The Lion King Logo PNG
One of Disney’s best-known media franchises, the Lion King started from an animated film released in 1994. It was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. The plot revolved around the life of a pride of lions and their “kingdom”—vast African savanna.
Meaning and history
The origins of the idea are widely disputed. One thing we know for certain is that in 1988, Thomas Disch began writing a work named King of the Kalahari, which was later developed into a full-length film. In addition to the original animated film, the following works were released:
- Several plays and musicals
- Films: The Lion King (2019) and Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)
- Book: The Lion King: Six New Adventures
- Two animated series
- Direct-to-video releases: Simba’s Pride (1998) and The Lion King 1½ (2004)
- Theme park attractions
In this article, we’ll only discuss the logo of the original film and its versions released over the years.
What is the Lion King?
The Lion King is a Disney media franchise ranked among the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, with a result of $15.9 billion. The original film is known for its soundtrack, among other things, which includes Elton John’s “Circle of Life”.
1990 (King of the Jungle)
During the development stage, the movie had several working titles, including King of the Beasts and King of the Jungle. History has preserved an unused prototype of the logo for the second name. It already features a capitalized serif type and an earthy orange color, but the letters are heavier than in all the following versions.
1994 (The Lion King)
The original release of the movie included almost 30 versions adapted for different cultures. The opening titles and posters featured slightly different variations of the Lion King logo.
In the main one, the movie’s name is given in a serif all-caps type. The lettering “Lion King” takes up the majority of the space, while “The” in smaller letters is positioned above and separated by a horizontal bar. The glyphs can be yellow or burn orange, depending on the background.
2002
In late 2002, the movie was reissued for IMAX and large-format theaters. The shape of the logo was tweaked slightly, while the palette was adapted to the new color context. The letters were white, while the background was deep brown with a red undertone.
2003
Another version was introduced, where the letters were not purely white but had a beige or light brown undertone. The background grew darker, too. A frame appeared around the wordmark, imitating a casual hand-drawn style.
2011 (Primary logo, 3D, Disney Second Screen)
Disney didn’t alter the shape of the primary logo for the 2011 release. The color scheme, though, was again modified to fit the new visual context.
However, a new version of the logo was designed for the 3D release. It was simpler than its predecessor due to the elimination of the horizontal bar. Also, now all the glyphs in the lettering “Lion King” were of the same size, while “The” moved to the left.
2017
In 2017, the movie was reissued for home media as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection. The design became more compact as “The” was placed inside the “O” glyph. Upon closer inspection, you can also notice that the letters have been redrawn, becoming a bit more recognizable and stylish. It’s very noticeable, for instance, in the way the “O” changed and the shorter serifs.
International titles
In international versions, modifications of the Lion King logo were introduced. While most of them were based on the original one, the authors were pretty creative with the structure of the logo and the proportions of the glyphs.
Font and color
Earthy shades of orange and yellow, as well as brown and gold, have been typically used in the Lion King logo so far. Most versions have been based on a wide serif type with a circular “O.”
