Disney is offering a closer look at The Lion King attraction that is currently under construction at Disney Adventure World.
The Lion King Land Models
A scale model of Rafiki’s Tree, which will be a giant baobab tree in the land, was revealed at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. There will be a small stage directly in front of the tree for character interactions and entertainment.
Imagineering also displayed a Lion King attraction ride vehicle maquette. We have seen images of the ride vehicle before, but this shows significant detailing in the wooden texture.
The attraction will be a flume water ride similar to Splash Mountain and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The vehicles are nearly identical to the logs of those two rides. There are four rows of seats, just like the version at Magic Kingdom; however, the maquette has dividers that separate the rows into three seats in each row. The Disneyland version has straight-line seating where guests sit one behind the other.
The black light study model gives a first look into what the guests will experience when riding the Lion King attraction. We’ve previously seen this model in a video and book but not up close. Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon sit on a log in a scene reminiscent of the “Hakuna Matata” sequence.
The Lion King ride will combine the latest in technology, projection effects, and state-of-the-art animatronics.
See our tour of the Walt Disney Imagineering pavilion at D23 below.
Disney Adventure World is the renamed Walt Disney Studios Park, which recently opened World of Frozen. The Lion King land will sit alongside the Frozen land along the new lake.
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