The lion king (1994) ?“ top 100 greatest movies no. 70 ?“ reel chat 101.0

Welcome back to Episode 101 of the “Reel Chat Podcast” – the premiere episode of our brand new (and fifth) season. After a brief hiatus, we continue with our countdown of Empire Magazine’s Top 100 Greatest Movies of all time.
Magical and memorable, rip-roaring and heartbreaking, 1994’s “The Lion King” efficiently re-purposes elements of both Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and their very own “The Jungle Book” (scary, scarred cat seizes control of a pack by killing their leader; orphaned and outcast ‘cub’ is befriended by lovable but goofy animals who sing and dance him around until he’s ready to face the bad guy who killed his dad). Indeed, it was even originally titled “King Of The Jungle.”
These familiar elements are forged into a timeless tale of betrayal, tragedy and revenge, further embellished with some coming-of-age fun and training-for-the-big-fight moments, with maybe a little childhood sweetheart romance thrown in for good measure. Sure, it’s not perfect – the powerful emotional impact of its first and last acts is somewhat undone by an arguably necessary but still diluent middle act filled with slapstick comedy characters and playful merriment montages, and some of the character motivations are questionable – but it’s the “Rocky” of Disney features; a tremendous underdog tale of epic proportions. With it’s stunning animation, “The Lion King” – which was actually expected to be vastly overshadowed by the then-upcoming “Pocahontas” – was a masterclass in simple storytelling and features a fantastic score (who would have ever thought that Elton John meets Hans Zimmer would work!?). 
Joining your host Adam Stolfo is the returning Michael Hadjion, as well as special guest Patreon supporter Ben Houghton. Join the team as they discuss the film’s staggering financial and critical success, it’s upcoming 2019 CGI remake, it’s legacy as the most successful 2D animated film of all time, the work and career of co-directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, the film’s iconic voice cast, the well-known controversies, Hans Zimmer’s Academy Award winning score, the memorable songs of Elton John and Tim Rice, it’s plethora of home video releases, as well as touching upon it’s direct-to-video sequels and it’s long-running Broadway musical.
So does “The Lion King” deserve it’s spot in the Top 100? And is position number 70 where it belongs?