Disney Forced to Cancel Popular New Show After Multiple Cast Members Become Ill

Two years ago, the world was shut down as everyone worked hard to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, we now have vaccines and cases have dropped significantly, and life is getting closer and closer to being back to the normal we once knew. However, while things are going in a positive direction, we can’t forget that COVID still exists and people are still getting sick. Sadly, it looks like that could be happening to a number of Cast Members at Disneyland Resort, affecting how the Parks operate.

Credit: Disney

Currently, there are no real COVID protocols in place at Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure. Guests are not required to wear masks, and social distancing is no longer required for Guests or Cast Members. Things had been going well at the Parks, but recently, COVID cases have been on the rise, and Southern California is not the exception to that rise. According to The Orange County Register, a number of Disneyland performers came down with an illness– that has not been confirmed to be COVID — and the Park was forced to cancel some of its performances of the new show, Tale of the Lion King.

Credit: Disney

Per The OCR:

The performance of the “Tale of the Lion King” in the Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland planned for Thursday, June 2 has been canceled out of an abundance of caution after several Disneyland cast members called in sick, according to Disneyland officials.

The “Lion King” cast illnesses come as Orange County, California and the United States experience the latest spike in COVID-19 illnesses. Extremely contagious but less severe omicron variants are expected to keep coronavirus case levels high this summer as the U.S. grapples with the latest wave of COVID-19, according to CNN.

Thursday’s “Tale of the Lion King” performance was planned as part of a summer kickoff media event while Disneyland hosts national and international news outlets.

Disneyland has not yet announced if the “Tale of the Lion King” show will be canceled on future dates.

Credit: Disney

This is the first time that Disneyland has had to cancel theme park performances due to Cast Member illnesses since shows came back to the Parks. Disneyland did not have any shows for months in order to keep everyone safe. Tale of the Lion King recently opened at the Fantasyland Theater, taking the place of the popular show, Mickey and the Magical Map.