The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl celebrates the enduring legacy of “The Lion King” in a concert special coming to Disney+ on Friday, February 7, 2025.
This live-to-film concert experience, which was arguably much better in person than in this filmed replay, includes epic performances with a 70-person orchestra, a troupe of skillful dancers, and state-of-the-art projection mapping images shown across the iconic stage. The Hollywood Bowl transformed into the Pride Lands for an immersive concert event featuring a reunion of the original voice cast alongside performances by cast members of the iconic Broadway show, with some special guests.
Originally filmed at a concert that took place in May of 2024, the event celebrates 30 years of this Oscar and Tony Award-winning global phenomenon that has been brought to life through animation, the Broadway stage, live action and beyond. If, for whatever reason, you’ve made it 30 years without any exposure to The Lion King, I have to wonder… how? But don’t worry, the special concert features an intro from Elton John sharing how such an original story (emphasis on Original Story) expanded into the global cultural phenomenon it has become.
Personally, The Lion King is one of my favorite films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, and something I am personally and emotionally attached to. This entire concert is a celebration of that film and how it evolved. Fans, especially of the animated original, will enjoy the transition moments between each song or performance where they discuss the process, the characters, or even the origins of the original production, when it was called “King of the Jungle.” Later, these segments evolve into the Broadway adaptation of The Lion King, and costumes, props, and puppets of which can be seen throughout the concert special.
The bulk of this concert though, is of course, the musical performances. Cast (Original Animated, Live-Action, and Broadway) and performers Lebo M, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Billy Eichner, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, Bradley Gibson, and Heather Headley all take the stage for performances of the songs from the film. Some of these songs are truly for The Lion King die-hards, some being abandoned concepts that later appeared exclusively in the Broadway adaptation (or even lesser-known animated shorts).
A lot has happened in the last year, and anybody who uses social media may have already forgotten about the viral performance of North West, singing “I Just Can’t Wait to be King.” Anything I could possibly say about this has already been said, and said again, and shared on Instagram or Tik Tok, and then said again. Summarized – it was the low point of this whole spectacle, and it can now be seen once again on Disney+, and this time in 4k.
It should also be noted that this performance was moved around in the lineup as opposed to how it was viewed by the live audience. While there is no official reason why, I can only think that the performance so early in the Disney+ version (which would have been the second song of the show) would lead to audiences just hitting the back button to return to the menu and pick a different title for their viewing pleasure. This move might have also been even more detrimental to the performance, as it is now preceded by much of the original cast of the film and Broadway talent, making West’s appearance even more jarring. Given the viral feedback upon the original performance, I’m surprised this was left in at all, but I also understand that it would have been a worse move to leave this particular song on the cutting room floor.
Making up for this, and what should have been the finale in my opinion, is the absolutely stunning performance of “Endless Night” as performed by Broadway Simba Bradley Gibson. If we’re already out of order here, why not close with it, you know? This is truly the only moment in this taping that emotionally affected me in any way and immersed me into the show. Standout performances are also made by Jennifer Hudson, who has a personal connection to The Lion King, having previously performed “Circle of Life” early in her career aboard the Disney Wonder, and later on American Idol where Elton John himself praised her talent. Heather Headley also stuns with her rendition of “Shadowland.”
Others will also enjoy the fun of seeing Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella (Timon and Pumbaa, respectively) together on stage singing Hakuna Matata, even if Jason Weaver (original singing voice of young Simba) felt slightly out of place. It was still a nice moment to see the three of them together for the first time. However, if you were secretly hoping for Matthew Broderick to appear in the adult Simba transition – you’ll be as disappointed as I was.
Nathan Lane takes the stage once again a bit later to assist Billy Eichner (Timon in the 2019 adaptation) for some rousing audience participation. This is where the big issue with this concert special reveals itself. Audience participation works with a live audience that can, you know, participate. While this example is the most egregious, other moments show the cast running through the crowd, interacting with everyone and focusing on the crowd instead of what’s happening on stage. Perhaps worse, while viewers might HEAR a roaring crowd clapping and giving their standing o’s, thanks to some lesser editing they will SEE folks sitting with their hands on their legs or holding their phones with their mouths shut.
When it comes to pre-taped concert viewing, this Disney Adult thinks of the old Sebastian’s Party Gras or Sebastian’s Caribbean Jamboree VHS tapes (Google it), that bring the party and concert home to partake there, perfect for repetitive viewings that will occur so often they wear down the magnetic tape (not speaking from experience or anything). Sadly, this special evokes a feeling not of celebration, but envious “well I bet this was better live” feelings. Outside of this, one might even think, “Didn’t I see this already?” thanks to pervasive reels and moments that spread throughout their social media feeds almost a year ago. Either way, these thoughts will potentially get viewers to abandon their screening midway through, even if they’re the most die-hard fan of all things The Lion King. I give this concert special 2.5 out of 5 dancing hyenas stealing the hats of crowd members.
You can check it out for yourself when The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl debuts on Disney+ on February 7th.