द लायन किंग 2: सिंबाज़ प्राइड

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.

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.

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.

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