The Lion King (franchise)

The Lion King is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. The success of the original 1994 American animated feature, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to two direct-to-video sequel films, a television film sequel, two animated series, several video games, merchandise, and the 3rd longest-running musical in Broadway history, which garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Titles

Films

The Lion King is the original film of the franchise. It was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, premiered in selected cities on June 15, 1994, and widely released to theaters on June 24, 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures.The Lion King is the 32nd animated film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics and belongs to an era known as the Disney Renaissance. The plot of the film is heavily influenced by the William Shakespeare play Hamlet.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on VHS in the United States on October 27, 1998. It was directed by Darrell Rooney. It was first released on DVD as a limited issue on November 23, 1999, and placed into moratorium on January 19, 2000. It was not released again on DVD until August 31, 2004, when it was a two-disc special edition. It went into moratorium in January 2005. The plot of this animated film is heavily influenced by another Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet.