The Nightly – “Trying to Remember The Lion King (Kind Of)”

Podcast: The Nightly by Hatch Podcasts
Hosts: Josh (A) and Sophia (B)
Date: December 20, 2025

Overview

In this cozy, late-night episode, Josh and Sophia play “Do You Remember?”—a game where Sophia tries to recall the plot of The Lion King without any fresh viewing. The result is a meandering, affectionate, and frequently hilarious retelling fueled by nostalgia, fuzzy memories, and tangential pop culture chat. The tone is gentle and silly, ideal for winding down before bed.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter: Nighttime Greetings and Family Wordplay

• The episode opens with musings about greetings at different times of day and funny dad-isms.
  • Sophia reminisces about her dad teaching odd words:
    “He really would teach us the word concatenate, which just means to connect.” (02:16)
  • Josh recalls his dad using "G WOS" for “goes without saying.” (01:17)

2. Game Introduction: “Do You Remember?”

• Sophia explains: “I’m going to try to recall the plot of a movie that I, like, certainly don’t remember.” (02:31)
• The chosen film: The Lion King — both hosts realize their recollections are spotty at best.

3. Struggles and Laughter: Reconstructing The Lion King

• Key Characters and Confusion:
  • Simba, Nala, Mufasa, and Scar are named, though details blur.
    • “So maybe the Lion King dies.” (06:44 – Sophia)
  • Quick detour into Disney’s use of “live action” for the CGI remake:
    • “Words mean things!” (03:22 – Josh)
• Attempts at Plot Recall:
  • Sophia admits: “This is literally me, like, going home, being like, y’all, I got another book report tomorrow, and I did not read it.” (05:37)
  • Through banter, they deduce:
    • Simba’s father Mufasa is killed by Scar (Simba’s uncle), who orchestrates a stampede.
    • Simba runs away, is befriended by Timon (meerkat) and Pumbaa (warthog), and adopts “Hakuna Matata.”
  • Voice cast trivia emerges as Josh tries to recall who voiced whom, often with comedic self-doubt.
    • “One of the older Jeremys.” (08:39 – Josh, on Jeremy Irons as Scar)
    • “I wanna say Matthew Broderick, but I have no idea where I’m pulling that from.” (09:44)

4. Missing Pieces and Classic Moments

• Confusing the “Circle of Life” scene (Simba’s birth) with his coronation:
  • “That’s when they put the paint on his forehead and lift him up because they’re like, you’re gonna be the king?” (08:45 – Sophia)
• Notable songs are fondly remembered:
  • “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” “Be Prepared,” “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King,” “Hakuna Matata”
  • “The music is, I believe, Elton John and Bernie Taupin...” (15:02 – Josh)
• Sophia imagines what should happen next if she were writing it—prompting gentle correction and laughs:
  • “In Sofia’s Lion King, of course… he gets in some type of trouble. Maybe he gets in, like, a trap or something.” (13:10)

5. Pop Culture Tangents

• The Lion King as stage play: discussions of puppetry, costumes, and seeing musicals with family.
  • “My grandmother took me years ago when I was a kid... Her vibe was like, if there’s singing in it, it’s fine for kids, I think.” (04:10, Josh)
• Favorite childhood Disney films:
  • Josh: Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast
  • Sophia: Lilo & Stitch, Mulan
    • “I rewatched it a couple years ago and I was like, this holds up and made me cry.” (17:47, Sophia on Lilo & Stitch)

Memorable Quotes & Highlights

• On “Live Action” remakes:
  “Live action means, like, you got real lions and real warthogs doing their thing.” (03:28 – Josh)

• On recalling the movie plot:
  “We started out had, like, the tone of doing a presentation on a book you didn’t read for sure...” (05:31 – Josh)

• On Mufasa’s fate:
  “Shout out to Mufasa. Rest in peace. To the best guy.” (06:52 – Josh)
  “You were a real one.” (06:55 – Both)

• On Simba’s emotional journey:
  “When he was like, I’m so psyched to be king... Everyone’s like, you’re just like a little kid. You’re not ready yet... going away is part of the growing up for him.” (15:19 – Josh)

• On the sheer joy of half-remembered nostalgia:
  “We killed that. We really rocked it. I think we remembered the Lion King about as well as anyone has ever remembered...” (16:46 – Josh)
  “We remembered so hard.” (18:22 – Sophia)

Key Segments & Timestamps

• Nighttime greetings and family word humor: 00:34–02:29
• Introduction to “Do You Remember?” game: 02:31–03:01
• Attempts to recall The Lion King plot: 03:09–14:34
  • Simba’s family and Scar’s betrayal: 06:46–08:38
  • Discussion of movie’s songs and voice actors: 09:48–11:35
  • Simba’s journey—a “rumspringa”: 15:19–15:36
• Pop culture digressions and other Disney favorites: 17:15–18:22
• Wrap-up: feeling tired from all the remembering: 18:22–end

Tone & Atmosphere

• Warm, self-deprecating, and conversational—more like two friends on a late-night call than a polished recap.
• Gentle, meandering, and playful with plenty of laughter over gaps in memory.
• Occasional affectionate teasing and genuine nostalgia for ‘90s Disney movies.

Summary

This episode of The Nightly is a charming, relaxing meander through collective memory, centering on The Lion King. It’s less about facts and more about how pop culture burrows into our brains, sometimes staying vivid, sometimes hilariously foggy. The hosts’ chemistry, tangents about musicals and childhood, and joy in the process make it a delightful bedtime listen—even if you can’t remember all the details yourself.