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 The circle of life moves us all. From the smallest insect to the largest predator, we are all part of the great circle. This is one of the key themes in The Lion King. Released in 1994, the Disney animated film became a smash hit, earning the studio multiple Academy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture.

The Lion King follows the heroic journey of Simba, a lion prince who must avenge the death of his father, and take his place as king. The story is so epic, that it has spawned numerous sequels, prequels, spinoffs and remakes. With all the Lion King media out there, you may be unsure where to start. Not to worry, Popverse has you covered. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to watch the franchise in release and chronological order.

How to watch The Lion King in release order

While Disney originally conceived The Lion King as a standalone film, its popularity has inspired multiple sequels and spinoffs. Simba and his friends have starred in everything from television shows to nature documentaries. If you’re looking to watch every Lion King project in release order, here’s how to do it….

• The Lion King (1994 animated film)
• Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable (1995 live-action/animated documentary)
• The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa (animated series, 1995-1999)
• The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998 animated film)
• Find Out Why (educational television bumpers, 2000)
• The Lion King 1½ (2004 animated film)
• Timon and Pumbaa’s Wild About Safety (educational shorts, 2008-2013)
• The Lion Guard (animated series, 2015-2019)
• It’s UnBungalievable! (educational shorts, 2016)
• The Lion King (2019 photorealistic CGI animated film)
• Black is King (2020 live-action film)
• Mufasa: The Lion King (2024 photorealistic CGI animated film)

It’s worth noting that some episodes of The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa were packaged together for the home video market under the title Around the World with Timon and Pumbaa. While the home video collection has an original framing sequence to introduce the episodes, it shouldn’t be considered an original movie. Around the World with Timon and Pumbaa is simply a collection of pre-aired television episodes, which is why it doesn’t have its own spot on our watch order.

Similarly, The Lion Guard promoted a few of their storylines and extended episodes as movies. However, these are just collections of their episodes, or in some cases, extended episodes. As such, they’re considered part of The Lion Guard animated series and don’t have a separate spot on our watch order.

How to watch The Lion King in chronological order

The circle of life can sometimes take an unusual path. The Lion King’s various sequels and spinoffs weren’t all released in chronological order. In fact, some of them aren’t even set in the main continuity. Don’t worry, it’s not as confusing as it sounds. This section of the guide will break down the various timelines in the Lion King franchise.

Animated continuity

This is the continuity that consists of the original 1994 animated film and its various follow-ups. The Lion King 1½ takes place at the same time as the original film, and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride is the direct-to-video sequel which focuses on Simba’s daughter Kiara. The Lion Guard is an animated series that focuses on Simba’s son Kion, with most of the episodes taking place during a timeskip in The Lion King II. To watch it all in order, simply follow this list…

• The Lion King (1994 animated film)/ The Lion King 1½ (2004 animated film)
• The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998 animated film) (first act of the film)
• The Lion Guard (animated series, 2015-2019) (every episode except the last two)
• The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998 animated film) (second half of the film)
• The Lion Guard (animated series, 2015-2019)  (final two episodes)
  
  

Photorealistic CGI animated continuity

This is the film series most people refer to as “the live-action remakes.” In reality, the 2019 Lion King remake isn’t live action, it uses photorealistic CGI animation. The 2019 film is a retelling of the 1994 animated classic, faithfully recreating many of the story beats. In 2024 Disney released Mufasa, a prequel focusing on the backstory of Simba’s late father. The film gives Mufasa and Scar different backstories than what was seen in the Lion Guard animated series.

As of this writing, the CGI continuity only consists of two films, but they do jump around the timeline. To watch the photorealistic CGI films in order, simply follow this list….

• Mufasa: The Lion King (2024 photorealistic CGI animated film) (main story flashback scenes)
• The Lion King (2019 photorealistic CGI animated film)
• Mufasa: The Lion King (2024 photorealistic CGI animated film) (present day framing scenes)

 

The Beyonce-verse

This universe is home to Black is King, one of the most unique projects in the Lion King franchise. In 2019 Beyonce released an album titled The Lion King: The Gift. The album was meant to tie-in with the 2019 CGI remake, which featured Beyonce as Nala. The Lion King: The Gift featured original songs inspired by the spirit of the film.

The album inspired Beyonce to direct and produce Black is King, a musical film that serves as a visual companion to the album. The film tells the story of an African prince (who is human, not lion), who goes on a journey similar to Simba’s. For obvious reasons, we’ve placed this film in its own universe, which we’ve dubbed the Beyonce-verse.

• Black is King (2020 live-action film)
  
  

The Hakuna Matata-verse

This is where all the other Lion King projects are set. These are projects that don’t fit into any continuity. For example, the educational segments give the characters meta-awareness, as they break the fourth wall and talk about nature facts.

While some might put The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa in the mainstream timeline, it doesn’t fit there. The series gives Timon and Pumbaa abilities that they don’t have in the movies. For example, Timon has access to human technology, and at one point pulls a chainsaw out of thin air. The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa is a slapstick comedy, akin to Looney Tunes, and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

We’re calling this the Hakuna Matata-verse because it takes a ‘no worries’ stance with continuity and canon. Frankly, that’s the best way to approach these projects.

• Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable (1995 live-action/animated documentary)
• The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa (animated series, 1995-1999)
• Find Out Why (educational television bumpers, 2000)
• Timon and Pumbaa’s Wild About Safety (educational shorts, 2008-2013)
• It’s UnBungalievable! (educational shorts, 2016)
  
  

Do I need to watch The Lion King before watching Mufasa?

Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel, which is set before the 2019 Lion King film. As such, you can feel free to watch Mufasa without having seen The Lion King. However, the film contains a present-day framing sequence which is set after the events of The Lion King. If you’ve seen The Lion King, you will be more familiar with some of the characters and references. In short, you don’t need to see Lion King before watching Mufasa, but it will help you enjoy the film.

Where else have Simba and his friends appeared?

Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and numerous other Lion King characters appear in various episodes of the animated series House of Mouse. The cartoon features various characters from Disney media acting as the audience at a nightclub owned by Mickey Mouse. These appearances shouldn’t be considered canon, as they depict Simba and his friends communicating with humans and anthropomorphic animals.

Various characters from The Lion King can also be seen in the short film Once Upon a Studio. Like House of Mouse, Once Upon a Studio features various characters from Disney media interacting with one another. It’s a celebration of Disney’s legacy as an animation studio, and shouldn’t be considered canon.  

Is The Lion King based on Hamlet?

While The Lion King is not a direct adaptation of Hamlet, the animated film takes heavy inspiration from Shakespeare’s play. Both are stories about a king who is killed by their brother, only to be avenged by a prince who returns from exile. While Simba and Hamlet go on different character journeys, the basic premise of each story is similar. These similarities are not coincidences. According to Lion King co-director Roger Allers, Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg told production to put in “as much Hamlet as you can.” In addition to Hamlet, Allers and his co-director Rob Minkoff looked at other heroic fables, like the Biblical stories of Joseph and Moses.

Did The Lion King plagiarize Kimba the White Lion?

This is a tricky question because it depends on who you ask and when you ask them. Jungle Emperor is a Japanese shonen anime based on a manga series from the influential artist Osamu Tezuka. When the series was dubbed for American audiences, it was retitled Kimba the White Lion. The anime follows the story of a lion cub named Kimba who must learn how to be King of the Jungle after the death of his father.

Does any of this sound familiar? 488 Japanese animators thought so, causing them to sign a petition accusing Disney of plagiarism. For their part, Disney has always claimed the similarities were coincidences. Lion King co-director Roger Allers said he wasn’t aware of Kimba’s existence until the film was almost done. While some of the animators had grown up watching the anime, they weren’t involved in the conception of the movie, or the scriptwriting process.

When Matthew Broderick was cast as Simba, he initially believed that the project was a remake of Kimba the White Lion. In fact, Broderick recalls telling his friends that Disney was producing a remake of the popular anime. While there was talk of legal action, Tezuka Productions decided not to sue Disney, believing the Mouse’s lawyers were too powerful.

Disney’s official stance is that all similarities to Kimba the White Lion were coincidences. With a project that big from a huge company like Disney, lots of people are involved in a film’s conception and eventual production. As such, it’s impossible to know how many of them were aware of Kimba, and just how many of them were influenced by it.

Is Lion King 1 ½ a prequel?

The Lion King 1 ½ is technically a prequel, but it would be more accurate to describe it as a midquel. In fact, Timon describes it as an in-between-quel during the trailer. The animated film is set during the events of the first Lion King film, retelling the events from Timon and Pumbaa’s perspective. For example, we learn that Timon and Pumbaa were present when Mufasa first presented Simba to the kingdom. We also learn that the pair were slightly offscreen during the ‘I Just Can’t Wait to Be King’ musical number.

If The Lion King was hamlet, then The Lion King 1 ½ is Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are dead. Some of the events depicted in the animated film might not fit in with established Lion King continuity, but we can chalk it up to Timon and Pumbaa being unreliable narrators.

Is Lion Guard set before Lion King 2?

The Lion Guard is set during the events of The Lion King 2, specifically during the timeskip at the end of the first act. The animated series focuses on Simba’s son Kion. The young prince leads the Lion Guard, a team of animals tasked with protecting the Pride Lands. Most of the series is set after Kiara meets Kovu, and before her first hunt. The exception is the final two episodes, which are set after the events of the film.

Is the word ‘sex’ hidden in The Lion King? 

There is an urban myth that you can see the word ‘sex’ if you pause The Lion King at the right moment. The alleged moment supposedly occurs after Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba are laying on their backs and talking about the stars. A forlorn Simba walks off and flops to the ground, causing dust to rise in the air. Legend says that the dust spells the word ‘sex,’ but the truth is far less provocative.

According to animator Tom Sito, the dust is actually spelling ‘sfx,’ an abbreviation for special effects. It was a fun Easter egg the animators put in there, which has been widely misinterpreted. As a result of the controversy, newer releases of the film change the shape of the dust so it no longer appears to spell ‘sex.’

Where can I watch The Lion King?

If you want to watch The Lion King, its sequels, and its spinoffs, then Disney+ is your best bet. The streaming service is currently home to the original 1994 film, The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, The Lion King 1½, The Lion Guard, Timon and Pumbaa, and the 2019 CGI film. Mufasa will stream on Disney+ sometime after its run in theaters has concluded. While the educational shorts like Timon and Pumbaa’s Find Out Why aren’t on Disney+, they’ve been preserved on YouTube.

Now you have everything you need to watch the entire Lion King saga! Get ready to experience the circle of life….

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