Timon and Rafiki Celebrate ‘The Lion King’ 30th Anniversary with Meet-and-Greet

This meet-and-greet was a limited-time opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney’s animated film The Lion King. We have left the information below for historical reference. You may still see either character at this location. See our list of current Animal Kingdom meet-and-greets for more details.

Timon and Rafiki have a new character meet-and-greet location at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, bringing new life to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Many years ago, Rafiki met regularly at this location, while Timon met elsewhere in the park. However, in 2020, Disney moved both characters to river cruises because of social distancing restrictions. Those character cruises ended earlier in 2024.

Guests can now find Timon and Rafiki meeting intermittently throughout the day. Both characters meet in the same location. However, they meet separately. Their times are listed in the My Disney Experience app. 

We arrived at Rafiki’s Planet Watch at approximately 12:45 p.m., 15 minutes past the 12:30 p.m. listed meet-and-greet time. Unfortunately, Timon’s line was already closed, so we had to wait until the next scheduled time to meet him. This turned out to be a good experience because if you want to meet both characters, you’ll need to plan to arrive early enough to see them within a reasonable time frame.

Rafiki’s Planet Watch is in a separate area of the park. Its entrance is in the back of Harambe, next to Kilimanjaro Safaris. A large sign hangs over the walkway leading to the Wildlife Express Train. You must board the train and take it to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. The train runs approximately every 10 minutes. So you will need to account for the time it takes to get to the train station, the train ride, and the couple of minutes it takes to walk to Conservation Station once you reach Rafiki’s Planet Watch. 

Timon and Rafiki meet outside on the immediate right when you reach the first entrance to Conservation Station. A pair of restrooms is immediately inside the entrance, should you need one. Here is a photo of the overall location, followed by where they meet. 

Since Timon was wrapping up his meet-and-greet, I went inside and found a bench to wait. The next listed time for Rafiki wasn’t until 1:30 p.m. For me, it’s not a big deal to wait an hour because it’s what I do. However, as a guest with limited time, you will want to be more strategic about timing. Ideally, I should have arrived by 1:15 p.m. for the 1:30 p.m. meet-and-greet. So I would have needed to be at the train station by 1:00 p.m. at the latest. Then, I could have met Rafiki at 1:30 p.m. and stayed for Timon at 1:50 p.m. (Instead, I waited an extra 45 minutes!)

A line started to develop for Rafiki about 15 minutes before his next meet-and-greet. If you’ve read any of our character coverage, you know we always recommend getting in line at least 15 minutes before the next scheduled meet-and-greet.

Here are a few photos of Rafiki, along with his character autograph.

After meeting Rafiki, I rejoined the line and let the cast member know I wanted to meet Timon. Several others did the same. In the meantime, the cast member let any new guests who walked up go ahead of us to meet Rafiki. After he left, Timon came out for his meet-and-greet.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of Timon’s character autograph. But he was happy to pose for a few photos, and he does sign autographs. A PhotoPass photographer was not available at this location during our visit.

Overall, we enjoyed meeting Timon and Rafiki and are happy to see more traditional character meet-and-greets! During your visit to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, you might also enjoy the Affection Section (a petting zoo) and the Animation Experience, which you won’t want to miss. For active meet-and-greets in the parks, see our list of Disney World Meet-and-Greets with Characters. Check with Resorts Gal soon for more character coverage.

Other Places Timon Has Met Over the Years:

Timon Roam the Oasis at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: In 2026, we found Timon roaming The Oasis at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. He rotates this location with Rafiki

Meet Timon at Rafiki’s Planet Watch: Sadly, this location closed in 2026 to become Bluey’s Wild World.

To learn more about the resorts, see our guide to the Disney World Hotels. You might also like our overview of dining at Disney World. Need to know how to get around? Our beginner’s guide to transportation options at Disney World is one of our top resources.

For touring the parks, see our Disney World Rides and Attractions guide. It links to attraction guides for all four theme parks. If you’re just getting started, you might like our Disney World Vacation Planning Guide. It brings together the resources you need to plan your visit. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more updates.

In the Comments

Will you visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom during The Lion King’s 30th anniversary? Will you take the time to meet Timon and Rafiki? Let us know in the comments.