The sequel to what was then one of the Top 5 most successful films ever, if any of these Disney sequels had the right to feel any sort of pressure whatsoever, it was definitely this one. Of the four renaissance films that are the most revered, Disney had done justice for Aladdin, but completely ruined Beauty and the Beast. If Disney was to do their most successful film ever justice, they would have to pull out all of the stops and make a movie that would be able to resonate with audiences for generations to come, or else suffer the impending lack of draw The Lion King would suffer from. Does this sequel meet those standards. Kind of? I guess so, in a way...Plot: Picking up where the original left off, Simba and Nala are celebrating the birth of their daughter, Kiara. While the Pridelands continue to thrive now that Scar is gone, one group of individuals is most certainly not happy with the change in leadership. A group of lionesses, led by the wicked Zira, were banished from the Pridelands for being loyal to Scar and his terrible reign. But not before Scar had apparently named Zira's youngest son, her newborn Kovu, as his heir after he died. As one would expect, Kovu and Kiara meet and easily become friends, much to Simba and Zira's frustration. Simba wants to teach his daughter to be as wise and brave a leader as Mufasa was, while Zira plans to fill Kovu's kind young heart with the bitter hatred Scar had in his.
After several months, Kiara has grown into a lioness and is allowed to have her first hunt. Simba, still fearful of his daughter's safety, sends Timon and Pumbaa out to keep and eye on her, which annoys the princess. Kovu, meanwhile, is being used as a plan to kill Simba and claim the Pridelands in the name of Scar once more. After saving Kiara's life from a fire, the two rekindle their friendship, which even blossoms into a romance. Simba even begins to trust Kovu, claiming his hatred of Scar prevented it at first, but Zira plans an ambush for the King, when she begins to question her son's position on the matter. Though he survives, Simba's pride is seriously injured and he banishes Kovu from the Pridelands, while Zira and her lionesses prepare to wage an all out war on the Pridelands. It is up to the two star-crossed lovers to save their two families from re-enacting the bloodshed the days of Mufasa and Scar brought.
What's Bad?: While Kiara, Kovu, and Zira all have good quality backstories to go back on, the only major character that has little to no reason for his actions is Simba. As I explained in a previous article, Simba's only motivation towards banishing Zira was his hatred towards Scar, which shatters any good feelings a fan of the original had, myself included. I never felt Simba should have taken his anger towards Scar out on the others, unless there was a good reason for him to. Some fan articles have reason to believe that Zira apparently killed Simba and Nala's first child, a lion cub named Kopa, but until it is confirmed in the canon story, I will not hold that against Zira.
Also, similar to Eeyore's role in Pooh's Grand Adventure and Genie in the Aladdin sequels, the side characters from the original film don't have much to do with anything. Nala falls back into the sub-minor character role, along with Zazu. Timon and Pumbaa serve as de facto comic relief again, but have even less to do in this film than in the first. At least Rafiki gets to be a matchmaker, which I think is degrading that he went from wise spiritual instructor to match maker. But Timon and Pumbaa serve little to no purpose in the movie outside of comic relief. But hey, at least their not in Little Mermaid 2...oh wait...
What's Good?: While no where close to being the caliber of music of the original, the music in this film is still pretty good. The score particularly is pretty good for a sequel.
The characters of Kiara and Kovu both get a good amount of development, and act as the angels to their parents devils, wanting to get to know each other before judging. Their chemistry is very believable and each of them goes on their own roads towards discovering who they are, while not allowing their families to judge for them.
Zira is also one of the most entertaining Disney Sequel villains not named Jafar that appears and poses a serious threat to the well-being of the characters. Her motivation is not original, but the lengths she is willing to go to avenge Scar are pretty damn intimidating. And while only making a cameo in the film during Simba's nightmare, the threat Scar poses throughout the movie may be even more ominous in this film than in the original. Who knew he had followers after the hyenas offed him?
The animation also is well. I guess this was one of the few Disney Sequels that actually had a budget higher than that of a grilled cheese sandwich.
Overall: The Lion King 2 is a fairly well rounded Disney Sequel that is able to contend with the original in some instances, but falls far back in others. Nevertheless, this film would be a dividing point between the three acts of Disney Sequels. Act I was no easy ride, but it still wasn't unbearable. But I warn you all, Act II is going to be absolute Hell guys.
Report Card
Hero: B-
Heroine: B+
Villain: A
Side Characters: B-
Songs: B-
Musical Score: B
Animation: B
Story: B
Themes B+
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