articles

How to Host an Unforgettable Lion King Live Action Movie Party

By Julie Dikken Publisher/Editor Evergreen.MacaroniKid.com November 14, 2019

Walt Disney Studios just released their newest version of The Lion King Live Action Movie on Digital and Blu-ray, making now the perfect time to host a creative movie themed party. A theme perfect for a little one's birthday or for any occasion when families and friends want to get together!

Macaroni Kid recently hosted our own Disney's The Lion King Live Action Movie Party. It was such roaring fun, we wanted to share some tips for you to use at your next celebration!


Invitations

For this party, we used Facebook to send our invites. It is a handy way to keep track of who can make it, and it is really easy to keep everyone up-to-date on the party details. Not into Facebook? An email invite is just as good! We grabbed free images from Pixabay that go along with the theme to spruce up the invite.




Buy Disney's The Lion King Live Action Movie DVD & Blu-ray

The movie was released on October 22nd, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding the movie at stores near you. You can also order a digital copy online at movies.disney.com. Be sure you look for the newest edition -  you won't want to miss the Live Action Movie! This version elevates the original animated classic and brings the characters to life in an exciting, real-life way. The graphics are absolutely stunning. We heard a lot of "ooohs" and "awes" over the adorable characters in this feature. Parents enjoyed hearing many famous voices too!


Face Painting






If you have a great local face painter and it is within your budget -- give them a call! Kids love to have their faces painted, and wearing the animal faces helped to bring the spirit of the movie alive.

Alternatively, you can also grab of your own supplies at a local craft store and paint faces yourself. #MomTip: finding a friend to help will ease some stress on the day of the party! We searched "animal face painting" on Pinterest to find some great examples.


Party Food

We kept our party snacks simple by serving popcorn, animal crackers, grapes and bananas. These simple goodies aligned perfectly with the Lion King theme and since there was nothing left we knew everyone enjoyed them! 

If you want to get more creative you can find some really unique Lion King ideas on our Pinterest Board


Decorations



Photo Back Drop: A plastic tablecloth serves as a fantastic backdrop for photos. We found animal images online, cut them out and added a popsicle stick. Kids had enjoyed playing different characters in front of the photo booth wall while their parents took pictures. 


It's Movie Time!


Set up a cozy area for kids to enjoy the movie. The New Lion King Live Action Movie is one where you will want everyone to have a great view of the screen. 

At our party, we used the large youth space at Conifer Community Church.  This spacious room allowed us to set up enough chairs for everyone to sit, and we still had plenty of room to keep an open spot up front for kids to cozy up with cushions and blankets.


Activities






My #ProTip for a successful movie party is to plan activities for kids to do while the movie is playing. Children with the wiggles might have a difficult time sitting through a full length movie, so working on a craft and coloring/activity pages while the movie is playing helps keep their attention for longer. 

Our craft was Lion King Masks made out of paper plates and construction paper. As you can see, this was a hit and many sat through the rest of the movie watching through their masterpiece! Activity sheets were found on movies.disney.com.

You are now set up to enjoy your own Disney's The Lion King Live Action Movie party! When you host your party, be sure to take lots of pictures, then be sure to share them with us so we can see the fun you had! 


This party was sponsored by Walt Disney Productions. We were provided with The Lion King Live Action DVD, party items and compensation in exchange for promoting the new release of their movie. All views are my own.