Opening July of 1994, the Legend of the Lion King was a show in the Fantasyland Theater, once home to The Mickey Mouse Revue and Magic Journeys.
After waiting in a holding area, guests were ushered into the preshow where they were met by Rafiki. Instead of an animatronic, Rafiki was an actor in a costume that featured a mouth moving along with the narration (a unique feature at the time). After Rafiki’s introduction, and a short retelling of the story of Simba, a “Circle of Life” music presentation played on a screen behind him.
Following the preshow, guests moved into a large main show theater where they were treated to a puppeteered version of key moments from The Lion King film, similar to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid Show at Hollywood Studios.
The Legend of the Lion King closed in February of 2002 to make way for its replacement, Mickey’s Phillharmagic.
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