When Disney announced that the Festival of the Lion King was coming back after the hiatus it took due to the pandemic; they let us know it would be called “A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King.“ This celebration was a shortened version of the original show with fewer performers, no pre-show, no tumble monkeys, and no aerial dancers.

As of July 16th, 2022, the show has returned to its original form. I have been waiting for this moment for over a year now. I am very attached to this show because this show is what sparked my dream to be a theme park performer. Now it is time for me to watch and see the return of the full show. Let’s check it out.

The Tumble Monkeys are back in full force. Having them back makes it look like the full cast that it once was. They were full of energy, and the crowd loved them. The Tumble Monkeys have always made the crowd laugh and participate. It was so great to see them doing all of their tricks and watching them flip endlessly.

I used to sob at this show each time I saw it, no matter what, until the aerial dancers (the birds) stopped doing the flying portion of their number due to COVID. Watching the lovely female dancer soar through the sky for the first time in two years made me sob for the rest of the show. The choreography in that section is just so beautiful, and that was my dream role as a kid. I hold that role very close to my heart.

Seeing the finale scene with the ENTIRE cast was so fun because it finally felt like a full stage again. Seeing all the performers smiling and cheering each other on was so beautiful. They still don’t bring guests out into the theatre for the ending, but I am hoping that one day they will start to do that again. I loved seeing the kids take part in the show. I guess that will come back with time. I am so happy that this show is back to its original form and that all the performers can participate in this fantastic show.

What’s your favorite stage show at Walt Disney World? Let us know in the comments!