Disney's The Lion King Live in Concert in Abu Dhabi

Disney's The Lion King Live in Concert is a film-with-orchestra evening in Abu Dhabi. The 1994 animated classic is shown on screen while its score is played live in the hall, so the music comes from the stage rather than from a soundtrack.

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra performs Hans Zimmer's Academy Award-winning score alongside the film. The programme includes songs such as "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata", together with the African vocal and choir arrangements by Lebo M that give the story its distinctive sound. The result is a concert and a cinema screening in one, built around a story many people grew up with and return to as adults.

The event takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi's leisure and entertainment district. Yas Island is also home to Yas Marina Circuit, Ferrari World and Yas Mall, so it is an easy place to combine a show with dinner or a day out. Etihad Arena is a large indoor venue that regularly hosts major concerts and live productions. For anyone living in Dubai, the trip is a drive of roughly an hour to an hour and a half by car, depending on where you set off from, which makes it realistic for an evening out.

This format suits families, Disney fans and anyone who enjoys film scores or orchestral music. Expect a seated, attentive evening, closer to a concert hall than to a nightclub, where the film and the music are the focus from beginning to end. If you already know the songs, hearing them played live by a full symphony orchestra adds a different dimension to scenes you may have seen many times.

The Lion King follows the journey of a young lion cub in the Pride Lands, and the film has long been regarded as one of Disney's most iconic stories. Hans Zimmer's score is a central part of that reputation, which is why a live-to-film performance by a symphony orchestra is such a natural way to revisit it.