Festival of the Lion King Archives ~ My Dreams of Disney

A Special Circle of Life

June 12, 2014 by Mike Ellis

My wife loves Giraffes, and I think this set piece is great in the Festival of the Lion King!

Hi Guys it’s me, Sophie, and is it a coincidence that the inspiration for this post again came from my band class? I’m guessing that my school is a Disney loving Cougar Nation. So, this time I’m showing you a video that, with the help of Coach Snarey and Kevin (the band’s future drum player), my class created. It’s ~~an imitation~~ our version of the “Circle of Life” song from The Lion King. We made it because my band teacher, Mrs. Rackley, was planning on going to Disney World to “hunt down” all the musical attractions but The Festival of The Lion King was closed so when it reopened she announced it to the class and somehow Coach Snarey started recording something that eventually evolved into an imitation of the “Circle of Life”.

Funny huh? The reason you didn’t see me in there was because I was “behind the scenes”. I played the sun/very-dim-glow-that-didn’t-even-shine-on-kevin/simba-very-well. You could see me in there a few times. I was the girl in the lime green shirt around the edges of the video. I give a shout-out to all of my band-mates!!! You Rock! Well that does it for me have an Awesome Summer Vacation and I can’t wait to find something else to write about!

11 Days: Festival of the Lion King

June 4, 2014 by Mike Ellis

It’s back! After a closure of many months to move it from it’s old location to a new location because of Avatarland, the Festival of the Lion King is back! It was re-opened on June 1st, according to the Disney Parks Blog, and I for one can not wait to see it again! When it comes to shows at Walt Disney World, in my opinion there are three big ones — Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo – The Musical, and Beauty and the Beast, Live on Stage. They are all so good, I really have a hard time deciding which one I like best!

Festival of the Lion King can now be seen in the brand new Harambe Theater, which is located in the Africa section of the park. While I don’t know yet what, if anything, will be different about the show, I do have fond memories of the old show, so I hope that things are just as good with the new show! Here are some pictures I had taken previously:

Now I’ve got a couple of questions for you. For starters, do you like the Festival of the Lion King show, or do you skip it? Second, do you think the show will be much different, or about the same as before? And third, when do you think you’ll be able to see it next? Thanks for stopping by, and please leave your comments for me in our comments section!

My Top 5 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Attractions

November 2, 2013 by Mike Ellis

The Tree of Life stands proud and tall at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

By Mike Ellis.

Hello everyone and welcome to our fourth installment of our series where I take a look at my top five attractions at each of the parks. You may remember we had our top five attractions for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so this week, we’re taking a look at my top five Disney’s Animal Kingdom Attractions!

#5: Kilimanjaro Safaris

Kilimanjaro Safaris is one of the most realistic safari type rides I've ever been on. — Kilimanjaro Safaris is one of the most realistic safari type rides I’ve ever been on.

Starting us off on our countdown to #1 is Kilimanjaro Safaris, that very realistic safari ride that takes you through the African plains on your own safari to see exotic animals. It’s always a lot of fun to take a look at these incredible creatures, but what do you think of the attraction? The only problem I have with it is I have a tendency to get very blurry pictures from all of the bouncing the vehicle does!

#4: Festival of the Lion King

I know this is at the top of many people's list, but it doesn't make my top choice. — I know this is at the top of many people’s list, but it doesn’t make my top choice.

Festival of the Lion King is a great show, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not my favorite show. That choice goes to my selection for #3 in our countdown…

#3: Finding Nemo: The Musical

Finding Nemo: The Musical is my favorite show at Animal Kingdom. I love the way the story is brought to life!

When it comes to shows at Walt Disney World, Finding Nemo: The Musical may be my favorite Disney show. I love the way the actors bring the story to life and how they work their characters in such creative ways!

#2: Kali River Rapids

For a very hot park, nothing is better for cooling off than Kali River Rapids! — For a **very** hot park, nothing is better for cooling off than Kali River Rapids!

Coming in at #2 in our countdown is Kali River Rapids, a rafting tube ride that takes you down some great drops, splashes, and twists and turns so that, at the end of the ride, your objective has been met: you are drenched from head to toe! The backstory of so many of the rides at Animal Kingdom is incredible, and the backstory for Kali River Rapids is no less so. You are going to take a rafting expedition for a couple of reasons — to explore the African wilderness, but to also help raise funds to stop all of the cutting of the rainforest that has taken a toll on the environment. Part of your trip is past the clear cutting, and it is at this point that the runoff speeds up the water, and causes you to go faster and be more out of control. The ride is a lot of fun for me, but you tell me — do you like it?

#1: Expedition Everest

At number 1 is Expedition Everest, one of my favorite roller coasters at Walt Disney World!

