Broadway changed Disney, Disney changed Broadway.  The Disney Studios, in the late 1980s, produced a series of highly acclaimed animated musicals written by Broadway stage veteran writers.  Since “Beauty and the Beast” was so successful on stage, “Lion King” was picked for the next screen to stage transformation. Disney asked the visionary avant-garde director and puppeteer Julie Taymor to reinvision the movie.

“The Lion King” became one of the most technically complicated and visually astonishing productions in Broadway History. The movie’s songs by Tim Rice and Elton John were enhanced by the South African sound created by Lebo M.  The whole feel and casting of the show was culturally diverse and included all races, ages and tastes.

The show opened in the fall of 1997 at the elegantly Disney restored,New Amsterdam Theatre, Ziegfelds’s former theatre.  “The Lion King" was an enormous hit with adults and children with its imaginative staging. Julie Taymor was the first woman to win a Tony for best Musical Direction.  “The Lion King” is still performing worldwide.