So, you’re trying to figure out the Lion King order of movies. It should be easy, right? 1, 2, 3. Except Disney decided to name the third one 1 1/2, added a TV show that deletes characters, and then dropped a photorealistic "live-action" prequel that basically rewrites the entire family tree.
If you just watch them in the order they hit theaters (or VHS tapes), you’re going to be very confused. Honestly, the timeline is a bit of a disaster. But if you want to actually understand how Simba went from a runaway cub to a paranoid dad, there's a specific way to do it.
The Release Order: How We All Saw It
Most of us grew up watching these as they came out. If you want the nostalgia trip, this is your path.
- The Lion King (1994): The GOAT. No notes.
- The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998): The direct-to-video sequel that was surprisingly good. It's basically Romeo and Juliet with lions.
- The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004): Also known as Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata in some countries. It’s a "side-quel."
- The Lion King (2019): The CGI remake. It’s the same story but everything looks like a National Geographic documentary.
- Mufasa: The Lion King (2024): The newest addition. It’s a prequel to the 2019 version, not the 1994 one.
The Chronological Headache
If you want to watch the story from "beginning to end," things get weird. You can't just press play on one movie and finish it before starting the next because some of these stories literally happen inside other movies.
1. Mufasa: The Lion King (The Backstory)
Technically, the bulk of this movie happens first. It tells the story of how Mufasa was actually an orphaned cub (not royal!) and how he met Taka—who eventually becomes Scar.
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Wait, what? Yeah. In the original 1994 lore, Mufasa and Scar were always brothers. The 2024 movie changes that. It frames the story through Rafiki telling the legend to Kiara (Simba’s daughter). So, while the events are the earliest, the framing happens much later.
2. The Lion King (1994) or (2019)
The meat and potatoes. Mufasa dies, Simba flees, eats some bugs, comes back, and takes the throne. Whether you pick the cartoon or the CGI version doesn't change the timeline, but most fans agree the 1994 version has more "soul."
3. The Lion King 1 1/2 (The Parallel View)
This movie is hilarious because it’s basically Timon and Pumbaa’s Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of the first film. It starts before Simba is born and ends right when he's crowned. If you’re a completionist, you’d actually watch this simultaneously with the first movie.
4. The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (The First Half)
The sequel starts with the birth of Kiara. We see her meet Kovu, a cub from the "Outsiders" (Scar’s old fans). Then, the movie does a massive time jump while the cubs grow up.
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5. The Lion Guard (The Middle Child)
Here’s where Disney really messed with us. Between the moment Kiara is a cub and the moment she's an adult in Simba's Pride, a whole TV series happens. It stars Kion, Simba’s son.
If you watch The Lion King II, Kion doesn't exist. He’s never mentioned. He’s not at the coronation. But in The Lion Guard, he’s the leader of a super-powered animal team. To make sense of the Lion King order of movies, you have to slot the entire three seasons of this show right into the middle of the second movie.
6. The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (The Second Half)
After Kion leaves on his own adventure (conveniently explaining why he’s missing), we jump back to Kiara as a young adult. She falls for Kovu, the prides fight, and eventually, everyone realizes that "We Are One."
The Real Question: Which Order is Best?
Honestly? Don't do the chronological watch for your first time. It’s exhausting.
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The best way to watch is to start with the 1994 original. It’s the foundation. From there, go straight to Simba’s Pride. It feels like a natural progression of the story. Save 1 1/2 for when you want a laugh, and treat the 2019 and 2024 films as a separate "Live-Action Universe" (The LAU?).
The 2024 Mufasa movie is specifically a prequel to the 2019 remake. It uses the same hyper-realistic style and follows the continuity where Mufasa and Scar aren't biological brothers. If you try to mix that with the 1994 cartoon, your brain will probably leak out of your ears trying to make the facts line up.
Quick Cheat Sheet for the Timeline
- The Deep Past: Flashbacks in Mufasa: The Lion King (2024).
- The Reign of Mufasa: First 20 minutes of The Lion King.
- The Exile: The middle of The Lion King / All of The Lion King 1 1/2.
- The Return: The end of The Lion King.
- The Next Generation (Cub era): The start of Simba's Pride and The Lion Guard.
- The Future: The end of Simba's Pride and the series finale of The Lion Guard.
One weird detail people forget: the cub at the very end of the 1994 movie was originally named Kopa in some old books. Disney basically ignored him to create Kiara, and then ignored Kion in the movies. Simba’s family tree is less of a tree and more of a "choose your own adventure" shrub.
If you’re planning a marathon this weekend, start with the 1994 classic and then jump into Simba’s Pride. It’s the most cohesive story arc. Once you’ve finished those, go back and watch Mufasa (2024) to see how the new "realistic" lore stacks up against the original. Just don't expect the two versions of Scar to make any sense together—they basically aren't the same character.