The Lion King (franchise)
The Lion King is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. The success of animated original 1994 American feature film, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to a direct-to-video sequel and prequel, a photorealistically animated remake in 2019, a 2024 prequel/sequel to the 2019 film, a television film sequel, two spin-off television series, three educational shorts, several video games, merchandise, and the third-longest-running musical in Broadway history, which garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical. The franchise is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The franchise as a whole has EGOT-ed, meaning it has won the four biggest awards of American show business.
The franchise mainly revolves about a pride of lions who oversee a large swath of African savanna as their "kingdom" known as the Pride Lands, with their leader Simba watching over it as "king". The first three animated feature films are widely known for being influenced by the works of William Shakespeare, as well as other works based on his material. It is one of Disney's most lucrative franchises, with earnings estimated to be exceeding $11.6 billion as of 2019.Films
Traditionally animated feature films
''The Lion King''
The Lion King is the original film of the franchise. It was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, premiered in selected cities on June 15, 1994, and widely released in theaters on June 24 by Walt Disney Pictures. The Lion King belongs to an era known as the Disney Renaissance. The plot of the film is influenced by William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, and is believed to have been inspired by Osamu Tezuka's 1960s Japanese anime series Kimba the White Lion.''Around the World with Timon and Pumbaa''
The series The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa had a direct-to-video film named Around the World with Timon and Pumbaa, with Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella reprising their roles as Timon and Pumbaa respectively. The story tells of Pumbaa getting struck by lightning, losing all his memory, and Timon helps refrain every moment they spent. After Pumbaa gets his memory back, lightning strikes Timon losing his memory this time, making Pumbaa break the fourth wall by telling the viewers to rewind the tape to start at the beginning, being it was the only way to help Timon remember. Several episodes from the series are featured in this film. Aside from this film, two other DVDs, Dining Out... and On Holiday... are an hour compilation of other episodes of the series. No DVDs have been released in the U.S. but were released on VHS.''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride''
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on VHS in the United States on October 27, 1998. It was directed by Darrell Rooney and co-directed by Rob LaDuca. It was first released on DVD as a limited issue on November 23, 1999, and placed into moratorium until it was again released on DVD on August 31, 2004, when it was a two-disc special edition. The plot of this animated film is heavily influenced by another Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet.''The Lion King 1½''
The Lion King 1½, also known as The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata in some countries, is the second and final direct-to-video installment of the film series. It was directed by Bradley Raymond and released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on February 10, 2004. The film is a chronologically concurrent sequel to the first film, focusing on Timon and Pumbaa. It was somewhat influenced by Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, in which the title characters are seen in every major event of Hamlet.''The Lion Guard'' television movies
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar is a television movie that premiered on November 22, 2015, serving as a pilot for The Lion Guard television series, which debuted in early 2016 on Disney Junior. Return of the Roar was directed by Howy Parkins and written by Ford Riley. The film focuses on Simba and Nala's cub Kion, who as second-born to the throne, becomes leader of the Lion Guard, a group that protects the Pride Lands and defends the Circle of Life. As leader of the Lion Guard, Kion is gifted with a power called the Roar of the Elders which when used, causes the great lion spirits of the Pride Lands' past to roar with him. Going against tradition, Kion chooses non-lions to be members of his guard; his friends Bunga the honey badger, Ono the egret, Beshte the hippo, and Fuli the cheetah.''The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar''
A television movie, or extended episode, which premiered on July 29, 2017, on Disney Channel during season 2 of The Lion Guard. As the dry season begins, the Lion Guard continues to protect the Pride Lands, and Rafiki takes on an apprentice named Makini. Meanwhile, Janja the hyena and his clan, along with their new ally Ushari the cobra, orchestrate events that allow them to summon the spirit of Scar in order to defeat the Lion Guard and take over the Pride Lands.''The Lion Guard: Battle for the Pride Lands''
A television movie which premiered on August 3, 2019, on Disney Channel during season 3 of The Lion Guard. In the film, Scar enacts the final stage of his plan against the Pride Lands, and the Lion Guard begin a final battle with him which dovetails into the events which separate the Lion Guard from the rest of the Pride Lands during the events of Simba's Pride.Photorealistic CGI animated feature films
''The Lion King''
A photorealistic computer-generated imagery remake of The Lion King was directed by Jon Favreau and produced through his production company Fairview Entertainment. The film's voice cast features Donald Glover as Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Beyoncé as Nala, Alfre Woodard as Sarabi, John Oliver as Zazu, John Kani as Rafiki, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa, and James Earl Jones reprised his role as Mufasa. The remake was released on July 19, 2019.''Mufasa: The Lion King''
A follow-up film titled Mufasa: The Lion King was directed by Barry Jenkins, from a screenplay by and Jeff Nathanson, who returned from the 2019 film. While it has been referred to as a prequel, the film is set after the events of the 2019 film while also exploring Mufasa's formative years. Aaron Pierre voiced young Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. voiced young Scar. The film was released in December 2024.Other films
''Black Is King''
A visual companion to the 2019 Beyoncé soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift, curated by the singer herself for the film The Lion King. The film tells the story of a young African prince who is exiled from his kingdom after his father's death, as an allegory for the African diaspora's journey of discovering, reclaiming and celebrating their culture and heritage, which is echoed by the inclusion of spoken-word poetry that focuses on the question of black identity. It was directed by Beyoncé herself, Emmanuel Adjei, Blitz Bazawule, Pierre Debusschere, Jenn Nkiru, Ibra Ake, Dikayl Rimmasch and Jake Nava. The film was released globally on Disney+ in 2020.Television series
''The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa''
The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa is a spin-off cartoon series that follows the adventures of Timon and Pumbaa. The show ran for three seasons, airing on the syndicated block The Disney Afternoon and CBS in the United States, and BBS in Canada from September 8, 1995, to November 1, 1998. It had Bobs Gannaway and Tony Craig serving as the executive producers for the first two seasons. As of Season 3, the show was produced by Chris Bartleman and Blair Peters, with Tedd and Patsy Cameron-Anasti serving as the executive producers. Since February 8, 2009, this show was no longer on the air, but returned along with some other favorites on March 23, 2012, for a limited time, as part of the new Disney Jr. TV channel. The series uses fast-paced slapstick comedy in order to convey life lessons to young viewers.''The Lion Guard''
A second TV show called The Lion Guard premiered on Disney Junior and Disney Channel; it first appeared as a television movie called The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar which debuted on November 22, 2015, followed by a series which began airing on January 15, 2016. A preschool-oriented spin-off, the series was developed by Ford Riley, who also serves as writer and executive producer. It centers around Simba and Nala's second-born cub Kion, who becomes leader of the Lion Guard, a team that protects the Pride Lands and defends the Circle of Life. As leader of the Lion Guard, Kion is gifted with a power called the Roar of the Elders which when used, causes the great lion spirits of the Pride Lands' past to roar with him. The Lion Guard is a sequel to The Lion King and takes place during the time-gap within the 1998 film, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, with the last two episodes of Season 3 taking place after the events of that film. Various characters from the first two films also make appearances in the show, including Kiara, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, and Mufasa. New characters Bunga the honey badger, Ono the egret, Beshte the hippo, and Fuli the cheetah are Kion's friends and members of his Lion Guard.Shorts
''Find Out Why''
Find Out Why is a short educational series that features Timon and Pumbaa answering science questions like why there is lightning, why pandas don't live in deserts, why there is wind, and why an airplane flies. These shorts are for educational purposes at schools, non-residential and residential uses for people, including students and kids everywhere in the world.