The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride takes us back to the Pride Lands with a fresh twist. It introduces us to Simba's daughter, Kiara, and Kovu, who adds depth to the story. While it may not quite reach the heights of the original, it's a solid sequel. The film maintains the classic Lion King elements, including memorable songs and the circle of life theme, making it a worthwhile addition to the Lion King universe. If you're a fan of the first movie, this one's definitely worth a watch.🦁👑🎶

'The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride' frustratingly copies its predecessor too much, but there is still enough fresh material for it to be enjoyable.

I have split feelings for this film. I like a lot of the story progression, as we follow Simba's Pride. A few of the new characters are decent, too. However, a lot of the film comes across as too much of a retread; particularly across the first half. If it was more original from beginning to end, then I'd be rating it higher.

Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Robert Guillaume and, minorly, James Earl Jones all return to voice Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki and Mufasa respectively. Kiara, Kovu and Zira are all newly created. Jason Marsden does a good job as Kovu, while Neve Campbell and Suzanne Pleshette are solid as the other two. I like the cast.

The animation, considering it's a Disney sequel, is excellent. The songs aren't quite so grand, though one-or-two are alright; namely "Not One of Us". The score is satisfactory, coolly sharing parts that can be heard in 2003's 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' - my favourite film.

One of the best animated sequels from this studio, though that probably says more about their previous attempts with follow-ups in truth. Still, this is worth giving a watch.

This movie rips so many scenes from the first movie, along with characters and even animations that are ripoffs from the first movie, particularly with the outsiders being a mix of either Scar's personality or looks, with Zira having so many of Scar's exact animations.

That being said, there are some good songs that I still remember from when I watched it as a kid, and the animation, while not as perfect as the original, still holds a lot of the charm of that style, so it has those things going for it, but not much else.

I've seen it before, but i wasn't the person with the remote as you say... It will never be as good as the first film, but it was alright.. The soundtrack wasn't has good as the first, and they've changed some voice actors that just don't fit for me..

Ok for kids but no comparison to the original movie.

Pretty decent as far as these DTDVD sequels go! They’re trying something here. Doesn’t hit the same heights as the first, obviously, with much less budget and more hamstrung writing. But Zira’s a good villain, Marsden delivers the good as Kovu, and it keeps the theatrical flair of the first. Timon and Pumbaa don’t fit as well here, Zira’s death is ruined by them chickening out of her suicide, and Kovu’s and Kira’s romance is nothing spectacular. But it’s not a total soulless cash in to the first, and it’ll entertain kids. Nice of James Earl Jones to come in for some shouts and a line at the end, really tied things together.

Surprisingly good animation, 'he lives in you' is AMAZING! Nothing bad about this movie but just didn't care too much,I guess.

I was impressed Neve Campbell (how cool??) could do such a childish voice but then Kiara grew up and then I felt silly.

**The Good**:

+ _The Lion King 2_ keeps many of the things that made the original film so good: the central characters, the flow of the story, the best songs.
+ Feels familiar enough to feel like a natural continuation of the story, while also adding enough new elements to become a new story altogether.
- Bigger and bolder action sequences are the biggest stand-outs of the sequel.

**The Bad**:

- The animation is noticeably lower in quality compared to the original. The colours aren't quite as bright, the movements of the character's aren't quite as vivid. It's a shame really, because the animation in the first one still holds up today while the sequel is very dated.
- The story features much of the same elements as the original, making it quite boring to follow. The story makes little to no attempts at actually developing the characters from the first film further.
- The musical numbers aren't all that interesting or memorable. Most of the songs have just been rehashed from the first movie.
- The villain and her motives are, if possible, even more clichéd than Scar was in the original. She also isn't nearly as charismatic as Scar is.
- They changes some of the original voice actors, so it doesn't feel like a true sequel.

**Verdict**:

The sequel to Disney's animated classic is a tired attempt at trying to replicate the success, mostly falling flat due to a lack of any real investment into the project.