Disney has more new theme park attractions in active development and construction right now than at any other time in the company’s history. In the coming years, guests will be stepping into the monster world of Monsters, Inc., riding through the Land of the Dead with Miguel and Mama Coco, and even venturing into a new realm dedicated to Disney Villains. Another project in the works is one we’re surprised never happened until now: Disney’s first ride based on 1994’s The Lion King. Disney shared new details following previous news.
Disney is building Pride Rock as a theme park land, complete with the world’s first Lion King ride. Backstage tests and behind-the-scenes fabrication for the attraction are underway as engineers and artists bring to life Simba’s epic coming-of-age story. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a first look at Disney’s Maleficent roller coaster and new Encanto hotel rooms.
READ MORE – 10 Secrets Of Disney’s Peter Pan’s Flight Ride That Will Change the Way You Look at It
Lion King Log Flume
A log flume ride based on The Lion King is under construction at Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris. This is the theme park formerly known as Walt Disney Studios Park. The rebrand to Disney Adventure World came in March 2026, along with World of Frozen. As the park continues to aim toward areas that fully immerse guests in their favorite stories, a Lion King land is next.
The log flume ride will contain indoor and outdoor components, culminating in a thrilling descent at the base of Pride Rock. Interior scenes will tell the story of The Lion King with Audio-Animatronics characters and songs. This setup is familiar to Disney guests who have ridden Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and/or Splash Mountain before it in California or Florida. In Paris’s case, Disney is building this Lion King ride from the ground up, as the resort has never had a log flume attraction.
Disney Ride Closure ALERTS, Major Changes, Secrets Revealed
Get alerts on closures, park changes, exclusive discounts, and free printables. Trusted by 100,000+ Disney fans & planners.
Riders will see Simba’s journey from cub to king, including some of the dramatic moments along the way, as seen in this concept art showing a confrontation with Scar. Notice the hyenas lurking in the shadows in the back.
Here’s another perspective of what might be that same scene, this time shown in Walt Disney Imagineering’s scale model of the ride. Imagineers use multiple mediums of craftsmanship during a new ride’s creative process to observe the architecture, characters, ride vehicles, and props, in order to identify and problem-solve any changes that need to happen before building the real thing.
In another sneak peek of the ride’s model, we see what looks like the scenes immediately before or after the Simba/Scar showdown, depending on which way the ride vehicle is traveling. At the top left could be Nala and Simba. In the middle are the ruins of the Pride Lands under Scar’s domain, and what might be the cage of bones that Zazu occupies.
We saw a more complete version of part of the model in person. This scene depicts Timon and Pumbaa showing young Simba the ways of hakuna matata, no worries.
The Lion King ride vehicle for Paris will contain four rows, like the Florida version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Unlike Tiana, though, Lion King’s rows will seat three people comfortably, not just two.
Note how on the very front of the log is the abstract Simba illustration that Rafiki paints in his tree in the movie.
Here’s a look at artisans crafting the Simba cub symbol onto a full-scale ride vehicle. We love this detail!
It seems like the symbol may also be displayed on the back of the ride vehicle.
It’s exciting to see this film finally come to life in its own theme park ride, and the work being done behind the scenes to make it happen.
READ MORE – These 10 Disney Rides Are Far Better Than The Ones They Replaced
Disney is also busy performing tests on prototypes of the ride vehicle and track. It’s important to point out that this is not the construction site for the actual ride, but just a test happening at a different location, for the purpose of evaluating the vehicle and track.
Here we get a better look at how the log is built for three guests in each row.
The Lion King log flume will be the main attraction of an entire land being built at Disney Adventure World. This newly released concept art gives us an idea of how the area will flow, and how it will connect with the existing Adventure Way promenade.
Disney hasn’t announced specifics about what else will be part of the Lion King land besides the log flume ride, but we expect at least a restaurant and a gift shop. The concept art above appears to show buildings that would make sense to house both of those entities.
Again, Imagineers apply several different mediums and principles in developing a theme park attraction. Here’s a computer rendering of roughly the same perspective as the concept art above.
Disney has not announced the names of the land or ride, and has also not announced the opening date for the project.
Don’t Miss the Latest Disney News
Don’t miss the latest Disneyland and Disney World news from Mickey Visit. Join the FREE Mickey Visit newsletter that over 100k readers receive every single week. Mickey Visit is here to help you save money and experience more during your Disney and Universal vacation. See the Mickey Visit guide to Disneyland and the Mickey Visit guide to Disney World for tips.
