Der König der Löwen 2: Simbas Königreich

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

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!

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 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"...

The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride is the movie that i had hard time rating it. It tries to respect the original and in some extend - it succeeds, but there are still some parts that are not very good and unfortunately because of them, it makes the movie very weak and not unique at all. It suffers from a story that we've seen many times and also at the same time serves as a perfect narrative for the sequel, but the way it's told is too weak and bit cliché; some of the old characters are here and act the same, while others have new roles, especially Simba, who is given the role of a father to the main protagonist and being overprotective and also being the best character in the movie. Aside from Simba, Kiara, Kovu and Rafiki, the villain and the other characters are weak or don't have enough screen time and they drag the movie down for me; the way the story is told, you'll expect the same with the dialogue; the music is forgettable with the exception of three songs (He Lives In You is the best song without a doubt and makes the opening of the movie amazing) and one track that they played two times and has become memorable; the animation is bit rough in some places, but still looks nice and you can tell it doesn't look like low-budget; the cinematography is very mixed in my opinion; the sound is great; the acting is great, but that may depends on the country you live in, since i watched a dubbed version and the english version is mixed for me after trying it. After watching it again, i can understand what they where trying to do, but i feel like they didn't give 100% of themselves to make a perfect sequel to one of the greatest movies of all time. With those problems aside, i still respect everyone, who was involved with the making of it and it's one of those movies that i'll be happy watching it again.