Reviews & Ratings for
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (V) More at IMDbPro »The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (original title)

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32 out of 45 people found the following review useful:

Not the Mightiest Lion

Author: travisimo from Pocatello, Idaho, USA
17 January 2004

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)

21 out of 29 people found the following review useful:

Most impressive sequel yet.

Author: Richard Harris (Norway1) from Oslo, Norway
29 November 1998

Simba's Pride may be the first of Disney's sequels with a soundtrack worth purchasing. The music was very good and the art was also most impressive. The only voice I wasn't completely satisfied with was Edward Hibbert as Zazu. Even I could have made a better clone for Rowan Atkinson. The script was somewhat rough, and some of the scenes had some unnecessarily dark undertones, but I still believe this to be the best made sequel yet - thanks largely to some very good songs. Keep it up, Disney!

24 out of 35 people found the following review useful:

Why is this Movie Given So Much Crap?

Author: apeclaw2011 from United States
7 October 2005

I don't understand why this movie is regarded to as trash. Of course it is not as good as the first movie but it comes pretty stinkin close! The animation is actually equal too the quality of the original movie. I think that it is the most perfect Disney sequel ever! It is a very interesting story that shows Simba as a father. It is cool because you get to see Simba has now become basically, like his father. Every time I see this movie, I can feel that Simba has the same sense of power that Mufasa had. It has a fun and sweet story line and a great ending. When this movie was being made, the goal was to create a sequel to a movie that everyone loves so that they could spend more time with the characters. I think (despite what everyone say's) they created an awesome, spectacular Disney film!

13 out of 14 people found the following review useful:

A good sequel for Disney, but it could have been so much more.

Author: Anya McNaughton (ayemtg@hotmail.com) from Australia
6 May 2008

When I first saw the original 'The Lion King' in cinemas at the age of four, I'd been hooked. Ever since then, my favorite movie has always been this Disney classic. The sequel came out when I was seven, and for a cheaply made direct-to-video movie, was quite enjoyable to watch. Basically, the story follows on from the original film. To beat the original Lion King would be a near-impossible feat, so when put in perspective, the movie really isn't all that bad. The story is neatly tied in with the original film, with the concept of Scar, the antagonist of the first film, having a family bent on revenge over Simba, the protagonist of the 1st Lion King. The film can be very moving at times, and some songs I even preferred over the original's. However, this movie could have been so much more! Had Disney spent more time on it and released it to cinemas instead of having a direct to video release, this could have easily been just as good as the original. What brought this movie's rating down was the fact the storyline had a lot of unanswered questions - where was this pride int he rpevious movie? Many other gaps fill this film, and are far too vague for the viewer to assume what might have happened.

24 out of 36 people found the following review useful:

Almost as good as the original, with a brilliant song!

Author: Mightyzebra from Scotland
20 May 2007

The five main reasons I like this film: 1. The song "We Are One" is a spectacular and I prefer it to all of the songs in the first film! 2. Kiara is a really good character and so is Kovu! I also like Nala in this one, although I prefer her in the last Lion King film. 3. I prefer this one's plot to the one in the first film! I think it's slightly more planned out than the last one's plot. 4. The animation is really good! There's one bit where Kiara and Kovu jump into the air and they animate it so well it looks - spooky! 5. It's a really good sequel for all the fans of the first film! Enjoy! :)

Kiara is the future queen, unfortunately for Simba, she is in love with an outsider, whom she is forbidden to marry. Kovu is also supposed to "follow in Scar's pawprints"...

13 out of 16 people found the following review useful:

A worthy successor...

Author: MrLister from london, england
16 August 2000

I wanted to see this for ages but was put off by the fact that it went straight to video. Then I noticed that all Disney sequels (bar Rescuers Down Under) went straight to video, so I bought it. From the opening song this film captures the spirit of the original. The first time I saw it I thought only two of the songs were good (Upendi and One of Us) but after seeing it a few times I realised that the songs are extremely well written and catchy. I feel there are a few points not accounted for in the film notably the origin of the Outland lions (I can only conclude that only a few followed Scar and others joined them in the time period between Kiara as a cub and as an adult) but I prefer these things left to the imagination. Overall I am very impressed by this film. It has very high quality animation for a straight to video sequel and introduces some interesting new characters. I would really like the Lion King to be a trilogy (I am a great fan of trilogies) so come on, Disney, Make a third film, preferably detailing the young Scar and Mufasa. A definite 5-stars.

