Animated byWalt Disney Animation Australia, the film centers onSimba andNala's daughter Kiara, who falls in love with Kovu, a lion from a exiled pride once loyal toScar. Separated by Simba's prejudice against the pride and a vindictive plot planned by Kovu's mother Zira, Kiara and Kovu struggle to unite their estranged prides and be together.
Most of the original cast returned to their roles from the first film with a few exceptions.Rowan Atkinson, who voiced Zazu in the first film, was replaced byEdward Hibbert for both this film andThe Lion King 1½ (2004).Jeremy Irons, who voiced Scar in the first film, was replaced byJim Cummings, who briefly provided his singing voice in the first film. While not drawing the same attention as its predecessor,Simba's Pride received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences.
KingSimba and QueenNala's newborn daughter Kiara is presented to the gathered animals of the Pride Lands.[c] After Kiara has grown into a young cub, she becomes frustrated with her father's parenting, so Simba has his childhood friendsTimon and Pumbaa accompany her out of concern for her safety. Over Simba's protestations, Kiara wanders off alone into the barren Outlands — home to an enemy pride ofScar's exiled followers called the Outsiders — and encounters another cub, Kovu. After narrowly escaping a crocodile-infested river, the cubs befriend each other. When Simba comes across Kovu and Kiara playing, he misinterprets it as fighting and confronts Kovu just as he is confronted by Zira, Kovu's mother and the Outsiders' leader. Simba later explains to Kiara the responsibilities of queenship and that everyone is a part of each other. Zira, who is secretly training Kovu as an assassin, realizes she can use her son's friendship with Kiara to kill Simba and usurp the throne. Meanwhile, the spirit of Simba's late father,Mufasa, plans to bring Kiara and Kovu together to reunite the Pridelanders and the Outsiders.
Years later, an adolescent Kovu rescues Kiara after his older siblings Nuka and Vitani start a wildfire during her first solo hunt. Alerted to Kiara's location, Simba accepts Kovu's offer to join the Pridelanders, though he remains suspicious of his motives. Later, while training Kiara in hunting, Kovu begins reconsidering his mission to kill Simba and tells Kiara he is not Scar's actual son. Simba's friend and advisor, Rafiki, leads the lions to the jungle and helps them fall in love by introducing them to "upendi" (a form ofupendo, which means "love" inSwahili). 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. The Outsiders ambush Simba and trick him into thinking Kovu has betrayed him. In the ensuing battle, Nuka is killed and Simba escapes. Kovu turns on Zira and pleads Simba for forgiveness, but is instead exiled. Kiara makes Simba realize his irrational behavior and leaves Pride Rock to personally search for Kovu. After reuniting, Kiara and Kovu return to the Pride Lands and successfully convince the Pridelanders and Outsiders to stop fighting. Zira, however, tries attacking Simba, but is instead flipped off a nearby cliff to her death.
Following the battle, Simba welcomes the rest of the Outsiders, including Kovu, back into the Pride Lands, thus finally reuniting them with the Pridelanders. During a later celebration on Pride Rock, Simba witnesses Mufasa's spirit congratulating him.
Neve Campbell asKiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala, heir to the Pride Lands and Kovu's love interest and later mate.Liz Callaway provided Kiara's singing voice.
Michelle Horn voiced young Kiara while Charity Sanoy provided the cub's singing voice.
Jason Marsden asKovu, the son of Zira, Scar's successor, Nuka and Vitani's younger brother, and Kiara's love interest and later mate. Gene Miller provided Kovu's singing voice.
Matthew Broderick asSimba, King of the Pride Lands, Mufasa and Sarabi's son, Scar's nephew, Nala's mate, and Kiara's father.Cam Clarke provided Simba's singing voice.
Suzanne Pleshette asZira, the leader of the Outsiders, Scar's most loyal follower and the mother of Nuka, Vitani and Kovu.Kathleen Turner had originally been cast as Zira, but was replaced for undisclosed reasons. During an interview onThe Rosie O'Donnell Show in March 1998, Turner talked about the role and sang a portion of her character's song (stating the film would be her singing debut).[2]
Moira Kelly asNala, Queen of the Pride Lands, Simba's mate, and Kiara's mother.
