Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase! This guide will show you how to watch The Lion King franchise in both release date order and chronological order, and show you where all the movies and series are streaming online right now.
For anyone looking to watch The Lion King franchise in order, there’s a few things to know. First, there’s technically the original timeline and the live-action timeline – and there’s also Beyonce’s standalone Black is King musical film, which is loosely inspired by the story of The Lion King. If you want to watch the movies and shows in release date order, it would look like this.
The Lion King Movies in Order (Release)
- The Lion King (1994)
- The Lion King’s Timon and Pumba (1995-1999)
- The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998)
- The Lion King 1 ½ (2004)
- The Lion Guard (2016-2019)
- The Lion King (2019)
- Black is King (2020)
- Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)
Chronologically, you could technically break up the animated and live-action timelines, but since 2019’s The Lion King is virtually identical to the ‘94 film and Mufasa is a prequel predating everything else, you could also watch a combination of the two, creating one singular chronological timeline (omitting Black is King since that’s a standalone film).
The Lion King Movies in Order (Chronological)
Mufasa: The Lion King
Mufasa: The Lion King tells the origin story of Simba’s dad Mufasa and how he started off as an orphan and eventually rose to power, becoming king of the pride. But it also tells the story of the pride’s bloodline prince, Taka…who becomes evil and is eventually known as Scar.
The Lion King (1994) / The Lion King (2019)
Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, both the 2019 Lion King films tell the now-famous tale of the young lion cub Simba, and how he becomes exiled after the death of his father. But as Simba grows up, he discovers he needs to return to the pride and save them from the evil Scar.
The Liong King 1 ½
The straight-to-video Lion King 1 ½ actually received lots of praise for its humor thanks to its stars Timon and Pumba. The film begins slightly before The Lion King and runs congruently with its plot, showcasing everything Timon and Pumba were doing while Simba was busy fighting Scar and rescuing the pride.
The Lion King’s Timon and Pumba
Also focusing on Timon and Pumba was the aptly named Disney series The Lion King’s Timon and Pumba. Taking place after the first film, the series is one of those “adventure of the week” type shows and sees the duo having wacky hijinks all over the world in places like Fiji, Japan, the Yukon, and more.
The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride
The Lion King 2 follows Simba and Nala’s daughter Kiara. And just like her parents, Kiara runs off to have an adventure where she meets another lion cub along the way. What she doesn’t know is that the cub is part of a lion pride who still believe Scar is their rightful ruler and wish to destroy Simba once and for all.
The Lion Guard
The series The Lion Guard actually runs congruently with The Lion King 2 and focuses on Kion, Simba and Nala’s son. The series also had a surprisingly robust voice cast that included Gabrielle Union, Rob Lowe, and Lacy Chabert.
Where Can I Watch The Lion King Franchise Online?
Check out our guide below to find out where you can watch every Lion King movie and series streaming online right now.
