Plot

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.

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.—Rori Stevens

Simba has a daughter and he's teaching her the ways of a true king. Timon and Pumbaa are sent to watch over Kiara. But when she meets another young lion, she gets into trouble because she isn't allowed to talk to his people. The other lion is from a rejected family of lions. Rejected lions banned from the pride-lands, Scar's people, give Simba and Kiara another wild adventure. Will they settle their differences, or will Kiara help create peace between the two?—<devsaw@hotmail.com>

The animals of the Pridelands gather at Pride Rock to witness the celebration of the newborn cub, Kiara (Neve Campbell), daughter of King Simba (Matthew Broderick) and Queen Nala (Moira Kelly). Mufasa's spirit watches over the ceremony and blesses the cub in a beam of light. Timon and Pumbaa were looking forward to spending time with the cub and teaching him how to belch and hunt for grub, until Rafiki reveals that the cub is a girl.

As she grows older, Kiara becomes irritated at her father's over-protectiveness, as he assigns Timon (Nathan Lane) a wisecracking and self-absorbed yet loyal meerkat and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella) a naive warthog to follow her at her first look of the Savannah. Simba warns Kiara not to venture into the Outlands but doesn't explain why. Pridelands and Outlands are separated by a river and in some places, they are connected to each other through a fallen tree log.

However, Kiara manages to escape the Timon and Pumbaa as they were constantly fussing over her. Kiara wanders off alone into the barren Outlands, home to an enemy pride of Scar's exiled followers called the Outsiders, where she meets the fierce Kovu (Jason Marsden). After Kiara refuses to be intimidated by him, Kovu falls into a river of alligators. Kiara helps him to escape and the two become friends.

Kovu's mother, Zira (Suzanne Pleshette) the leader of the Outsiders and Scar's most loyal follower, sees them playing together and quickly intervenes - Simba does the same. She is quick to remind him of the injustices suffered by her tribe, since the Outlands are a barren wasteland with little food and even less water. She introduces Simba to her cub and claims that he, as the last born, was hand-chosen by Scar to be his heir. Zira says that Scar was the ruler of all lands and hence they now belong to Kovu. After a quick showdown, the two adults agree to leave each other in peace, and Kovu and Kiara are separated.

Back in the Pridelands, Simba scolds Kiara for her actions, despite her protests. He quickly forgives her, and guides her back to Pride Rock, saying that they are one. Simba later explains to Kiara the responsibilities of queen-ship and that everyone is a part of each other. Kiara is not very sure if she even wants to be a Queen when she grows up. Kiara fears that she will lose her individuality and herself in the grand plan of the circle of life. Meanwhile, the spirit of Simba's deceased father, Mufasa, plans to bring Kiara and Kovu together to reunite the Pridelanders and the Outsiders. Rafiki understands the hints from Mufasa and believes that his plan is not feasible but still goes along as he trusts Mufasa.

In the Outlands, Nuka (Andy Dick), Kovu's older brother, openly expresses his jealousy of Kovu but quickly stops when Zira comes home. Nuka is infested with termites, and is very fidgety, but insists that he could be a leader if Zira gave him a chance. Nuka complains to his young sister Vitani about Kovu being the 'Chosen One', saying he should have been given the role since he's older and Kovu isn't even Scar's son. Zira realizes she can use Kovu's friendship with Kiara to get to Simba, and sings her son to sleep, all the while plotting an evil plan for revenge. Zira fills Kovu with hatred for Simba and a passion to avenge Scar.

Years later, Kiara has grown into a beautiful young adult and is ready for her first hunting session. Meanwhile, Kovu has also grown into a magnificent Lion and believes that his mission in life is to kill Simba and to take over the Pridelands.

Simba, however, still worries about Kiara and sets Timon and Pumbaa to follow her. Kiara finds them and runs away-straight into a fire set by Nuka and Vitani (Meredith Scott Lynn). Kiara was running out of exits to escape the fire as it encircled her. Zira sets Kovu to go and rescue Kiara and work his way into the Pridelands. Zazu (Edward Hibbert) sees this and reports to Simba who has, by now, seen the smoke from Pride Rock. After saving Kiara's life, Kiara recognizes Kovu and begs for her father to allow him to stay. Kovu claims he left the Outsiders and requests to be judged for who he is now rather than by association. Simba says that his father's law will prevail, but he agrees to reserve his judgment on Kovu till he finds out who he really is.

