There are Disney World performers, and then there are Disney World institutions. Veryl E. Jones falls firmly into the second category, and after more than 20 years with Disney, he is officially retiring from Festival of the Lion King at Disney's Animal Kingdom, closing out one of the most impressive runs any theme park performer has put together.
News of the retirement surfaced through fellow performer Monica Quinn, who posted a video of the show's cast and crew celebrating Jones at the Festival of the Lion King theater. For a performer who spent over two decades commanding that stage, the send-off was well earned.
The Role That Made Him a Fan Favorite
Jones portrayed Kiume, the leader of the elephant section and one of the four human hosts who anchor the entire production. His defining moment came every single show when he sang Be Prepared, Scar's villain anthem, a number that consistently lands as one of the most memorable stretches of the entire experience. Guests who have sat in the Harambe Theater and felt that song take over the room know exactly what kind of presence is walking away.
And Jones was not just a theme park performer. His resume includes film appearances in Bad Boys II, The Punisher, and Out of Time, all from the early 2000s. That level of screen and stage experience showed up in every performance, which is a big part of why guests kept coming back to see him specifically, year after year.
Happy retirement to the man the myth and the legend, VJ.
— Ethan 💫 (@ThatDisneyBoi) July 2, 2026
This man has been with the show since it opened in 1998, and today he finally celebrates his retirement. Getting to grow up watching you, to sharing a stage with you has been one of the greatest privileges.
Nǎhtǎzū!!! pic.twitter.com/XN5Y6babfX
The Show That Refuses to Age
Festival of the Lion King is not just another entry in Disney's entertainment lineup. It opened with Disney's Animal Kingdom itself on April 22, 1998, making it one of the longest-running productions anywhere on Walt Disney World property. It originally ran at Camp Minnie-Mickey before relocating to the Harambe Theater in the park's Africa section, where it continues to perform today.
The production features four human hosts singing famous songs from The Lion King alongside life-size puppets of Simba, Pumbaa, an elephant, and a giraffe on parade floats, with Timon appearing as a walkaround character. Tumble Monkeys, aerial gymnasts, a fire twirler, and dancers round out a show that has managed to feel fresh across nearly three decades of continuous performances.
The numbers back up the legacy. Just last year, Festival of the Lion King celebrated its 80 millionth guest, honoring a young visitor with an oversized commemorative ticket featuring the show's logo and a nod to Camp Minnie-Mickey, plus a celebration button and a group photo with the cast. Eighty million guests for a single theme park production is a staggering figure, and performers like Jones are precisely why that number kept climbing.
What Disney Guests Should Know Going Forward
Festival of the Lion King continues performing at the Harambe Theater, and the role of Kiume will be carried on by other performers. Guests planning to catch the show should know seating is limited and not guaranteed with park admission, so checking the My Disney Experience app, in-park tip boards, or asking a cast member at the theater for queue information is the move, especially during busier seasons. The Play Disney Parks app also offers a digital achievement for experiencing the show.
But for the guests who spent the last two decades returning to that theater specifically to watch Jones perform, this retirement genuinely marks the end of an era. Shows like this are built by the people who perform them day after day, year after year. Veryl Jones gave Festival of the Lion King more than 20 of those years, and the standing ovations he earned along the way speak for themselves.
