"The Lion King" drew much attention for its use of giant hollow puppets in the distinctive style of its original director, Julie Taymor.
"The Lion King" opened on Broadway in November of 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. In June 2006 it moved to the Minskoff Theatre, where it is still running. As of July 2009, it was the the ninth-longest running show in Broadway history.
"The Lion King" was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 1998 and won six, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical (for Julie Taymor).
While there are songs and scenes present in the musical not present in the original film, the most significant change is the gender of principal character Rafiki. Julie Taymor made the character female because she felt there was no female in a primary role.
The show was first produced in London's West End in 1999, with Taymor again serving as director. "The Lion King" has subsequently been produced in various countries around the world, including Canada, China, Japan, France and the Netherlands.