It’s the 30th anniversary of The Lion King in 2024, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating with special treats, merchandise, and events. 

The Lion King made its wide-release theatrical debut on June 24, 1994, with the animated musical going on to receive two Academy Awards, experiencing both critical and financial success. In those thirty years, the movie has impacted entirely new generations, both on the screen and within the park at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. One person the film made a big impact on is me. As a millennial, the movie debuted when I was a toddler, and to say I was obsessed would be an understatement. I had The Lion King bedsheets, the apparel, the plushes (including a Simba and Nala that had magnetic noses that “kissed”). So when Disney shared they’d be bringing new food, entertainment, and merchandise for the celebration, I knew I had to try it out for myself.

The Lion King 30th Anniversary at Disney World

Now through September 6, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating The Lion King’s 30th anniversary with exciting new merchandise, food, and photo opportunities.

The Lion King Food and Drink

The full menu of what you’ll find during this time includes

• The Simba at Eight Spoon Café: Mango-flavored slushy with grenadine and topped with two gummy candies.
• Timon’s Luau at Isle of Java: Layered dessert with vanilla chiffon, passion fruit curd, guava jam, vanilla chantilly cream, an edible tropical flower for the lei, and mint for the hula skirt.
• Rafiki’s Squash Banana at Tiffins: Shake blended with squash bananas, baobab fruit, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom.
• “Remember Who You Are” The Lion King 30th Anniversary Dessert at Tiffins: Kenyan coffee mousse filled with caramelized bananas, chai chantilly, banana-caramel sauce, chocolate-coffee crumble, chocolate decoration, and sugar sun.
• Zazu Ice Cream Sandwich at Tamu Tamu Refreshments: Vanilla ice cream sandwich with two blue cake-coated sugar cookies with a chocolate medallion on top.
• You Follow Old Rafiki Cheesecake at Harambe Market: Passion fruit-mango cheesecake with a coconut-lime crust, vanilla bean chantilly, and a chocolate medallion
• Shenzi Strawberry Lemonade at Restaurantosaurus: Drink that combines Minute Maid Premium Lemonade, Minute Maid Strawberry Smoothie, and blue curaçao syrup served with a souvenir glow cube.
• Rightful Ruler Cupcake at Restaurantosaurus and Pizzafari: Red velvet cake with cookies ‘n cream cheesecake filling and chocolate icing topped with a chocolate medallion on chocolate rocks.
• Zazu DOLE Whip Lime and Coconut Float at Trilo-Bites: DOLE Whip Lime into Sprite with coconut and blue curaçao syrup.
• Simba Paw Cookie at Various Food Carts

Food and Drink Review

I was able to try out a few of these, including the Zazu Ice Cream Sandwich, You Follow Old Rafiki Cheesecake, Rightful Ruler Cupcake, Zazu DOLE Whip, and Shenzi Strawberry Lemonade.

Zazu Ice Cream Sandwich

Let’s start with my favorite of the bunch, which was the Zazu Ice Cream Sandwich at Tamu Tamu. I am never someone who would turn down an ice cream sandwich, but I’m happy to say this is an especially good one. The vanilla ice cream comes housed between two generously sized (a.k.a. massive) sugar cookies, topped with blue cake. There’s a vaguely lemon-y taste to the cookies that makes them extra refreshing, especially when paired with the coolness of the ice cream. As with all frozen treats in the summer, this guy will melt fast, so make sure to keep napkins handy.

You Follow Old Rafiki Cheesecake

Over at Harambe Market, the You Follow Old Rafiki Cheesecake was my vote going in for the treat I’d like the most. It ended up not being the right flavor combination for me, with so many notes in each bite. I loved the coconut-lime crust and the vanilla bean chantilly on top, but both of those flavors in one bit with the passion fruit-mango cheesecake ended up being slightly overwhelming. If you’re a fan of fruity treats, this may be one for you!

Zazu DOLE Whip Lime and Coconut Float

Trilo-Bites is home to the Zazu DOLE Whip Lime and Coconut Float. Now, I’m not sure why Zazu gets quite so many treats on this list, but I will admit the blue coloring on this one looked very fun! While the lime DOLE Whip is perfectly tart and refreshing, I have to say I didn’t get as much of the flavoring of coconut and blue curaçao syrup with it. I expected this to taste vaguely like a pina colada, but the lime of the DOLE Whip was definitely the dominant flavor.

Rightful Ruler Cupcake

Finally, at Restaurantasaurus I tried the Rightful Ruler Cupcake and Shenzi Strawberry Lemonade. If you’re a fan of cupcakes, this one (themed to Scar and the hyenas) will be right up your alley! As with most Disney cupcakes, expect lots of flavor, and a healthy helping of icing on top. The cookies and cream in the middle was especially tasty, though it was so sweet that I couldn’t imagine eating this all by myself.

Shenzi Strawberry Lemonade

Just like with the DOLE Whip, blue curaçao syrup was present in the Shenzi Strawberry Lemonade. In this drink, however, it was seemingly used to give the strawberry lemonade a more purplish gray appearance inspired by the hyenas. Despite the blue addition, this just tasted like a refreshing strawberry lemonade! It was a particularly hot day, so this was one of the most refreshing items on the list.

The Lion King Photo Opportunities and Animation Experience

Take the Wildlife Express Train over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, and you’ll find some more celebrations for The Lion King. Outside Conservation Station, you can meet Timon and Rafiki for a fun photo opportunity. The characters switched off appearances, with times listed on the My Disney Experience app for you to check beforehand. The line can get pretty long, but it’s a special experience and one that is a must-do for fans of the film!

Meeting Rafiki. Photo by Morgan Flaherty

Inside, you also have the chance to draw some of the characters from The Lion King as part of the Animation Experience. This 20-or-so-minute class allows you to draw your favorite Disney characters with the help of an animator. They’ll take you step by step drawing a character which, in my case, was Simba!

I should share straight off the bat that I have no artistic ability, so the fact that my end result actually resembled who it was supposed to is all credit to the helpful teacher. While Simba was being offered during our class time, characters like Mufasa and Shenzi were also being offered. You can look up class time on My Disney Experience, or grab a Lightning Lane for guaranteed seating during a show.