaptation of the story seen first in Disney's 1994 animated classic, now celebrating its 25th anniversary across Disney parks worldwide, and the Jon Favreau-directed re-imagining, in theaters July 19.

Many of the songs associated with the beloved classic will be represented with all-new musical arrangements, which Disney says creates a score "with elements we associate with the emotional sweep of the original compositions, yet focused on the vocal performances of the actors and music from the drummers to drive a unique percussive sound."

"This is a brand new adaptation of this wonderful story that we all love so dearly," says Disney Parks Live Entertainment Creative Director Susana Tubert in a behind-the-scenes video.

"The approach that we've taken is that this is a story that was passed on from generation to generation and now it has come here to Disney California Adventure park. And so it's a group of storytellers that we call the Storytellers of the Pride Lands, and they've come to share this ancestral story of how this little cub became a king."

Tale of the Lion King boasts "a real true flavor of the authenticity of the spirit of Africa," Tubert adds, promising the show will be "uniquely Disney and culturally effective."

"And this is important to us, that we bring the flavor, the spirit of the culture, in a way that moves people and also celebrates the great stories of the Walt Disney Company," Tubert says.

Tale of the Lion King will run for a limited time at Disney California Adventure park beginning June 7. The Lion King, starring Donald Glover, Beyoncé, and James Earl Jones, roars into theaters July 19.