EAST LANSING - Disney's The Lion King is back to East Lansing again.

This is the third time The Lion King has performed at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts and it is its 20th year of touring around the world since its Broadway premiere in 1997.

People continue returning to the show every time "because it's such a phenomenon. I mean it's so incredible," said Bob Hoffman, Public Relations Manager for the Wharton Center for Performing Arts.

"Within 30 seconds of watching the show, you can get tears in your eyes that's not because of sad but because it's so spectacular," Hoffman said.

The successful performance of The Lion King is the result of hard work of its actors and production team.

Mark Campbell, cast member playing the role of Scar, said the show is physically demanding.

"The costume is probably one of the most elaborate costume in the history of theater. It weighs about 40 pounds," Campbell said.

"But on top of that, I have to wear the mask and I have to operate the puppet during the show to give Scar animation. So to keep all those things in your head and still acting, singing and dancing is not a easy thing. It has a learning curve," he said.

As the show is based on its animated film, 230 puppets are created to bring the show to life.

Michael Reilly, the show's puppet manager, said "after about 5 minutes of watching the show, you actually stop looking at the actors' faces and you start looking at the puppets to see how they are going to react even though the puppets are inanimate objects."

"So I think the greatest about the show is you really start to believe that they are the characters," Reilly said.

The show is also supported by back stage management team.

Gregor Young, the show's head wardrobe supervisor, said moving from city to city is the biggest challenge.

Young said they need to hire about 18 local staffs during the show in different cities working for back stage to give the performance on stage every night.

Considering the individuals with sensory, social and learning disabilities, Wharton Center specially offers a sensory-friendly performance for The Lion King this year to provide a supportive environment.

Hoffman said, "I'm very proud of Wharton Center for reaching out this population because the art should be accessible to every one."

The sensory-friendly performance will be presented on July 21, 2018. This special performance is sponsored by Delta Dental.

The show runs from July 11 through July 29.