‘Lion King’ Calgary run features 200 puppets, 49 cast members, and a 45-pound Pumbaa

Disney’s The Lion King is on stage in Calgary, from July 30 to Aug. 17 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

The iconic musical brings with it a staggering 200 puppets — from rod puppets to shadow puppets to towering full-body animals — and a 49-person cast to bring the Pride Lands to life. One of the biggest — literally — is Pumbaa.

Danny Grumich wears the 45-pound Pumbaa puppet, which he describes as more forgiving than some of the other costumes. While his role requires endurance, he’s able to remove the puppet at intermission or between scenes. That’s not the case for everyone.

“Peter Hargrave, who plays Scar, once he’s in it, he’s in it,” says Grumich. “He gets into everything early in the show and has to stay in it until the end. He really gets no relief.”

Grumich also points to the elephant puppet — which makes an early appearance in the show — as another monster of the backstage world. Operated by four actors and weighing roughly 145 pounds, it draws huge cheers every night. Other intricate puppets include Zazu, with hand-controlled triggers for the eyes and mouth, and the cheetah, which Grumich says is an incredible sight when the actor fully disappears into the movement.

Learning to work with the Pumbaa puppet was a challenge at first. Grumich says he had no formal puppetry training before joining the tour.

“You really have to become one with it,” he explains. “Luckily, Disney has a team of puppet masters who work with us throughout the rehearsal process. It took time, but now it feels like an extension of me.”

For audience members, Grumich suggests watching closely for the stampede scene and waterfall—both brought to life using shadow puppets and clever staging.

He also recommends keeping an eye out for the smaller touches: the fish swimming during underwater moments, or the detail in Rafiki’s cave painting.

Despite its 1997 Broadway premiere, Grumich says the original stagecraft still holds up. “A lot of what you see today is what people saw 25 years ago. It doesn’t need high-tech gadgets to impress. The artistry, the movement, the design—they still bring people to their feet.”

Disney’s The Lion King continues its Calgary run through mid-August, before heading west to Vancouver. The show runs two hours 30 min with one intermission.

Tickets at can be found here.