Disneyland Presents New Adaptation of A Film Favorite Centered on Black Culture

By Alexandra Jane, The Root

The new stage show puts a fresh spin on The Lion King.

I think you may agree that beyond the iconic voice of James Earl Jones portraying that of Mufasa, The Lion King of our childhoods never felt particularly Black. Even as the 2019 production by Jon Favreau rolled into theaters with a predominantly Black cast of voice talent, we’ve never really seen the story give us an overt display of African American culture….until now. In Anaheim, California’s Disneyland theme park, a new on stage adaptation of the story called “Tale of The Lion King,” has debuted.

Located in the park’s Fantasyland Theater, the production boasts all new musical arrangements, set pieces, and some incredible choreography. And this time, the show intentionally pays homage to the cultural roots of the story’s setting, which the prior two didn’t quite hit the mark on, despite its being based in Africa.

Your reliable narrators this time around are a traveling troupe called The Storytellers of The Pride Lands. According to San Diego station, ABC 10 News, they each take turns telling the story of how young Simba went from a cub to a King with a beautiful peppering in of drum and dance performances. The troupe also sings throughout its musical numbers, with lead narrator Mwongozo recounting Simba’s journey. The other storytellers embody the remaining characters including Scar, Nala, even Timon and Pumbaa…

Susana Tubert, Creative Director of Disney Live Entertainment, and Associate Show Director Paul Bryant wanted to ensure that the show’s Black audience would be able to see themselves within it.

Read more about this new take on a classic children’s story.

Black representation has also increased on Broadway and the small screen, with Emilie Kouatchou playing the first black Christine in Phantom of the Opera and Ludacris spearheading a show featuring black girls.

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