The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Reviews

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

From 1994 to 2007, a handful of movies have had direct-to-video sequels, starting with Aladdin. Most of the direct-to-video Disney sequels were reviled by those who loved the first movie, while the rest were either liked by fans of the original or were given neutral opinions. The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, in my case, would fall in the latter category.

After the events of the original movie where Simba has defeated/dethroned Scar and became king of the pridelands, he and Nala had their daughter Kiara. She is adventurous like her father, but he warns her not to interact with the lions that were banished for siding with Scar. One of them is Kovu, who is told that his destiny is to follow in Scar's paw prints, but instead, Kovu and Kiara fall in love, which did not sit well for Simba (at first), but Mufasa's spirit tells Rafiki that Kiara and Kovu are destined for each other.

This is not a bad sequel, but it isn't a good one, either. Some of the songs are nice, but they aren't as good or memorable as the ones from the first movie. And while that had some sad moments, this movie can be absolutely DEPRESSING at times (as well as kinda complicated). So... no, I don't recommend it.

My rating: 6/10