9 out of 11 people found the following review useful:

Powerful sequel

Author: nmf-2 from Brazil
14 January 2001

A very powerful sequel to a very powerful and the best Disney movie. Kovu and Kiara teach us how powerful and strong the love is. Like TLK 1, TLK 2 bring us good songs, especially Love Will Find A Way and He Lives In You. The new characters are very good, the villain Zira is cruel, the poor Nuka dies trying to prove his braveness and Vitani...well she's not a real villain like all the other outlanders. Unfortunately, they didn't give a good number of lines to Zazu and Nala, especially Zazu - he have less lines than Nala. But every good movie sometimes commit little mistakes. Well, The Lion King 3 is confirmed (2002) and I can't wait to watch this new movie, and I hope TLK 3 being so good like TLK 1 and TLK 2.

7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:

The best sequel I ever watched!

Author: Little Kiara from Russia
2 August 2010

Wonderful, dramatic tale, an interpretation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" in animal kingdom. The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride - best direct-to-video sequel ever: wise, romantic storyline, beautiful characters - some of them looks like much better than characters from 1st movie. Kovu, Vitani and of course Kiara - I love them all sooo much! Great songs and music - heartwarming "Love Will Find a Way" always make me cry. Too pity it wasn't released in cinemas - I hope Disney will release it in Blu-Ray format alongside with 1st movie. Thank you, Darrel Rooney! The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride - one of the last great traditional cartoons from Walt Disney Pictures! 10/10

8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:

One of the best Disney sequels (although thats still not saying much)

Author: classicx_attraction from United States
2 April 2008

The lion king 2 is probably my favorite Disney sequel. Its one of the movies where the first time around its okay, and then if you see it again, you're like..wow, this is great! Same goes for the songs. I actually love this movie. Compared to the first movie, it isn't all that bad. They didn't ruin anything from the first movie, like the characters personalities, as they do in so many other sequels (like little mermaid 2. puke.) I'd say more of the problem is they kind of down play a lot of characters that had bigger roles. Zazu and Nala are barely in this. Timoon and Puumba are still cute and funny. Kiara, their daughter, is a little flat, But the evil villains are very, very good. Zira is excellent, and Kovu is very complex and interesting. The ending is a little flat as well, but its still a touching movie. Its on par with Aladdin and the king of thieves, which is the only other excellent Disney sequel. (for the record, toy story 2 is Disney and pixar-but is not Disney made. pixar makes it, Disney distributes. thanks.) This sequel actually has depth and every (major) character in this movie has their own personal struggle. Its not simple and happy go lucky like most Disney sequels. I would highly recommend it.

5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:

The Circle of Life Continues...

Author: Lady Targaryen from Brazil
22 January 2006

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

''The Lion King II'' is one of the fewest sequences from Disney that I actually liked. Of course I cannot compare the sequence with the first movie:'' Lion King I'' is a masterpiece and I almost could say that is my favorite movie from Disney. In this sequence we can see Simba as a worried dad, and together with Nala he had Kiara, his daughter who remembers himself very much in looks and in personality: she is always thinking about something dangerous or forbidden to do! Worried, he asks to Timon,Pumbaa and Zazu to always watch her and take good care. One day, Kiara easily escapes from one of the forbidden lands, where Scar's followers lives. Without being aware of this Kiara makes Friendship with Kovu,a little lion that Zira, his mother, pretend to raise to overthrow Simba. When Simba knows that, he forbids Kovu and Kiara to be friends, but when the time passes and they grow up, they are going to meet again, but now their feelings are going to be stronger. kiara is the key to make the lions to be close again. But Zira and Simba really hate each other. What is going to happen is almost a cliché, but nice to watch anyway.

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