Disney Bans ‘The Lion King’ Characters, Removed From Public

Walt Disney World Resort has quietly removed two characters from The Lion King (1994) from the meet-and-greet lineup at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. The pair disappeared without fanfare, disappointing many Disney Park guests who didn’t have the chance to say goodbye.

This character update is part of several ongoing overhauls at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Earlier this year, the original Tree of Life show, It’s Tough To Be A Bug!, closed to make way for “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!,” which will open later this year. In January, much of DinoLand U.S.A. shut down and has since been demolished, clearing space for the Tropical Americas-themed land, Pueblo Esperanza. Pueblo Esperanza will feature two all-new attractions inspired by Encanto (2021) and an Indiana Jones-inspired retheme of DINOSAUR.

Days ago, Inside the Magic reported that Pluto’s character meet-and-greets at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park had been relocated due to the ongoing construction. At that time, Rafiki and Timon from Disney’s The Lion King seemed to be missing from upcoming entertainment schedules, but it wasn’t clear whether they’d continue meeting guests. Their meet-and-greets were at the Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, far from the Tree of Life and DinoLand U.S.A construction.

Now, it seems that Walt Disney World Resort has officially removed Timon and Rafiki from the character lineup at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Although Disney hasn’t made an official statement, the characters have been missing from the My Disney Experience app for days. Here’s a recent screenshot:

Disney Parks fans quickly took notice of Timon and Rafiki’s absence. “Are Rafiki and Timon gone from Animal Kingdom?” u/PickleStarMan asked on Reddit. “Trying to get some solid confirmation on this! It looks like they stopped appearing on the app May 10th…Would love to meet them when we go next week, but we might be too late!”

Recent Disney Park visitors said they last saw Timon and Rafiki at Conservation Station around two weeks ago.

“I would surmise they’re unavailable,” said u/Throwaway1303033042.

Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t issued an official statement on Timon and Rafiki’s removal. For now, fans should check out Festival of the Lion King, a jaw-dropping, Broadway-caliber performance in Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. The show stars Simba, Pumbaa, Timon, and a cast of talented singers, dancers, puppeteers, and acrobats.

Does this meet-and-greet change impact your Walt Disney World Resort vacation? Let us know in the comments!