SiriusXM'S Disney Hits Channel Airs THE LION KING Special With Elton John, Tim Rice, Thomas Schumacher, & More

Fans are sure to feel the love this week on the happiest musical channel on earth, SiriusXM’s Disney Hits (channel 133), with a one-hour special celebrating the making of “The Lion King’s” Film and Original Soundtrack. Listen exclusively on the SiriusXM app starting now, and on-air on SiriusXM’s Disney Hits, Saturday, June 8th at 4pm EST. 

The making of special features behind the scenes anecdotes in exclusive interviews with Sir Elton John, Sir Tim Rice, Film Producers Don Hahn & Thomas Schumacher, Film Directors Rob Minkoff & Roger Allers, Story Supervisor Brenda Chapman, Screenwriter Irene Mecchi, and Former Walt Disney Music Executive Chris Montan. In addition to the one-hour special, Chris Montan, Don Hahn, Rov Minkoff, Roger Allers, Tom Schumacher, Brenda Chapman and Sir Tim Rice recorded “Be Our Guest 4 The Day” episodes that will be airing throughout the month of June.

“The Lion King” won a slew of awards, including Oscars® for Best Original Score by Hans Zimmer and Best Original Song for “Circle of Life” (Elton John & Tim Rice), Golden Globe® Awards for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Circle of Life,” 4 Grammy® Awards, and countless others. 

In its 30th Anniversary, “The Lion King” is still immensely popular. Disney Concerts recently held two sold-out shows at The Hollywood Bowl with original cast members and special guests from Broadway and TV. The concerts were filmed for a Disney+ Special. Since the 1994 debut of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Oscar®-winning original global phenomenon, the story of “The Lion King” has dazzled audiences around the world, including the record-breaking, Tony® Award-winning stage musical (1998), the 2019 live-action box office blockbuster, animated series and sequels, as well as long-running successful shows in the Disney Parks. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” directed by Barry Jenkins, with original music from Lin-Manuel Miranda will be in theaters this December. The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

With films, stage musicals, live concerts and now a SiriusXM Disney Hits (channel 133) special, the wise words of Mufasa sum it all up, “We’re all connected in that great circle of life.”