Get Ready to Roar! Celebrate 30 Years of The Lion King at Animal Kingdom

June 12, 2024

Get Ready to Roar! Celebrate 30 Years of The Lion King at Animal Kingdom

Calling all fans of The Lion King! The roar-some celebration of the movie’s 30th anniversary has arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Until September 6th, get ready for unforgettable experiences – from character meet-and-greets with Simba and Timon to delicious themed treats and exclusive merchandise. There’s even more “Hakuna Matata” magic waiting for you at Disney!

‘Lion King’ Characters at Animal Kingdom

During “The Lion King” 30th anniversary celebration at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can meet favorite characters Timon and Rafiki at Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. You can take the train to Conservation Station by entering near the exit of Kilimanjaro Safaris in the park and the My Disney Experience app has details on when both characters are available this summer.

At Conservation Station, you can also learn to draw other favorite characters from “The Lion King” at Animation Experience.

New ‘Lion King’ Anniversary Treats

There are new, limited time delights featuring characters from the film, including Simba, Rafiki, Timon and Zazu.

The big (and adorable) Simba Paw Cookie is a perfect summer treat and can be found at outdoor food carts throughout the park during the celebration.

Another themed must-try is the You Follow Old Rafiki Cheesecake! This dessert is a combination of passion fruit mango cheesecake with a coconut-lime crust, vanilla bean chantilly, and a chocolate medallion on top.

Rafiki’s Squash Banana shake with squash bananas, baobab fruit, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom is another must try this summer. You can find it at Tiffins Restaurant along with the Remember Who You Are “The Lion King” 30th Anniversary Dessert (above, right).

The Remember Who You Are at Tiffins Restaurant is Kenyan coffee mousse filled with caramelized bananas, chai chantilly, banana-caramel sauce, chocolate-coffee crumble, chocolate decoration, and a sugar sun.

The Simba at Eight Spoon Cafe is a mango-flavored slushy combined with grenadine and topped with two gummy candies. And Timon’s Luau is a unique dessert that pays homage to Timon’s iconic hula from the film.

Timon’s Luau – which can be found at Isle of Java in the park – features vanilla chiffon, passion fruit curd, guava jam, vanilla chantilly cream, and an edible tropical flower for the lei and mint for the hula skirt.

The Zazu Ice Cream Sandwich will likely be one of your favorites all summer as well. As you can see, vanilla ice cream is sandwiched between two blue cake-coated sugar cookies with a chocolate medallion on top. You can find this treat at Tamu Tamu refreshments.

New ‘Lion King’ Merchandise You’ll Want, ASAP

For the anniversary celebration, in addition to the Pumbaa popcorn bucket, there’s also a special merchandise collection. The new items and gear are perfect for a visit to our iconic “The Festival of the Lion King” show.

This special collection includes an amazing sweatshirt for adults with Simba silhouetted against the setting sun and “The Lion King” logo as well as a blue and white tie-dye youth zip hoodie. The colorful “Hakuna Matata” ear headband also celebrates 30 years.

You’ll also notice new items include a trendy fanny pack, a youth shirt and short set that features Simba, Nala, Pumbaa and Timon silhouetted on both and an adult yellow sweatshirt featuring favorite characters as well.

You can find these special items and more during the celebration at Island Mercantile in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

“The Festival of the Lion King,” which is a larger-than-life show based on the classic movie, has even more magic during the anniversary celebration with MagicBand+ this summer.

Your MagicBand+ will come to life with dancing lights and haptic vibrations during key moments throughout the show.

Ready to celebrate The Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Contact me today to start planning your visit! I am a travel agent with Destinations to Travel, my services are FREE, and I’d love to help you plan a magical vacation.

Get Ready to Roar! Celebrate 30 Years of The Lion King at Animal Kingdom 1

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Sara

Sara is a travel agent with Destinations to Travel, a Disney Earmarked agency. She lives in Alaska with her husband and 3 kids. Due to her extreme dislike of winter, she travels often to warmer destinations during the colder months. She visits the Disney parks and resorts frequently with her family and loves helping other families plan magical vacations. Contact her here for help with your vacation!