Behind the Scenes: ‘Monkeying Out’ with the Tumble Monkeys at ‘Festival of the Lion King’

February 9, 2015

From Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager and posted on the Disney Parks Blog.

One of my favorite parts of my job with the Disney Parks Blog is that I occasionally get to go behind the scenes and try out something that is really amazing, like stunt car driving at “Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show,” or learning stage combat at the “Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.”

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My most recent adventure took me to “Festival of the Lion King” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where I was lucky enough to spend some time with a few stars from the show – the fan-favorite Tumble Monkeys.

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In case you haven’t seen “Festival of the Lion King,” the show celebrates the story of Simba the lion cub through live music, dance, puppetry, fireknife, and more. The Tumble Monkey scene adds humor into the story when a group of monkeys bounce, climb, flip, jump and swing in a hilarious gymnastics routine.

In reality, the Tumble Monkeys are a group of highly trained gymnasts who studied the sport up through their college years. In reality, I have not done a cartwheel since about age 7. This made it a pretty interesting challenge to go backstage and learn some of their (beginner) stunts. They also shared with me a team secret, which they call “Monkeying Out.” Check it all out below.

You can see “Festival of the Lion King” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom several times each day. Check your My Disney Experience app for showtimes during your visit.

 

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Scott Atwood Co-Owner, Writer, Webmaster
Scott Atwood is the Co-Owner, Co-Creator, and Webmaster of The Main Street Mouse, one of Florida's leading Disney and theme park news sources. With an 18-year background in technical support and systems management, Scott brings a detail-oriented, research-driven approach to everything he does — from managing the technical infrastructure of TMSM to covering the latest Disney news, Marvel updates, and technology developments. As Project Planner and Business Relations Manager for TMSM, Scott works behind the scenes to ensure the site runs smoothly while also contributing articles on topics he's passionate about — including Star Wars, Marvel, Disney Parks, and the latest in tech and pop culture. What started as a hobby alongside his wife Michele has grown into a full-time labor of love, reaching Disney fans across the country every day. Scott is also Co-Host of the TMSM Weekly Podcast and Co-Owner of the House of Mouse Expo. He feels blessed to spend his days doing what he loves alongside his best friend and partner in all things Disney.



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