Disneyland Paris – The Lion King & Jungle Festival – August 2019

Naaaaaaaants igonyamaaaaaaa bagithi babaaaaa! Yes, we recently got back from the Lion King Festival at Disneyland Paris. A special summer season and what a hot and busy day it was. Luckily, we know our way around the park so read all about facing a summer day at the Paris resort!


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We started our day in Disneyland Park cause we definitely wanted to see the new Lion King Show. So we headed towards Frontierland, cause yes, that’s where the show is located. FastPass plans for Big Thunder Mountain didn’t work out as they were at the same time as the first Lion King show so we went to Indiana Jones et le Temple of Péril instead. After a 20 minute wait and a wild ride on the Intamin classic, we started queuing for the show.

At first, you aren’t allowed to enter the big queue next to the theater so people need to wait at the entrance of the area until the FastPass entrance of Big Thunder Mountain. Then, they start filling up so there is a chance that if you are too far in the back, that you’re actually already queueing for the second show. For us, luckily that was not the case so after a 1 hour wait, it was time!

The theater definitely looks different: firm walls, all indoor and no more supports blocking the view. Once the Cast Members got us all warmed up, the curtains opened for the Circle of Life!

At a very high pace, you jump from one song to the other. All music and no one really speaking. Makes sense as we’re in Paris where people speak dozens of languages. Some songs felt a bit fast, but others where decently performed. Luckily, all songs are in English! It’s interesting how they switch styles too. For example, “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” had a 90’s vibe.

It truly is a spectacle to watch with live singing, acrobatics and dance. My favorite parts however where the songs from the musical: “They Live In You” and “Shadowland”! They really lift up the level compared to former shows where all songs are from the movies only.

Another thing you can’t miss: the lights. Almost every stage shaped as a drum, they light up exactly on the rhythm of the songs. An effect that shows how much effort they put into this transformation. So definitely one of the best shows the park ever had! By the way, do you notice Timon and Pumbaa?

After lunch at Colonel Hati’s, we headed to the Walt Disney Studios as there was one coaster we HAD to do for sure. But before we ended up there, we passed by the construction site of Avengers Campus! We can’t wait for the Spider-Man ride to open in a few years so that there’s finally a new ride from scratch again. But as you can see, there’s still some work to do.

The coaster I talked about: Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster of course! A final ride to remember for sure as it felt faster than usual with lots of smoke effects. Luckily, we’ll see it back in a few years without the current pre-show (that I’m really done with now).

In this final week before the closure, they are handing out free photo frames if you buy at least one item from the shop. There’s also one on display showing all the songs of the area and the ride itself! We had the green train which I like as you end with a smashing “Dude Looks Like A Lady”.

Back in the park, we took time to watch the parade! Honestly, it’s my least favorite parade of the past few years.

Every year, the level went down in my opinion. Some of the floats are pretty stunning, but I liked how the previous ones had binding stories while here it feels a bit forced. The Lion King and Jungle are represented here too though!

Nevertheless, I enjoy seeing it! The floats from Tokyo are pretty amazing and there’s the Paris dragon!

And here’s the stars of the new season after Christmas next year! Starting from January 11thtill May 3rd, Disneyland Park will all about Frozen Celebration!

After many coasters, it time for the dark rides too. Both Pirates of the Caribbean and Phantom Manor really looked stunning. All effects were working in both of them. Especially Phantom Manor delivers since it’s big transformation (took them long enough too).

Next to the Lion King Musical show, there was also the Jungle Book Jive on the Central Plaza, that we missed out, but also a little show called Timon’s MataDance. And guess what, there’s also a Pumbaa character! It definitely looks like the recycled Pumbaa from the former parade float but impressive to see for sure. It’s also one of the few late scheduled shows!

There were also some negative things. At night, it’s really hard to find decent food. Eventually we went to Main Street and had to eat on the floor. After that we went to Buzz Lightyear’s Laser Blast and saw this horribly looking Zurg with only one arm and no eyes… Disneyland Paris’ level went down again the last few months eventhough that they are investing.

And that’s it for this time! Next time we’ll be going to one of the annual passholder events in September with 100 Disney characters!


Thank you for checking out this Disneyland Paris Resort update! Make sure to check out our new podcast episode, as well as our new Disneyland Resort update!

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