The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

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)

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.

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!

Of course, it isn't as good as the stunning original, but it's definitely better than the Little Mermaid, Jungle Book and Cinderella sequels which ranged from disappointing to lame. It's also in my opinion in the top 3 of the better DTV sequels, which are The King of Thieves(Aladdin)and Enchanted Christmas(Beauty and the Beast).

What makes it good is the welcome return of Timon and Pumbaa, who brought great comic relief, although they weren't as funny. The songs, while not as outstanding as the original, were actually not that bad at all. He lives in You is wonderfully uplifting. Zira was also very convincing, much better than Morgana. I don't think though that she was as convincing a villain as Scar, who to me is on of the best Disney villains along with Jafar, Ursula, Frollo, Maleficent, The Wicked Queen and Ratigan oddly enough. The animation actually wasn't that bad either, though sometimes fell flat in the darker scenes, but it was colourful, crisp and lively on the whole.

The negatives are very few actually. In the Little Mermaid sequel, I put more cons than pros, but not here. Kiara and Kuvu are a little unconvincing, likewise with Simba, they just lacked depth. And the story isn't quite as gripping and is sometimes a little on the predictable side. But of course, the sequel is hardly ever better than the original, with the exception of perhaps Toy Story.

In conclusion, a flawed but enjoyable sequel to a cinematic masterpiece, though the original isn't as good as Beauty and the Beast. 7/10 Bethany Cox

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.