Entertainment at Camp Minnie-Mickey

The main entertainment option at Camp Minnie-Mickey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is the Festival of the Lion King. This production takes place in a theatre that used to be only enclosed at the roof, but has since been completely enclosed and air conditioned due to the extreme heat and storms that take place during the Central Florida summer. This round theatre may not look like it is home to such a production upon entrance, as there are only four sets of bleachers that rise up from the concrete floor and nothing else, but this area comes alive several times a day to produce a show that is worthy to be compared to its Broadway counterparts.

The Festival of the Lion King begins as the four main performers introduce themselves to the crowd as a band of singers who travel with Simba and his friends throughout the land. After some brief fun with members of the audience, the show commences and Simba comes over the speakers to announce that today is a very special day because they have come to town for a big celebration – and you are invited to join in the fun with them!

The procession begins shortly thereafter, and all of the larger-than-life puppets (one of a giraffe, an elephant, and one of Simba and Pumbaa all on parade-like floats), along with the main center stage, stilt walkers, ballet dancers, and all of the other performers dressed as animals quickly fill the theatre and the song “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” is performed. The show takes a slightly silly turn after everyone is in place, as Timon takes over and four men dressed as monkeys turn the stage into their own personal playground. These “Tumble Monkeys” dazzle the crowd with their aerial acrobatics and stunts from the main large stage in the center of the room, which has now turned into a gymnastics paradise, complete with high bars, rings and a trampoline for them to perform their magic on. This stage is the main place where all of the action takes place, as it transforms in between numbers to fit the next act.

Just as every Disney movie features a villain scene, the Festival of the Lion King too takes a luminous turn with its next act. The theatre quickly turns dark and eerie as the lead singer of the band performs the song “Be Prepared” as a fire twirler performs center stage and amazes the crowd by eating the fire and even on some occasions lying on his back and resting the fire baton on his feet in the air. But, never fear, as the show’s direction changes after this one act, with two ballet dancers performing on the center stage as two of the singers sing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” harmoniously followed by a rendition of the “Circle of Life.”

If your child is getting a little restless by this point in the show, there is no need to worry, as the next part is just for them! The “Celebration Finale” features many of the smallest guests right from the audience; that’s right, dancers come around to each section and pick out children to help them with their parade around the stage and to play instruments for this part of the finale (to have the best chance of your child being picked, sit as low in the bleachers as possible and close to the end of your row). After the children take their places back in the audience, what is perhaps the best finale to a show at the Walt Disney World Resort takes place. All of the singers perform excerpts of their previous songs and all of the show’s performers head back to the stage, ending with the culmination of a powerful “Circle of Life” rendition that is sure to leave everyone in the theatre with goose bumps!

The Festival of the Lion King may be one of the highest-rated shows on property, but it justifies the rating with a knock-out performance every time. There truly is something for every age in this show, and its 30-minute length flies by before you know it. Whether you are a fan of the movie or not, this is definitely one of the must-sees at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and your day should be planned around seeing one of these performances. Just check your times guide when you enter the park for that day’s show times, and be sure to arrive at least a half hour early to get some of the best seats in the theatre! Even better yet, this extravagant performance is included with the price of admission into Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. That means that even if you purchase discounted admission tickets with OrlandoFunTickets.com, you won’t pay an extra penny to see this performance once inside the park! And after the show, be sure to head to the Camp Minnie-Mickey Greeting Trails, where all of your favorite Disney characters appear throughout the day. So what are you waiting for – click here to purchase your Walt Disney World Resort tickets today; and while you are here, check out all of the other Central Florida attractions and shows that OrlandoFunTickets.com offers discounted tickets to!