Most of the crowning moments from the first film are cleverly symbolically shown in the musical. A few of the results potentially upstage the film:
If you thought "The Circle of Life" was a Moment of Awesome for the original film version of The Lion King, just wait until you see it live.
They found a way to have several actors appear from the crowds holding props that, together, materialized a full-scale African elephant which walked convincingly onto the stage! It always gets applause. Julie Taymor remembers this as one of the crowning achievements.
Here's how the whole show starts. The stage is dark, Rafiki steps forth alone, and bellows forth "NAAAAAAAAAAAANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA"... and then the sun rises, a stage-sized sun, complete with ripple effects, rising as if summoned forth by Rafiki and her fellow shamans. That small change in timing turns an awesome opening into a goddamn religious experience.
The Wildebeest stampede is completely on-stage, using a combination of a projected background of Afro-styled art depictions of them, along with a full group of costumes and some clever use of the rotating sets. Audiences usually can't help but applaud after the sequence ends despite the fact that Mufasa has just died.
The use of full-human actors with distinctive facepaint for the lions allows fight scenes to be very distinctive.
When Mufasa appears in the clouds to give Simba confidence, Mufasa's face is a gigantic prop that manages to shimmer into place from out of nowhere, larger than most of the entire sets of the show. This, accompanied by a chorus on-stage in the corners, gives the biggest chills in the show along with the Circle of Life opening.
The battle between Simba's friends and family against the hyenas is just as epic to behold on stage. It becomes an elaborate dance number, with a few stagehands carrying around a large tent of sorts and folding it this way and that way to portray different locations on Pride Rock. Several hyenas do flips, and Simba is seen dueling Scar with their swords well before their final confrontation. Rafiki continues to smack around the hyenas, and Pumbaa knocks one unconscious by farting in its face. Timon then finishes it off.
Timon and Pumbaa versus the hyenas in general. While Timon was outgunned in the film and had to run from Shenzi, he whales on the hyenas while Pumbaa nearly swallows one whole.
The fact that Disney pulled a film like this off on stage. When it was first suggested to put this on the stage, everyone just laughed.
Child Simba leaves during "Hakuna Matata" running offstage, and Adult Simba Tarzan swings in, singing the song calmly the entire time.
The song "He Lives In You".
The added scene where Timon nearly goes over a waterfall into a croc's snapping maw. When he gets out of the said dilemma, he's acting totally casual, not even remotely shaken by what just happened, because of Hakuna Matata. Timon also forgives Simba, who is traumatized by seeing another father figure nearly die because of him — he had goaded Timon and Pumbaa to cross a river with rapid currents which led to Timon falling into the water — telling him it's all in the past, and don't talk about him dying. It's exactly what Simba needed to hear when his father died.
"Shadowland", where Nala leaves the Pridelands to go and find help, after Scar has not only driven their land to ruins but reveals he intends to marry her and have her bear his cubs. What is her response? To slash him in the face and declare she'll never be his queen. She doesn't know where she's going or if she'll succeed, but the send-off she gets from the rest of the pride (and Rafiki) is amazing.
"I will return!"
The lionesses give their blessing while mourning that Nala has to go for her safety. They tell her to remember her pride, and Rafiki chants for her journey to go well. Suffice to say that Rafiki's blessing works, because Nala runs into Simba and regains her hope about saving the Pridelands.
When Nala comes across Timon and Pumbaa the next day after Rafiki has convinced Simba to return, Rafiki swings in on a vine while cackling, shouting, "THE KING HAS RETURNED!" Nala realizes what this means and gains a "Hell, Yes!" Moment vibe. When she finally explains to the duo, they all show up to help Simba reclaim his throne.
Sarabi (with her mask wearing silk ribbons to represent grief) ripping the 'tears' from her eyes when she's finally had enough and confronts Scar.
, where Nala leaves the Pridelands to go and find help, after Scar has not only driven their land to ruins but reveals he intends to marry her and have her bear his cubs. What is her response? To slash him in the face and declare she'll never be his queen. She doesn't know where she's going or if she'll succeed, but the send-off she gets from the rest of the pride (and Rafiki) is amazing.