DLRP Magic! – The Legend of the Lion King (Disneyland Park)

Even More Info
Revealed, plus First Official Publicity Photos!

17th March 2004

In an interesting new news article, DLP.info gives us an insight into
The Legend of the Lion King and what we can expect from certain
aspects of the show. Don’t forget though, that none of this info
is officially confirmed and some or all of these details could be
changed by the time the show premieres!

The water
element that will be used should be found right in front of
the stage, just between the public and the actors. The
former dancing area which is located in front of the stage
but on a lower level that has been transformed into a room
by the extension of the stage should provide just enough
space for the small water feature supposed to cinlude
several fountains. The rest of the stage would get a “Lion
King” look featuring several set elements, but the backdrop
would be projected on a screen during the performance. This
would keep the cost low, saving manpower needed to build a
full set.

15 minutes
before the start of the show jungle music will warm up the
audience and once the show starts the public will be invited
to enjoy the well known songs of the beloved Disney feature
which will unfold live on stage. Borrowing more than just a
gif leave from the international successful stage production
the only “classical” rubberhead character to appear on stage
will be Timon while all other characters will be portrait by
dancers and singers wearing elaborate costumes combining
african tribal patterns and styles with stage mask elements
recreating their character.

In more
news that came our way, and again these are unconfirmed
rumors, guests might have only one chance a day to see the
show in the first three weeks as all but one performance
dialy might be reserved for selected guests by invitation
only – but this would only apply to the stadium-seating in
front of the stage. The seating of the Cafe Hyperion would
be open to all guests of the park. The same three weeks
would be used to refine the show until the final version
goes live. Disneyland Resort Paris plans to keep this show
running for three years, but would keep it running for up to
a five year period if guest reaction is up to expectations.

reported by DLP.info, 17th March 2004

So
DLP.info’s source confirms the water effects, and also describes how
the back of the stage will be made up of a projection and not a full
set. Whilst this could be slightly disappointing in some ways,
it would fit into the design shown in the
First Concept
Art we saw a while ago.

It’s
also interesting that when the show starts there might only be one
performance a day for a certain length of time. This might mean
some guests won’t be able to see the show, but it does mean that the
effects must be pretty impressive!

Also
today, you can see the first official publicity photos for the show on
DLRP Magic!. These photos don’t really show you very much, as
they simply feature the actors/singers having fun with Timon in front
of a black background. It is true that Timon will be the only
fully costumed character in the show, but the costumes featured in
these photos are from The Circle of Life Ceremony from The Lion King
Carnival, so these will almost definitely be different in the final
show. Here’s a small preview of the photos: