Disneyland Paris announced the first-ever Lion King attraction and Pride Rock land, which will debut as part of the Disney Adventure World transformation. This shares details, concept art & model photos of the log flume ride, and everything we know about the area.
This news was announced during the last D23 Expo, during which Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for the future in addition and teased what was to come in a few years. The company revealed several ‘shovel to soil’ projects that will come online in the next 5 years, including this.
Disney unveiled the upcoming creation of an all-new area at Disneyland Paris dedicated to one of the most beloved Disney franchises, around the world and particularly in Europe – The Lion King! This larger-than-life area will bring guests on a journey through the African savanna and immerse them into the unforgettable adventures of Simba, Timon, Pumbaa and many other iconic characters from the beloved Disney film.
For the attraction, Disney Imagineers will bring to life the majestic Pride Rock, which will serve as the gateway to an adventure-filled water attraction that will plunge guests beneath the rock to follow Simba on his journey from cub to king, in a retelling of the story from the classic animated feature film. When visiting this first-ever themed area, guests will be immersed in the world of The Lion King thanks to Disney character greetings, themed dining, and shopping opportunities, which promises an unforgettable experience for guests of all ages.
“We are very excited and proud to be unveiling the next new land of Disney Adventure World, our second park that has been undergoing an expansion on a never-before-seen scale. This marks another milestone in the ongoing transformation of Disneyland Paris…the creation of an immersive experience dedicated to The Lion King is a testament to our commitment to immersing our guests into breathtaking adventures inspired by their favorite films, at the heart of themed areas that are faithful to the originals.”
“This new area – which is inspired by the unforgettable story that has enchanted several generations of viewers – exists nowhere else in the world. It will make it possible for guests of all ages to make one of their wildest dreams come true: exploring the Pride Lands alongside all their favorite characters,” said Natacha Rafalski, former Présidente of Disneyland Paris.
Inspired by the African savanna and iconic locations from the franchise, this new area will push the boundaries of immersion with its unparalleled level of detail and a new, unique attraction, which will seamlessly blend a spectacular water experience with state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics technology. Imagineers have dreamed up the perfect way to carry forward Disney’s unique storytelling tradition!
“From the moment the sun rose on the big screen in theaters all around the world, audiences were captivated by the story of The Lion King, and its characters, and it has not lost any momentum since. Our goal as Imagineers is to translate the emotional core of the film into this exciting project and have you relive that feeling all over again as you experience this unique attraction. I’m thrilled and excited that The Lion King will make its attraction debut here at Disneyland Paris.” said Michel Den Dulk, VP – Portfolio Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris.
Although the above concept art showcases the live action Lion King, this attraction is confirmed to be based on the OG animated Lion King. Why Disney opted to release outdated concept art is beyond us, but our guess is that this was actually for a pitched reimagining of Splash Mountain at Disneyland several years ago. Note the logs in the art show single-file seating, which thankfully is not consistent with the model.
Disney shared a new look at the The Lion King-themed area coming to Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris!
Guests will experience Simba’s journey through a retelling of the original film, featuring cutting-edge effects, next-generation Audio-Animatronics, and more. pic.twitter.com/HfmSkqyHz0
— Drew Smith (@DrewDisneyDude) June 9, 2026
The latest update comes via a video sharing 27 Hidden Secrets at Disney Adventure World, which is mostly unrelated to the Lion King, but does share a new look at models for the Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon Audio-Animatronics. This seems to be the same scene as depicted in previously-released concept art, albeit with different staging. (Relevant clip of video is reproduced above.)
The video features Michel den Dulk and another Imagineer as they showcase and discuss models of the attraction. The Lion King ride will combine the latest in technology, projection effects, and state-of-the-art Audio Animatronics.
The other Imagineer in the video promised “that when you go on this ride, there will be things that you will look at and say: ‘wow, how did they do that?’” The two also discussed how local vegetation would be used to simulate a savanna and more.
When the sun rises on the realm of the Pride Lands, an all-new Lion King attraction blending a spectacular water experience with state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics technology will plunge guests into the heart of the Pride Lands. In this Lion King log flume ride, Simba will await guests for an unforgettable adventure complete with iconic songs from the 1994 animated masterpiece.
After making their way to the caves beneath the 37-meter-high Pride Rock, guests will embark on a wondrous, and sensational adventure through iconic scenes and sceneries from the beloved animated movie. The attraction will navigate a path with three exciting slopes, including an impressive 16-meter-high descent.
The concept art above depicts the “Hakuna Matata” show scene of the Lion King attraction, which looks fantastic.
With a seamless blend of many Audio-Animatronics figures scattered across a highly detailed environment coming to life thanks to state-of-the-art special effects and an unforgettable soundtrack, this Lion King attraction will be one of the biggest at Disneyland Paris!
“We are looking forward to launching the construction of this new immersive world inspired by the Lion King and its major attraction, which will mark another milestone for Disney Adventure World,” added top Imagineer Michel Den Dulk.
“The main attraction will showcase the key features of Disney experiences: loveable characters, an unforgettable soundtrack, immersive décor and effects, and exciting thrills thoughtfully delivered throughout the adventure. All of the Imagineers who work on this project have their hearts set on paying a vibrant homage to this timeless masterpiece by creating unforgettable memories for all our guests.”
The Lion King Pride Lands started construction last fall, and the image shows where things stood as of early last month, shortly after the debut of Disney Adventure World. We were on hand for the relaunch of the second gate at Disneyland Paris, and while it’s a marked improvement (see our Review: Disney Adventure World is a Disney Park.), it’s also just a start. The park would really benefit from another anchor area and attraction opposite World of Frozen.
It’s unfortunate that the Lion King Pride Lands expansion wasn’t being fast-tracked a la Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom. Keep in mind that this plot of land was originally announced as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge back in 2018, and that land should’ve already opened by now. Of course, all construction projects are behind as a result of the COVID closures, but nothing has moved as glacially slow as the ones at Disneyland Paris.
While not what I hoped, it’s better than what I feared. Given that Disney didn’t give any dates whatsoever at D23 Expo, my worry was this was a down-the-road pipe dream in danger of being cancelled. (The scale model suggested that wasn’t the case.) It’s savvy to have work starting sooner rather than later, so guests coming for the opening summer of Disney Adventure World will see that and want to plan return trips.
The other big news is that the new Lion King attraction will actually include three slopes, including the large 52-foot descent seen in the art. Again, my strong suspicion is that this concept was originally developed as a reimagining for Splash Mountain at Disneyland. If so, it would make sense for the Lion King attraction to have a similar ride profile and layout as Splash Mountain.
That’s great to hear. One thing we’ve heard recently is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure gets high guest satisfaction scores, which might surprise some fans. We’ve attributed this in large part to the layout of the attraction, plus the presence of Audio Animatronics and music.
No matter what the thematic window dressing is, it’s a popular attraction with guests because the underlying ride is fun and satisfying. In other words, it’s a winning formula. Here’s hoping that also proves true with this Lion King attraction. As a child of the 1990s who grew up on the animated classic and Splash Mountain, I couldn’t be more excited for the Lion King attraction and area!
Now here’s hoping Disney has another surprise up its sleeve and announces a secondary attraction or two to round out the ride roster, similar to the new ‘Up’ ride coming to Disney Adventure World in Spring 2027. This park could still use about a half-dozen more attractions, even after the reimagining!
Speaking of both Walt Disney World and parks that could use about a half-dozen more attractions, we’d really love to see this Lion King attraction come to Animal Kingdom. Not necessarily as a log flume ride, as Animal Kingdom already has a water ride, but replicating the show scenes as a dark ride.
Animal Kingdom could badly use another family-friendly attraction that’s indoors and doesn’t have a height requirement, and there’s an expansion pad over by Harambe. Cloning some of the assets but not the attraction as a whole could reduce development costs, and give Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris their own unique twists on Lion King rides.
Perhaps we’re biased as children of the 1990s who grew up on the animated classic, but a Lion King ride would be fantastic at Walt Disney World–much better than some of the other projects in development!
Our Commentary
Turning to commentary, I’m mildly surprised that they’d do a water ride in Paris. There were rumblings for the longest time about Splash Mountain, which never came to fruition due to financial worries. That concept wouldn’t happen now for obvious reasons, but I am curious about whether there are any trepidations about doing a water ride in a place where it snows.
