The Lion King and Design Thinking

My friend went to see The Lion King Musical last year and told me it has really cool designs. I’ve seen the movie when I was little (hasn’t everyone seen the movie?) and I liked Disney movies in general. I have never been a big fan of theater and musicals, though. I decided to finally go and check out the show. I knew I would enjoy the songs, but I didn’t expect to be really blown away by the thought and attention to detail that’s been put into this show.

First of all, out of all the Disney movies, The Lion King would be very tricky to adapt for live stage, because yes, all the characters are animals. They have human actors playing the animal characters, but they’re not in wearing full-body fur suits or anything. They wear headpieces, elaborate costumes and body puppets, but they don’t try to hide the fact that these are humans. I remember almost feeling like they’re not really “animals”, but African tribes interacting with each other (most of the performers are of African descent and they use African languages in the dialogue). The blurring of live actors and animal characters is very interesting, because it connects the audience to the characters in a different way than the movie.

Also, the puppets are just beautiful. I won’t even try to describe the mechanics that go into the puppet designs. They have to look “real” for the audience, not just in terms of shape but also movement. Then they have to be easily operated by puppeteers who -also- dance and sing. Of the whole movie, it’s the opening sequence with the song “Circle of Life” that’s stuck in my head the most, and the stage version really delivered. They had animals, in different types of puppets, come down the aisles to celebrate the birth of Simba. That’s when it hit me that this is not just art, it’s also entertainment, it’s audience as users. They wanted the audience to walk away feeling like their money was well-spent, so they wanted to make sure they gave them something more that they couldn’t get by re-watching the movie.

Overall, I was so inspired by The Lion King Musical, not just by the different design elements that go into the show (the sets and backdrops, the lighting, again the puppets), but also the design of the overall experience. They had to re-imagine a movie that everyone is familiar with, still incorporate the aspects that everyone loves (the story, the songs), but also create a new, live experience that you absolutely have to see in-person to really appreciate. Good lesson for us to learn.