The first three animated films are widely known for being influenced by the works of William Shakespeare, as well as other works based on his material. The franchise mainly revolves about a pride of lions who oversee a large swath of African savanna as their ' kingdom' known as the Pride Lands, with their leader Simba watching over it as ' king'. The franchise as a whole has EGOT-ed, meaning it has won the four biggest awards of American show business.

The franchise, led by the musical's box office at $8.1 billion (as of December 2017), is the highest-grossing entertainment property. The success of the original 1994 American animated feature, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to a direct-to-video sequel and midquel, a 2019 film remake, a television film sequel, two spin-off television series, three educational shorts, several video games, merchandise, and the third-longest-running musical in Broadway history, which garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical. The Lion King is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. ** The Lion King 1½ was also released theatrically in some countries and selected American cities.

* Work where this franchise's characters or settings appeared as part of a crossover, or has characters based on those from this franchise.

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