The Lion King Will Be the Latest Classic to Return to Theaters for 30th Anniversary This Summer
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Continuing the trend of classic films getting another run on the big screen, Disney has announced that The Lion King will be roaring back to theaters for its 30th anniversary beginning on July 12, 2024.
Disney shared the news on Instagram with a poster, which you can see below, featuring the stars of the beloved 1994 film, including Simba, Mufasa, Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa, Scar, Nala, Zazu, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.
As we previously mentioned, The Lion King joins other such films that have or are soon jumping back into theaters, including all 8 Spider-Man films, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Shrek 2, Tenet, and more.
The Lion King returning to theaters on its 30th anniversary is an obvious move for Disney, but the company is surely also hoping it will get fans excited for Mufasa: The Lion King later this year, which is set to tell the story of the rise of Simba’s father.
We were recently given our first look at Mufasa and the story of the “lion who would change our lives forever,” and it is still slated for a theatrical release on December 20, 2024. In this prequel, Mufasa, who was “born without a drop of nobility in his blood,” will rise to greatness despite his humble beginnings.
The tale in the film will be told by Rafiki in the form of flashbacks, meaning we’ll get to catch up with some of our favorite characters from the original.
For more, check out where we ranked The Lion King in our list of the 25 best Disney animated movies and our review of The Lion King remake from 2019.
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Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