For the longest time, I wouldn’t ride Expedition Everest…and then, when I did, it felt like it was too slow for me. But the last couple of times I’ve ridden on it that has changed. I’m not sure why, but now, Expedition Everest is easily in my top 4 for roller coasters (#1: California Screamin’, #2: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, #3: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, #4: Expedition Everest). I now have a unique appreciation for this attraction. It seems faster than it used to, I love going backwards, I love the darkness, I love it all! It’s a great ride, and I hope you agree with me!

Honorable Mention

Rafiki's Planet Watch is a deceptively good attraction, and that is where we saw Pocahontas! — Rafiki’s Planet Watch is a deceptively good attraction, and that is where we saw Pocahontas!

Primeval Whirl is a fun roller coaster that has you spinning in a circular ride vehicle!

Thank you for stopping by to check out my top five attractions for Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Leave me a comment please and let me know what your top five are! Also, don’t forget to enter to win a $500 Disney Gift Card, or one of two $250 Disney Gift Cards! Just click on the image below to go to that post and enter. Good luck everyone!

Exploring the Animal Kingdom Shows

October 5, 2013 by Mike Ellis

In a new series, today I’m taking a look at all of the different shows throughout the Walt Disney World Parks. In today’s episode, I’m going to take a look at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Shows.
For our purposes, a show is something on screen or on stage, that you watch as you would watch a movie or play.

Festival of the Lion King

Animal Kingdom has some really top notch shows, some of them are among my favorites. First up in our exploration is Festival of the Lion King, located over at Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Festival of the Lion King is, to put it plainly, stunning! The music is incredible, the performance is top notch, and being able to cheer on our own character from the movie just brings the audience into the show that much better! The only drawback I have with “Festival of the Lion King” is that it is hard for us to get seats at times – another testimony of how popular this show really is. I am determined that this year I am going to see Festival of the Lion King, it has been entirely too long since we last saw it.

Finding Nemo — The Musical

This show located DinoLand U.S.A. is one of the great shows in all of Disney. The casting is phenomenal, and the ability of the cast members to produce a show that includes all of the grace of elegance that fish exhibit in the water is really astounding. The cast and crew of “Finding Nemo – The Musical” have a lot to be proud of – this show is truly one of a kind.

It’s Tough to be a Bug

Technically, I suppose that I have to consider “It’s Tough to be a Bug” a show, based on my definition at the start of my article. To be honest, though, we don’t like this show, as you can see in my post on Chip and Company, so I’m just going to say that we don’t like it and leave it at that.

So, while Animal Kingdom doesn’t have a large quantity of shows, it does have two of the best shows in my opinion in all of Walt Disney World. What are your favorite shows? Did I miss any? Feel free to comment here, or on Facebook, or send me a Tweet! Thanks everyone, and make it a Disney Day!

Mickey and the Magical Map

September 20, 2013 by Mike Ellis

Over at Disneyland, at the Fantasyland Theater, is a show that you will not want to miss if you are out there. Mickey and the Magical Map is an incredibly well done show about Mickey Mouse and his quest to become a master map maker. Incorporating incredible music, fantastic imagery, and a great story, Mickey and the Magical Map will show you that achieving your goal is sometimes difficult, but well worth the effort you put into it. Enjoy these photos, and thanks for stopping by!

Princess Tiana in Mickey and the Magical Map!

Flynn Rider and Rapunzel in Mickey and the Magical Map

Pocahontas sings in Mickey and the Magical Map

The Jungle Book makes an appearance, but I loved the enthusiasm of the trumpet player!

Without a doubt I believe that this show should be brought over to Walt Disney World. However, where would you place it? What park, what location, and would it replace something or be a new addition? My personal opinion is that the show should be placed in the area where they used to have Festival of the Lion King, over in Camp Minnie-Mickey. I remember hearing that the site was designated for “Avatarland”, but that project seems to have imploded on itself, so I’m not sure what will be there in the future. Maybe I’m wrong, and Avatar will still rear it’s head, but to me, that venue is a great place for the show. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below, and thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have an incredible weekend!

11 Days: Festival of the Lion King

Like this:

My Top 5 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Attractions

#5: Kilimanjaro Safaris

#4: Festival of the Lion King

#3: Finding Nemo: The Musical

#2: Kali River Rapids

#1: Expedition Everest

Honorable Mention

Like this:

Exploring the Animal Kingdom Shows

Festival of the Lion King

Finding Nemo — The Musical

It’s Tough to be a Bug

Like this:

Mickey and the Magical Map

Like this:

Disclaimer

Archives

Sharing is Caring!

Like this:

Sharing is Caring!

Like this:

#5: Kilimanjaro Safaris

#4: Festival of the Lion King

#3: Finding Nemo: The Musical

#2: Kali River Rapids

#1: Expedition Everest

Honorable Mention

Sharing is Caring!

Like this:

Sharing is Caring!

Like this:

Sharing is Caring!

Like this:

Disclaimer

Archives