"The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride" - a mini-review

BASIC INFO

Year: 1998 

Company: Walt Disney Studios

Country: the US, Australia (?) 

Runtime: 81 minutes

Directed by: Darrell Rooney, Rob LaDuca

Written by: Flip Kobler, Cindy Marcus

Age rating: U (the UK) 

REVIEWER'S NOTE

Animation: 7/10

Characters: 9/10

Story: 8/10

Music: 10/10

OVRALL: 9/10

BEFORE WE START... 

Well, everyone, well children... My first, but definitely NOT last, review of a Disney direct-to-video sequel. And let me tell you, I didn't expect I would love it as much as I do. But why is that exactly? Listen closely... 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

 Kiara is the daughter of Simba and Nala, the new princess of Pride Rock and the future queen of savannah. One day, our heroine stumbles upon another lion cub from the outsider pride named Kovu and quickly befriends him. As time goes on, a romance starts blossoming between the two young lions. However, the tensions between Simba's pride and the outsiders, led by Zira, seem to become stronger and stronger as well. Our main couple are thus caught up in a conflict they don't necessarily want to be a part of... 

If the original Lion King is based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the sequel continues this tradition and gives the viewers a compelling tale based on another story by the famous playwright, Romeo & Juliet. As expected from a Lion King movie, a lot of emotional moments, plot twists and powerful moral lesson about tolerance, love, dealing with troubled past and acceptance, are present in the film, giving it an undeniably strong heart. 

The characters are also likeable, with Kiara and Kovu, the movie's lead couple, being arguably the main attraction. We also get a new, terrifying and cold villainess, Zira, as well as the outsiders under her command, most notably, the not-so-bright but still vicious Nuka and the fierce Vitani, Kovu's siblings. The main cast from the previous film also make a comeback. The cast are, obviously, on top of their game. 

Another strong point of the film are the songs, especially He Lives In You, We Are One, Upendi and the emotional, beautiful ballad Love Will Find A Way. The vocal performances given by the singers are very good. 

The weakest point of the film is its animation. While not bad, it does not look as refined as the original. In spite of this, the film still gives us many picturesque shots and fun sequences. 

To sum it up, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride is one of the finest Disney sequels and an undeniably classic. I highly recommend you watch it with your family and friends on the nearest occassion. 

BEFORE WE GO... 

Thank you for your attention and see you all in May. :) 

Love, 

your Diva