When “The Lion King” turned 20 (in 2017), Disney Theatrical Group celebrated. The team shared more behind-the-scenes details than ever before, threw a block party in Times Square and went big on an anniversary performance and afterparty — Elton John-live-onstage big. And yet, as the 25th Broadway anniversary peeked over the horizon in November 2022, the campaign surrounding “The Lion King” took the marketing of the long-running musical to the next level.
“I can acknowledge it was definitely a much bigger push for 25,” said Angelo Desimini, vice president of marketing, publicity, sales and education for Disney Theatrical Group. “Twenty-five — for all its glory — it’s a big moment in time. People celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary … It just felt bigger to us.”
“Combine that with coming out of the pandemic, the state of Broadway, where everything stood,” he continued. “It felt very momentous — for ‘Lion King,’ for the Walt Disney Company, for, we hope, the state of Broadway — to try to have a really positive story out there about something that is beloved and has longevity.”
