The Lion King is a 1994 animated musical made by Walt Disney Pictures which is loosely based on William Shakespeare's 1603 play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Summary[]
Jungle Cruise connections[]
Jungle Cruise[]
A removed shield from the headhunter camp in Disneyland showed the logo for the Lion King musical.[1]
Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions[]
The song Circle of Life from the Lion King plays while passing the African veldt in this version of the attraction.
Kilimanjaro Safaris[]
The main Kilimanjaro Safari company jeep of this attraction is called the SIMBA-1 and the Harambe Wildlife Reserve's lion's den is nicknamed Pride Rock. The setting of Harambe's Harambe Theatre is also used for the attraction Festival of the Lion King and its railroad connects to Rafiki's Planet Watch while passing through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. Africa in the Animal Kingdom was also used for the Lion King Scavenger Hunt, where sculptures of Lion King characters were placed around Harambe.[2][3]
Skipper Canteen[]
In the Skipper Canteen's library there is a book titled Hamlet: A Lion's Tale by Shakes Speare. This references the Lion King and its origins as an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Also in the library is a book titled A New Way to Manage Birds by I & Z Management Publications. This book references the attraction The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) with, "I & Z" referencing the birds Iago and Zazu who became the new owners of the Enchanted Tiki Room; Zazu being a character from the Lion King.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom[]
The Lion King themed missions of this attraction involved guests aiding the wizard Merlin and baboon Rafiki in fighting Scar following his resurrection by Hades. At the end of this attraction, Merlin congratulated guests from a Jungle Cruise boat.
Trivia[]
- Most Jungle Cruise mythos references to the Lion King place its characters to being active around the 1990s. This is however inconsistent with the Skipper Canteen references to the Lion King which are required to be set before 1938.