This is a special time to be visiting Disney World.
We’ve already told you how incredible the holiday season can be here, after all, what with the decorations, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights, and the holiday snacks (the best part, IMHO). We also love visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom this time of year because we get to see the Merry Menagerie. However, there’s also a special nighttime show that gets a holiday update, but this year, ANOTHER update was added to the show (hint: it might have you working on your roar).
If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to be in Animal Kingdom after dark (and it really only happens in the winter because this is one park that closes WAY too early), you might have had a chance to see the Tree of Life Awakenings, a show with special lights and projections on the Tree of Life. If you haven’t seen it, you’re really missing out because it’s beautiful.
Well, if you’re visiting during the holidays, you can also see a holiday version of the show — which is also visually stunning.
And now, you can also see a NEW version of the show for a limited time, and this one celebrates the release of Mufasa: The Lion King.
You’ll see mystical animal images with a new musical score that tells Mufasa’s story and how he rose to become the King of the Pride Lands.
Tree of Life Awakenings, Mufasa edition 🌿🦁✨ pic.twitter.com/BVGPJ9kFxp
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 20, 2024
If you want to see this special nighttime show, it starts at 6PM and happens every 10 minutes until park close. You can also see all THREE versions of Awakenings. When we checked it out, we saw the Mufasa show three times while the other two played once each. The last show started at 7PM, which is when Animal Kingdom closed.
This show is STUNNING 😍✨ pic.twitter.com/5uVo0mzjEC
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 20, 2024
The best part of this nighttime show is that you don’t have to stake out a spot to see it. It’s visible all the way back to the Island Mercantile shop and everything is basically downhill from the tree, so you’ll get perfect viewing just about anywhere in that area.
Tree of Life Awakenings is worth waiting around for, so be sure to catch it before you leave Animal Kingdom at night.
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
WINTER Is the Best Time of Year to Visit This Disney World Park. CHANGE MY MIND.
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What do you think? Have you ever watched this show? Let us know in the comments!






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