To be clear, this is idle curiosity and not a claim that they shouldn’t be building a water ride in Paris. I don’t know. It also snows in Tokyo, and yet, Splash Mountain endures there and remains one of the most popular attractions in the park. Wait times are definitely lower in the winter, but it’s still no slouch.
It’s also worth noting that Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland does not get you wet when it’s cold out. So I would imagine that, so long as it’s engineered correctly, neither will the Lion King ride at Disney Adventure World.
Okay, now it’s time for the excitement. I cannot wait for the Pride Rock area of Disney Adventure World. As an elder Millennial who grew up during the Disney Animation Renaissance, I feel like my childhood dreams are finally being fulfilled. It only took three decades, but they’re giving The Lion King its own land (miniland?).
The ride is also a matter of wish fulfillment. Splash Mountain was one of my favorite rides as a kid, and I can only imagine how much more I would’ve loved that, but with Lion King characters. I even loved The Legend of The Lion King at Magic Kingdom (for fellow old-timers), and expect this to be so much better. First Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast at Tokyo Disneyland, now this.
What’s next, an Aladdin ‘Cave of Wonders’ attraction featuring the Shanghai Pirates or Fantasy Springs Peter Pan ride systems?! In looking around the Disney Adventure World model, that seems like an actual possibility. There are still a few expansion pads in this park!
The timing is also right for a Lion King ride. Even though it has flashes of brilliance, the Little Mermaid dark ride came too early. Same goes for Frozen Ever After at EPCOT. The technology wasn’t quite there to bring those to life properly, but it is now. Audio Animatronics are next-level, and shouldn’t run the risk of looking dated a decade from now.
I’m also optimistic that Imagineering will learn lessons from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. That’s an apples to oranges comparison since it was a retrofit, but I think it’s fair to be concerned about dead space in the Pride Lands similar to all of the empty grass in the bayou. Hopefully Imagineering realizes what went wrong with that, and undertakes world-building and show design and doesn’t just have clusters of marquee Audio Animatronics without much in between. I’m confident that they’ll get it right.
The Pride Lands area itself looks interesting, but it’s somewhat difficult to ascertain what’s what in the model. And as someone who has visited Animal Kingdom since opening, I’m admittedly less impressed by this since I have a hard time imagining it’ll surpass what Disney Legend Joe Rohde and his team of Imagineers accomplished there. Nevertheless, it should be a strong addition to Disney Adventure World. And speaking of the models, here are more photos of them:
That last look at the model is what excites me the most. This park is essentially going from being the size of Future World at EPCOT to adding its own World Showcase, albeit the animated world. Frozen and Lion King are superlative starts–I’m so happy it didn’t end up getting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Even after all of this, there are still a good 3-4 major expansion pads left in Disney Adventure World (it’s safe to assume Cars Road Trip is in the chopping block). This park is on the precipice of improving by leaps and bounds, and it still has a tremendous amount of untapped potential even after Lion King comes online. It really could get an Aladdin area (continuing the animated worlds trend) and maybe even Beauty and the Beast (although two France lands in the Parisian park might be excessive).
The possibilities truly are endless for Disney Adventure World or Disney’s CineMagique Adventure (whichever name they end up choosing), and I’m really excited about the decade to come…and beyond. That’s not something I ever thought I’d say about the theme park that I once described as Disney setting up shop on a Walmart parking lot. The second gate at Disneyland Paris has a bright future, and I’m really looking forward to it coming into its own!
For the basics of planning a visit to Disneyland Paris, check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide. Find the best place to stay in Disneyland Paris Hotel Reviews. Check out 101 Disneyland Paris Tips for some (101, to be exact) of our best random tips for doing DLP like a pro. See Disney Park Tickets Tips & Tricks for ways to save on tickets. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. Finally, for advice beyond Disney, check out our Ultimate Travel Guide to Paris, France.
Your Thoughts
Are you excited for the Lion King Pride Lands or any other upcoming additions to the second gate at Disneyland Paris? Excited to finally stroll around the central lake and experience the reimagined park? What do you think of the name Disney Adventure World? Good, bad or indifferent to it? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!