All 5 ‘The Lion King’ Movies in Order (Including Series & Shorts)

The original animated The Lion King movie from 1994 is widely regarded as the best Disney movie of all time. But many fans don’t know that the original The Lion King movie spawned many sequels, live-action movies, and two TV shows. Currently ‘The Lion King franchise consists of 5 movies, two series & 3 sets of shorts, and today, we’re going to tell you how to watch them in order.

Editor’s Note: This watch order was updated in November 2023 to include the latest news regarding the ‘The Lion King’ prequel in development.

All 5 ‘The Lion King’ movies, series & shorts in release date order

The original ‘The Lion King’ movie was released in 1994, and since then, it’s been widely regarded as the best ‘The Lion King’ movie of all time. It was original, funny, and emotional enough that it appealed to just about anybody. The franchise is still going strong almost 30 years later, and here are all installments in release date order:

1. ‘The Lion King’ (1994)
2. ‘The Lion King’s Timon & Pumbaa’ (1995-1999) – 3 Seasons
3. ‘The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998)
4. ‘Find Out Why’ – Shorts (2000-)
5. ‘The Lion King 1½’ (2004)
6. ‘Timon and Pumbaa’s Wild About Safety’ – Shorts (2008-2013)
7. ‘It’s UnBungalievable’ – Shorts (2016)
8. ‘The Lion Guard’ (2017-2019) – 2 Seasons
9. ‘The Lion King’ (2019)
10. ‘Black Is King’ (2020)

Are all ‘The Lion King’ movies & series connected? What’s the best way to watch them?

‘The Lion King’ movies and series are all connected and follow the same overall story. The original animated film was released in 1994, and it was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, ‘The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride,’ in 1998, which continues the story with Simba’s daughter, Kiara.

There’s also ‘The Lion King 1½’ (or ‘The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata’ in some regions), which provides a comedic perspective on the events of the first film from Timon and Pumbaa’s point of view.

In addition to the movies, there’s ‘The Lion Guard’ series, which follows Simba and Nala’s second-born cub, Kion, as he leads a group of animals to protect the Pride Lands.

So, whether it’s the movies or the series, they’re all part of the same Lion King universe! The best way to watch the franchise is definitely in release date order, however, the chronology is a mess, with the 2019 further complicating the story.

All ‘The Lion King’ movies & series in chronological order

Some franchises have a pretty straightforward chronology that usually follows the release dates, this isn’t the case with ‘The Lion King’ franchise. There are 3 installments in the franchise that basically retell the same story, with only two installments that advance it. Here’s how to watch ‘The Lion King’ franchise in chronological order:

1. ‘The Lion King’ (1994) – the original movie
2. ‘The Lion King’ (2019) – a remake of the original movie
3. ‘The Lion King 1½’ – set both before and during the original movie
4. ‘The Lion King’s Timon & Pumbaa’ – takes place after the events of the first movie
5. ‘The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride’ – takes place after the events of the first movie
6. ‘The Lion Guard’ – takes place after ‘The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride’

‘Black Is King’ is a visual companion to ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ curated by Beyoncé for the film ‘The Lion King’ (2019). And It’s really not connected to anything in the franchise except for that album you can easily skip this one if you’re not interested in the follow-up media. The same can be said for the collection of shorts, they are entertaining and all, but don’t really add anything new to the story.

Where to watch the above-mentioned movies & shows?

Almost every installment in ‘The Lion King’ franchise can be streamed on Disney+. A series of shorts ‘Find out Why’ featuring Timon and Pumba, can only be watched on YouTube, and the same goes for ‘It’s UnBungalievable.’ ‘Timon and Pumbaa’s Wild About Safety’ can be rented on purchased on Google Play and Apple TV store.

Will there be more ‘The Lion King’ movies?

In September 2020, a follow-up film to the 2019 live-action-styled CGI remake of The Lion King was announced, directed by Barry Jenkins. The movie, titled ‘Mufasa: The Lion King,’ explores Mufasa’s formative years and events after the first film, adopting a structure reminiscent of ‘The Godfather Part II.’ The story is not a remake of ‘The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.’

The script, completed by Jeff Nathanson, was officially announced at the 2022 D23 Expo. Casting includes Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as young Mufasa and Scar, while Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Kani reprise their roles. Harrison Jr. revealed in April 2023 that the film delves into Scar’s backstory in a “hilarious and very spicy” manner, exploring his relationship with brother Mufasa.

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