DISNEY’S THE LION KING RELEASES NEW INSTAGRAM FILTER INSPIRED BY THE ICONIC BROADWAY PRODUCTION

DISNEY’S THE LION KING RELEASES NEW INSTAGRAM FILTER

INSPIRED BY THE ICONIC BROADWAY PRODUCTION

Inspired by the Tony Award®-winning Best Musical Disney’s The Lion King, Instagram and Disney Theatrical Productions have released a free new special filter for fans to enjoy and share. 

Users can find the new filter on the official Instagram account of The Lion King (@thelionking or instagram.com/thelionking) and wear the iconic character masks of Simba and Nala, recreated exactly from Julie Taymor’s original Tony Award-winning designs through Augmented Reality technology.

The free filter can also be found by searching “Simba and Nala” in the “browse effect” search tool within Instagram.

How to operate the filter:

· Use the camera to focus on a user’s face. Simba’s filter will appear.

· Tap the user's face once to switch to Nala’s filter.

· Bring a friend into focus with another user and both filters will appear.

· When using both filters, tap the screen to switch from one user to another.

To download production photography for The Lion King, click HERE.

After 22 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world.  Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 25 global productions have been seen by more than 100 million people.  Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King has made theatrical history with three productions worldwide running 15 or more years and three others running 20 or more years. 

Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese), productions of The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway; London’s West End; Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; on tour across North America, Japan, and The U.K. & Ireland, with a separate production touring internationally, for a total of nine productions running concurrently across the globe.  Having played over 100 cities in 21 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or another entertainment title in box office history.          

The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards^®:  Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical.  The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy^® for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design. 

The show’s director, costume designer, and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show’s ongoing success.  The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor continues to supervise new productions of the show around the world.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer; and music from "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, and Hans Zimmer.  The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award^®-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to Lebo M’s rich choral numbers.

Elton John, Lebo M, and Hans Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Julie Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto extraordinary worldwide success.

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated The Lion King feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay.  Other members of the creative team include Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), John Stefaniuk (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor) and Doc Zorthian (production supervisor). Anne Quart serves as a co-producer.

For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com.