Introduction
The Lion King is an original Disney movie that follows the journey of Simba, who abandons his destiny as future king after being tricked into thinking that he caused his fathers (Mufasa) death by his envious uncle, Scar. The film was directed by Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers, who wrote the stories of Disney’s previous successors: Aladdin and Beauty & the Beast. Barry Johnson and Lorna Cook wrote the story, along with a team of an additional 15 writers. Hans Zimmer was in charge of the musical direction, and Elton John was the official composer, both whom won am Oscar for their efforts. The cast includes Matthew Broderick as the voice of Simba, Rowan Atkinson as the voice of Zazu and Jeremy Irons as the voice of Scar. (IMDb, 2015). Not only did the movie receive critical success, securing two Oscars for best original song and best original score, but it also achieved great commercial success. The movie holds the title of highest grossing hand drawn animation movie of all time, grossing a total of $987 million at the global box office.
The shows success sparked the idea of moving it to the Broadway stage. With $29 million to invest, Disney Theatrical Productions assigned Julie Taymor the task of putting the show together. To say the least, the show became major success from its 1997 debut date until today, becoming the fourth longest running show on Broadway history. In fact, The Lion King’s major triumph made a big impact on the Broadway industry as it helped