Tonight at the D23 Expo, news broke that a Lion King attraction is coming to Disneyland Paris. Debuting at the resort’s second gate, Disney Adventure World, this new Lion King attraction appears to be a flume ride. In this post, we’ll share the news and offer our commentary in the coming days. Let’s get to the news!

Everybody look left … everybody look right … everywhere you look, the classic Walt Disney Animation Studios film “The Lion King” was in the spotlight during Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

As Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro explained, a brand-new attraction themed around Simba and the rest of the animal kingdom will soon join the expanding roster of experiences at the resort. 

Disneyland Paris’ second park, which is being re-named Disney Adventure World, has already seen a handful of recent exciting updates including the opening of Avengers Campus and Worlds of Pixar, and will continue with the opening of World of Frozen in 2026. 

“The Lion King” — which is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year — has long been a beloved Disney story. A new area of the park, Pride Lands, will be dedicated to the characters and stories from the film, including dining, shopping, and a chance to meet some favorite characters. Then, when you’re ready (you don’t have to wait to become a king for this one), head down to the caverns beneath Pride Rock. The new attraction will bring you alongside Simba’s journey from cub to king — it’s going to feel like you stepped right into the movie.  

Commentary

We correctly predicted at Lion King attraction being announced at D23! Only I guessed that it would be at Animal Kingdom, not in Paris. Maybe I should delete the ‘correctly’ from that first sentence. Like our Shanghai & Hong Kong Marvel post, I’ll keep this commentary shorter because it has to do with a park I’ve never been to. I’ll stick to the actual ride instead of fit, since I wouldn’t know any difference. From what I gather about the second gate at Disneyland Paris is that anything of quality should make the park better, fit be damned.

I love the Lion King and am itching for more representation of it in the Disney Parks. A Lion King flume ride that looks eerily similar to Splash Mountain was not on my bingo card but… I’m into it! Forget for a second that the movie takes place in the dessert and not a tropical oasis, then who wouldn’t want to ride in a log following Simba and the gang?

The concept art is very pretty, some of my favorite in all of the announcements at D23 Expo. There were hardly any details on the ride so it’s too early to tell there. The area around this attraction sounds very promising, as that park transforms more and more into a ‘step into the movies’ theme.

I’m still a little surprised that a Lion King ride wasn’t announced for Animal Kingdom. The Disney Parks version of the post leaves a very open-ended headline, stating that there’s a new Lion King attraction coming. But then the details are about Paris. Being a flume ride, I’m not sure where it would actually fit in Animal Kingdom. This whole announcement was very surprising but could be a huge boon to Disney Adventure World. Man, I have to double check that I’m right every time I write down that name. Go lions!

What do you think of a Lion King attraction? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! If you’re planning a trip to a Disney Park, make sure to check out our Planning Guides to help you along the way. This site has discount tickets for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!