In May 1994, discussion had begun about the possibility of a direct-to-video sequel toThe Lion King before the first film had been released in theaters.[3] In January 1995, it was reported that aLion King sequel was to be released "in the next twelve months".[4] However, it was delayed, and then it was reported in May 1996 that it would be released in early 1997.[5] By 1996,Darrell Rooney had signed on to direct the film while Jeannine Roussel would serve as producer.[6]
In April 1996,Jane Leeves ofFrasier fame had been cast as Binti, who was to be Zazu's girlfriend,[7] but the character was ultimately dropped. In August 1996,Cheech Marin reported that he would reprise his role as Banzai the hyena from thefirst film,[8] but the character was ultimately cut from the sequel. In December 1996,Matthew Broderick was confirmed to be returning as Simba while his wife,Sarah Jessica Parker, andJennifer Aniston were in talks to voice Aisha, Simba's daughter.Andy Dick had also signed on to voice Nuka, which was mistakenly reported as "Nunka".[9] The character Aisha was renamed Kiara (after it was discovered that Aisha was the name of a femalePower Ranger), and voiced byNeve Campbell, from theScream film series.[10] Kovu was voiced byJason Marsden, who had voicedGoofy's sonMax inA Goofy Movie (1995).[11] During production, Kovu had been intended to be Scar's son, thus he would have been Kiara's first cousin once removed. According toVariety, the plot element of Scar's son romancing Simba's daughter "had been a topic of heated discussion between top Disney [executives]."[9]
According to Rooney, the final draft gradually became a variation ofRomeo and Juliet. "It's the biggest love story we have," he explained. "The difference is that you understand the position of the parents in this film in a way you never did in the Shakespeare play."[1] Because none of the original animators were involved in the production, the majority of the animation was done byWalt Disney Television Animation's studio in Sydney, Australia. However, all storyboarding and pre-production work was done at theFeature Animation studio in Burbank, California.[1] The additional animation was byDisney's Canadian animation studio andToon City in Manila, Philippines. By March 1998, Disney confirmed the sequel would be released on October 27, 1998.[12]
Coincided with its direct-to-video release,Simba's Pride was accompanied with a promotional campaign, which included tie-ins withMcDonald's,Mattel, andLever 2000.[13][14][15] Unlike the North American release,Simba's Pride was theatrically released in European and Latin American countries in spring 1999.[16][17]
On October 21, 1998,Simba's Pride premiered at theWadsworth Theatre, with the filmmakers, voice cast, and multiple celebrities, some of whom attended with their children present in an African-themed party bash.[18] The film was first released onVHS in the United States and Canada on October 27, 1998,[19] and onDVD as a limited issue on November 23, 1999. The DVD release featured the film in a letterboxed 1.66:1 aspect ratio, the trailer for the movie, and a music video of "Love Will Find a Way" performed byHeather Headley andKenny Lattimore.[20] In 1998, Disney believed thatThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride would be so popular that it shipped 13 million copies to stores for the October 27 release date.[21] In March 2001, it was reported that in its first three days, 3.5 million VHS copies were sold, and ultimately about thirteen million copies were sold.[22] In September 2001, it was reported thatSimba's Pride had sold more than 15 million copies.[23] Overall,consumer spending onThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride accumulated about $300 million — roughly the same figure of its predecessor's theatrical release at that time.[24] By 2005, it still remained as one of the top-selling direct-to-video releases of all time, with $464.5 million worldwide in sales and rentals.[25]
On August 31, 2004, the film was re-released on VHS and a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD. The DVD edition featured optional pop-up informational commentary, several interactive games (includingTimon and Pumbaa’s Virtual Safari 2.0), five humorous "Find Out Why" shorts, an animated short based onLebo M's "One by One", and a "Proud of Simba's Pride" featurette.[26] The Special Edition version featured changes made to the film such as one of Kovu's reactions being re-animated as well as other alterations.[20] A DVD boxed set of the threeThe Lion King films (in two-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. In January 2005, the film, along with the sequels, went back into moratorium.[27]
On October 4, 2011,Simba's Pride was included in an eight-discbox set trilogy set with the other two films.[28] The Blu-ray edition for the film was released as a separate version on March 6, 2012.[29] The Blu-ray edition has three different versions, a 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, a 1-disc edition, and a digital download. The Blu-ray edition has also been attached with a new Timon & Pumbaa short, in which the two friends gaze at the night sky as the star constellations resemble their favorite meal, insects.[29]
The film was re-released byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on a Blu-ray combo pack and digital release along withThe Lion King 1½ on August 29, 2017 — the same day as the first film's Signature Edition was released.
