The Lion King: stage vs screen

The Lion King began as Disney's 1994 animated film, and Julie Taymor's Broadway production opened in 1997. The stage show keeps all five Elton John and Tim Rice songs from the film and the same story, but adds new music, new scenes, and a bigger role for the lionesses. The 2019 remake later borrowed some of those stage ideas.

Stage

Broadway musical (1997)

Screen

The Lion King (1994), Disney's animated film, and the 2019 remake directed by Jon Favreau

1. Rafiki is a woman on stage

In the film, Rafiki is a male mandrill voiced by Robert Guillaume. Taymor made Rafiki a female role because the film had no leading female character, and Tsidii Le Loka created the part on Broadway. Rafiki opens the show by leading "Circle of Life."

2. Many new songs

Alongside the film's "Circle of Life," "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," "Be Prepared," "Hakuna Matata," and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," the stage score adds "They Live in You" for Mufasa, "Chow Down" for the hyenas, "The Madness of King Scar," "Shadowland," "Endless Night," "He Lives in You," and choral numbers such as "Grasslands Chant" and "One by One." "Shadowland," "Endless Night," "One by One," and "He Lives in You" grew out of songs on the 1995 Disney album Rhythm of the Pride Lands.

3. Nala's exit is shown, not skipped

The film never shows how adult Nala comes to leave the Pride Lands. On stage, "The Madness of King Scar" has Scar try to make Nala his mate. She refuses, decides to go find help, and leaves with the blessing of the lionesses and Rafiki in the new song "Shadowland."

4. Simba gets a song of grief

Adult Simba sings "Endless Night," in which he struggles with Mufasa's promise to always be there for him. Later, Rafiki leads "He Lives in You," which helps Simba see his father's spirit in himself before he returns home.

5. "The Morning Report" came and went

"The Morning Report," a patter song for Zazu, Mufasa, and Young Simba, was written for the stage show. It was later animated and added to the film's 2003 Platinum Edition DVD, then cut from the Broadway production in June 2010.

6. New scenes for the supporting cast

The musical adds a conversation between Mufasa and Zazu about raising Simba, a lioness hunt staged as a dance, and a scene in which Timon nearly drowns in a waterfall while Simba feels powerless to help him.

7. Animals made of people and puppets

Instead of animation, the stage show uses masks and puppets with the performers in full view. Giraffes are actors on stilts, Mufasa and Scar wear headdresses that move like a lunging cat, and Timon and Pumbaa are life-size puppets.

8. The 2019 remake borrowed from Broadway

Jon Favreau's 2019 film drew on character ideas from the stage version. It includes "He Lives in You" from the Broadway score and has Scar try to make Sarabi his queen, an echo of his advances toward Nala on stage. It also adds Beyoncé's new song "Spirit."

The Lion King movie vs musical: FAQs