Reluctantly Simba agrees but orders Kovu sleep outside. Kiara suggests a hunting practice for the two of them the next morning, and Kovu agrees, though he has no intention of actually showing up. The next morning, Kovu is seen stalking an unknowing Simba. Kiara intervenes without knowing his plan and takes Kovu for the hunting practice.

The two find Timon and Pumbaa trying unsuccessfully to scare some birds away so they can eat some grubs - the two lions help them. Then they run into a stampede of angry rhinos. They hide in a crack in a wall, and Kiara and Kovu accidentally kiss while trying to get out. Later, Kiara shows Kovu the star-studded night sky and tells him all the great kings of the past are there. Kovu asks if Scar is up there, which leads to an awkward moment where Kovu admits that, while he was not Scar's son, he was still a part of him. Kovu admits to her that he fears he may be evil, like his adopted father, Scar (Jim Cummings) Mufasa's (James Earl Jones) younger brother. The young lions become closer and closer, but Kovu feels conflicted between fulfilling his mission and his growing feelings for Kiara. Kiara reassures him while Simba watches from a distance.

After a while Rafiki (Robert Guillaume) an old mandrill who serves as the shaman of the Pride Lands, appears and shows Kiara and Kovu a place called Upendi as he tries to make them fall in love. He succeeds, and the two return to Pride Rock. Rafiki had seen a vision from Mufasa that the two young lions will bring peace between the prides.

At Nala's persuasion, Simba has Kovu spend the night inside Pride Rock with the rest of the Pridelanders. Vitani, however, secretly sends word back to Zira about Kovu's failure to kill Simba.

The next morning, Simba shows Kovu the Pride Lands and tells him the truth about Scar. Kovu decides to tell Kiara about Zira's horrific plan, but Simba takes him on a small trip instead. Simba gently explains how Kovu doesn't have to hold Scar's origins, and that he can choose his own path in life. Before they can leave, Zira's lionesses attack.

Simba escapes by crawling up an unstable hill of logs, and in his haste to prove to his mother that he is strong, Nuka is crushed by the falling logs. Zira mourns the loss of her son and vows to avenge his death. Zira comforts Nuka as he dies and rounds on Kovu for failing to act, scarring his face.

At Pride Rock, Simba exiles Kovu, thinking he was a part of the plot, despite Kiara's protests. He confines Kiara to Pride Rock, but she runs away in search of him. Eventually they find each other where they are found at a snow-like area. Kovu then shows a hidden plant in the snow to Kiara then they hug each other, and Kovu suggests that they run off together. When Kovu says that they are one when their reflections merge in water, Kiara now understands what her father had told her when she was young and the two lovers head back to the Pridelands.

Meanwhile, Zira's attack on the Pridelands is underway. The two prides fight to the death, until Kovu and Kiara leap in between Simba and Zira in order to keep them from fighting. Kiara then explains to her father that she now understands his words and that the two prides belong together. Vitani leads her gang of lionesses to Simba's pride, stating that she doesn't want to choose the wrong path.

Enraged, Zira lunges for Simba, but Kiara blocks her and the two fall down a steep cliff. Kiara lands on a slab of rock, but Zira is left hanging. Kiara struggles to reach the older lioness, but Zira, unwilling to accept Kiara's help, takes a clawed swipe at Kiara before falling to her death in the raging river below. Simba rescues and comforts his daughter and allows Kovu and the other lionesses to join the pride.

Kovu and Kiara marry and the two of them, along with Simba and Nala walking together the tip of Pride Rock, roaring in unison along with the lionesses in symbolism of the mark of King & Queen, Prince & Princess. Simba then hears his father's voice through the heavens, saying that Simba has done well towards Mufasa's expectations, then quotes the words Simba spoke out himself. "We Are One!"