Siskel & Ebert gave the film a "two-thumbs up" and said it was a "satisfactory sequel to one of the most popular films of all time,The Lion King". However, they also said it was best that it went to video, citing that the music was lacking and not remotely equal to the original's soundtrack.[31]TV Guide gave the film2+1⁄2 stars out of four, claiming that, despite being of slightly higher quality than Disney's previous direct-to-video animated sequels, "comes nowhere near the level of its big-screen predecessor", either musically or artistically. The review later states: "Though most of the original characters and their voices are back, they all sound bored, apart from the zesty addition of Suzanne Pleshette as the scheming Zira. The overall result is OK for kids, who will enjoy the low humor provided by the comical meerkat Timon and the flatulent warthog Pumbaa, but it could have been so much better."[32]
Writing forVariety,Joe Leydon commented in his review: "In marked contrast to most of the studio's small screen sequels to bigscreen animated hits, the new pic isn't merely kids' stuff. Not unlike its predecessor,Lion King II has enough across-the-board appeal to entertain viewers of all ages."[33]Caryn James ofThe New York Times concluded her review: "It's the rare sequel that matches the creative flair of an original, of course.The Lion King II may be derivative, but it is also winning on its own."[11] The parental websiteScreen It rated the movie 7 out of 10, claiming "...while it doesn't have the mighty roar of its predecessor,The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is clearly one of the better straight to video releases ever to come out of Hollywood. Although the animation isn't quite up to par with the original, the new songs don't have that special touch that made them andThe Lion King such a success, and the fact that the film suffers somewhat from a heavy dose of familiarity, this is still a pretty decent picture."[34]
Entertainment Weekly critic Stephen Witty, who graded the sequel a C+, wrote, "Despite its drawbacks,The Lion King II could make a decent rental for undemanding under-7 fans of the original, who won't be overburdened by the psychodrama. For true believers who've already watched and rewound their copies to shreds, it might even make a good buy. And for them, hey, hakuna matata. But for the rest of us,caveat emptor might be a better motto."[35] James Plath ofMovie Metropolis gave the film 6/10, saying that, "Simply put, we've seen it all before."[36] Felix Vasquez Jr. ofCinema Crazed derided, "the sequel is as predictable a sequel as can be. It takes fromThe Fox and the Hound with shades ofRomeo and Juliet and side steps the interesting Simba in favor of his bland daughter Kiara, and Timon and Pumba [sic]."[37]
Another installment, the direct-to-video filmThe Lion King 1½, was released in 2004. The film serves as both aprequel andsidequel ofThe Lion King. The franchise continued in January 2016, when a television series titledThe Lion Guard began airing onDisney Junior, following a television pilot filmThe Lion Guard: Return of the Roar in November 2015. The majority of the series takes place during the years in-between Kiara's first meeting with Kovu as a cub and her first hunt as a young adult.[38] It focuses on Kiara's younger brotherKion who as second-born, becomes leader of The Lion Guard, a group who protect the Pride Lands and defend the Circle of Life.
Kovu, Vitani, Nuka, and Zira appear in the season 1 episode "Lions of the Outlands". Additionally, Kovu and Vitani make an appearance in the season 3 and series finale episode "Return to the Pride Lands", which takes place after the events ofSimba's Pride.Jason Marsden,Lacey Chabert andAndy Dick reprised their roles from the film, whileSuzanne Pleshette, who died in 2008,[39] was replaced byNika Futterman. At the end of the season 3 premiere, "Battle for the Pride Lands", the Lion Guard leave the Pride Lands and go to theFar East in search of the Tree of Life for help, after Kion and another guard member are injured while defeating Scar's spirit. This explains Kion's absence fromSimba's Pride.
In the 2024 filmMufasa: The Lion King, the prequel/sequel to the2019 photorealistic adaptation, Kiara appears as a major character that listens to the story of Mufasa and Scar, told by Rafiki. At the end of the film, Kiara's new brother is born.
^Horn, John (May 6, 1994)."Sequels move to video market".The Star Democrat. p. 8D.Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. RetrievedDecember 8, 2020 – viaNewspapers.com.The studio is so confident in the sequel's success, it already is considering a direct-to-video sequel toThe Lion King – which doesn't arrive in theaters until June.
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