The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (Video 1998)
"The Lion King II: Simba's Pride" (original title)

Simba's daughter is the key to a resolution of a bitter feud between Simba's pride and the outcast pride led by the mate of Scar.

Directors:

Darrell Rooney, Rob LaDuca

Writers:

Flip Kobler (screenplay), Cindy Marcus (screenplay),

Stars:

Matthew Broderick, Neve Campbell, Andy Dick

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Broderick	...	Simba (voice)
Neve Campbell	...	Kiara (voice)
Andy Dick	...	Nuka (voice)
Robert Guillaume	...	Rafiki (voice)
James Earl Jones	...	Mufasa (voice)
Moira Kelly	...	Nala (voice)
Nathan Lane	...	Timon (voice)
Jason Marsden	...	Kovu (voice)
Suzanne Pleshette	...	Zira (voice)
Ernie Sabella	...	Pumbaa (voice)
Lacey Chabert	...	Young Vitani (voice)
Cam Clarke	...	Simba (singing voice)
Jim Cummings	...	Scar (voice)
Edward Hibbert	...	Zazu (voice)
Michelle Horn	...	Young Kiara (voice)

Storyline

Simba and Nala have a daughter, Kiara. Timon and Pumbaa are assigned to be her babysitters, but she easily escapes their care and ventures into the forbidden lands. There she meets a lion cub named Kovu and they become friends. What she and her parents do not know is that Kovu is the son of Zira - a banished follower of the now-dead Scar. She plans to raise Kovu to overthrow Simba and become the king of the Pride Lands. This tests not only Kiara and Kovu's relationship as they mature, but Simba's relationship with his daughter.

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Plot Keywords:

lion | king | feud | revenge | face slap | 

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Taglines:

The circle of life continues...

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Simba's Pride

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Animation Australia, DisneyToon Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bette Midler and Helen Mirren were considered for the role of Zira.

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Goofs

When Kiara and Kovu are reunited amongst the snow, they can be seen singing the playing song for about 5 seconds, but in the previous and following shots, they are not singing.

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Quotes

[Kiara and Kovu are stargazing]
Kovu: I've never done this before.
Kiara: Really? My father and I used to do this all the time. He says all the great kings of the past are up there.
Kovu: You think Scar's up there?
[Shocked, Kiara doesn't answer]
Kovu: He wasn't my father, but he was still part of me.
Kiara: My father said there was a darkness in Scar that he couldn't escape.
Kovu: Maybe there's a darkness in me too.

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #21.9 (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Love Will Find A Way"
Written by Tom Snow and Jack Feldman
Performed by Liz Callaway and Gene Miller

User Reviews

Not the Mightiest Lion

Being a big fan of the first Lion King, it would take a heck of a sequel to match my appreciation for the first flick. The Lion King II: Simba's Pride doesn't even come close in my eyes, but I don't think Disney was really shooting for that. The story is likeable enough with Simba's daughter, Kiara, growing up and trying to step out of Simba's shadow. She meets an outsider, Kovu who is some sort of descendant or handpicked successor of Simba's nemesis, Scar. Kiara and Kovu hit it off as young cubs but are told by Simba they can't see each other when Simba learns of Kovu's background. In a way it's kind of refreshing to see a flaw in our hero, Simba, as he holds a grudge against Kovu for something Kovu had absolutely no control over. Then again, I wondered where exactly these outside lions came from, as I don't recall seeing a glimpse of them at all in the first LK.

Anyway, Kovu and Kiara grow up and fall in love and that stuff, but Kovu has been taught to hate Simba and the other Prideland lions. I'll stop there, but you get the sense of what the story is like. It's not groundbreaking material, but it's nice enough to keep you and/or the little ones interested. There are some flaws in LK2 that I just couldn't get over. The animation is obviously nowhere near that of the original as it was made from a much smaller budget. That's okay and all, as the story usually trumps visuals, but some effects like the fire scene were pretty bad. The fire just stood out like a sore thumb. I've seen better effects on David Letterman skits!

My next problem with the movie is the voice work. Most of it is done well by the original cast (Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella), but Rowan Atkinson is missed as the neurotic bird, Zazu. I also didn't like the actor who voiced Kovu, Jason Marsden. I don't dislike Jason Marsden personally, but he has done characters in the past that have just annoyed the crap out of me. I actually remember him as Eddie Munster in The Munsters Today. In the new version, Eddie becomes some sort of punk who rebels against his family. That's not the Eddie Munster I knew as a child. Furthermore, he also voiced Goofy's grownup son, Max, in The Goofy Movie. I liked Max when he was a kid in the TV series, Goof Troop, but as an adolescent, Max was just a whiny, selfish brat. So whenever I hear Jason Marsden's voice, I just get annoyed. It's my own issues, I know.

Now for my last complaint, which is usually the same for any Disney sequel, the music is just not up to par with the original. Elton John and Tim Rice were desperately missed in this movie. Although I will say there was one song that was fairly good, Love Will Find a Way. It's a nice ballad that really can fit in with any Disney feature. It also sounded familiar to me, like maybe I've heard it on the radio. That is just something uncommon with Disney sequels.

I know I've complained a lot, which is sort of hard for me to do, because I love The Lion King and Disney, but LK2 just isn't my type of flick. I'm very glad to see other reviewers enjoy it though. To each their own, I say!

My IMDb Rating: 5/10. My Yahoo! Grade: C+ (Flawed but Worthy)