DISNEY’S THE LION KING To Return To London Zoo With Summer Exhibition
Exhibition will run at London Zoo as part of a summer collaboration celebrating the musical’s design and connection to the natural world.
Disney's THE LION KING has announced that following the success of their collaboration in 2025, the show will partner with London Zoo again this summer. The iconic West End production returns with an exhibition celebrating creativity, storytelling and the natural world during June, July and August for daytime visitors and as part of the ever popular Zoo Nights series.
The exhibition tells the story of the award-winning landmark musical, and looks at how its connection to the natural world is expressed through costume design and puppetry. Showcasing masks, puppets and costumes, it gives audiences the rare chance to see them up close and learn about the craftsmanship and artistry behind them. Iconic characters such as Rafiki, Zazu, Mufasa, Simba and Nala will be on display along with other pieces featured in the musical such as textiles and props. The installation will invite audiences behind-the-scenes of the theatrical craft, while reconnecting the story of The Lion King to the real-world landscapes, wildlife and communities that inspired it. It is free to enter the exhibition with tickets to London Zoo.
New for the wrap-around programme in 2026, London Zoo and The Lion King will this year be partnering on expert-led talks exploring African wildlife, conservation and sustainability, details of which will be released in due course.
Julie Taymor's internationally celebrated stage adaptation of The Lion King opened on Broadway in 1997 and 29 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese).
The stunning artistry of the production is the work of a team of designers which drew on diverse cultural influences to recreate the rich colours and vast expanses of the African savanna in this daring and inspiring reinvention of one of the most successful animated feature films of all time.
Julie Taymor, one of the world's most innovative directors, brought a vast array of disciplines to The Lion King, including extensive experience staging epic theatre and opera productions, exploring classic myths through ritualised puppetry, mask, and movement. The Lion King was the first musical Taymor directed in the commercial theatre and she made Broadway history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.
The Broadway show's full creative team, which won five Tony Awards for its work on The Lion King, reunited in 1999 to recreate the show in London. Julie Taymor and Michael Curry created hundreds of masks and puppets.
Scenic design is by British designer Richard Hudson and lighting is by Donald Holder. Costume design is by Julie Taymor, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The book was adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated feature and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay.
The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers. As well as writing completely new songs, South African composer Lebo M created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina.
Elton John and Tim Rice have added three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of the animated film. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award-winning Can You Feel The Love Tonight and the haunting Shadowland.
