The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated film released by Walt Disney Home Video on October 27, 1998. The film is the sequel to the 1994 Disney animated feature film The Lion King. It was later re-released as a special edition DVD (which altered the original title's "II" into "2") on August 31, 2004. It was also re-released again on Blu-ray, alongside The Lion King and The Lion King 1½. The Blu-ray edition went into the Disney Vault on April 30, 2013.
The film centers around Simba and Nala's daughter, Kiara, who falls in love with Kovu, a male lion raised in a pride of Scar's followers and Simba's enemies, the Outsiders. Desperate to be together, they must overcome the two obstacles that keep them apart: Kovu's mother, Zira, and Simba's prejudices against the Outsiders. While the original film's plot is based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet, this sequel's plot is based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
A discussion began about the possibility of a sequel to The Lion King before the first film even hit theaters. Most of the original cast reprised their roles from the first film, with the notable exceptions of Rowan Atkinson, who was replaced by Edward Hibbert as the voice of Zazu in this film and its follow-up/predecessor The Lion King 1½, and Jeremy Irons, who was replaced by Scar's singing voice actor from the first film, Jim Cummings, as the voice of Scar in this film. Also, Madge Sinclair, who was the voice of Simba's mother Sarabi, had died one year after the first film was released; therefore her character does not appear in the film. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film was warmly received by audiences and was a success, with the videos selling well.
==Plot==
The film opens a few months after the events of the first film where Rafiki gathers the animals of the Pride Lands together for the presentation of King Simba and Queen Nala's new daughter Kiara, with Mufasa's spirit proudly watching over the ceremony.
Months later, Simba becomes very overprotective of young Kiara, assigning Timon and Pumbaa (Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella) to be her babysitters. One day, while Timon and Pumbaa are distracted because they're arguing over their lunchtime, Kiara sneaks into the Outlands where she meets a young cub named Kovu. After escaping a river filled with crocodiles, the two become friends, but Simba and Kovu's mother, Zira, quickly end their playtime by roaring at each other. Zira claims that the Pride Lands belonged to Scar, but Simba reminds her that he banished her and her group of lions called the Outsiders because of it. Zira then reminded him that Kovu is Scar's hand-chosen successor. Unwilling to call Zira's bluff to harm Kovu, Simba orders them to leave and later scolds Kiara for endangering herself and reminds her role as future queen. In the Outlands, Zira's eldest son, Nuka, complains to his younger sister Vitani, about Kovu's status as "the Chosen One" despite not being Scar's real son. At that moment, Zira returns and rebukes both of her sons, but then decides that she can use Kovu's new friendship with Kiara to get her revenge against Simba.
Years later, Rafiki becomes worried about what to do now that Kovu has grown up, becomes stronger, and is following Zira’s orders to destroy Simba and the Pride Lands. But Mufasa, using the wind to communicate, encourages him to reunite the Pridelanders and Outsiders together through Kiara and Kovu. At first, Rafiki is hesitant but eventually decides to trust Mufasa on this. A few days later, an adolescent Kiara heads out to do her first solo hunt. However, Simba is worried and fearful of his daughter unprotected and sends Timon and Pumbaa to watch her again, despite promising not to. Furious to find out her father lied to her, Kiara decides to hunt away from the Pride Lands, though is still unsuccessful in her efforts. Nuka and Vitani set fire to the plains where Kiara is hunting, causing her to faint and give Kovu the chance to rescue her, as part of Zira's plan. Drawn by the smoke, Simba and Nala find them together and Simba ungratefully repays Kovu his debt by allowing him to come to Pride Rock, though he is ordered to sleep outside the den out of distrust. That same night, Simba has a nightmare about his father's death, only in the dream, Scar morphs into Kovu and throws the panicked and frightened Simba off the cliff into the stampede.
The next day, Simba walks outside the den to drink at a watering hole where Kovu contemplates attacking him. However, Kiara interrupts and they go off together so Kovu can help her learn to hunt. During the lesson, they run into Timon and Pumbaa struggling with some birds, so the two lions help them chase the birds off. Together, they have fun playing, something Kovu notes he has never experienced before. From this point, Kiara and Kovu grows closer. That night, Kovu tells Kiara that he is not Scar's real son, but feels that he's still a part of him and fears he may have the same darkness as Scar had. Simba, who is hesitant to trust the young Outlander around his daughter, seeks guidance from the "Great Kings" and Nala gently advises him to give Kovu a chance. Kovu decides to leave after trying to confess his real intentions, but Rafiki stops and invites the young lions to experience "Upendi" – which means love in Swahili. After a musical journey through the jungle, the two fall deeply in love. Simba finally warms up to Kovu and invites him into the den to sleep. Unbeknownst to them, Vitani observes them and alerts Zira of Kovu's "treachery".
In the morning, Simba invites Kovu for a walk and tells him the true story of Scar, which Kovu had never heard before. However, their walk is interrupted by Zira and her pride. After Zira deceitfully praises Kovu for leading Simba away from his pride, Simba believes that Kovu had set him up. Kovu truthfully claims he had nothing to do with it, but Simba is distrustful. After a brief fight, Simba manages to escape by scaling a wall of logs in a gorge. Unfortunately, in chasing after him, Nuka slips and is killed by falling logs. An enraged Zira blames Kovu for Nuka's death and furiously strikes him in the face, leaving a scar over his left eye, similar to Scar's, and calls him out for "betraying" his pride, Scar, and "killing" his own brother. Finally fed up, Kovu flees (which Zira furiously exiled Kovu from the Outlands for Nuka's death), and Zira tells the Outsiders that Simba has "corrupted" Kovu, and they must take the Pride Lands by force. Kovu returns to the Pride Lands and begs the king for his forgiveness, but Simba is furious at Kovu for setting him up by Zira. Still believing Kovu was behind the ambush, the distrustful Simba furiously exiles him ("One Of Us") and strictly orders Kiara to be confined in Pride Rock and forbids her to leave unescorted. This angers Kiara, who scolds her father for not seeing Kovu for who he is, leading her to escape from the den to find Kovu. After a long search, she reunites with Kovu. Upon watching her and Kovu's reflections complementing each other's, Kiara realizes the meaning of what her father told her when she was a cub, that "[they] are one". Realizing what they must do, Kovu and Kiara return to reunite their prides.
Meanwhile, Zira leads her pride in a war against the Pride Lands, and a fierce fight breaks out. As Zira and Simba face-off, Kovu and Kiara leap between them, and Kiara tells her father that the fighting has to stop, reminding what he once said to her that they are one, pointing out that the Outsiders are also part of them. Kiara's words manage to sway Simba and the rest of the pride, but Zira refuses to stop fighting. Finally, when Vitani decides to side with Kiara and Zira tells her daughter that she will die too if she does not fight, the other Outlanders, utterly shocked and disgusted by this threat, turn against her and join Simba's side. Unwilling to let go of her hatred, Zira makes one last attempt to kill Simba by leaping at him, but Kiara pushes her away, and they fall over a cliff. Kiara safely lands on a ledge, but Zira is sliding towards a storm-swollen river. Kiara offers to help, but Zira, like Scar, cannot let go of her hate and falls to her death. Simba helps his daughter back up the cliff and allows the Outsiders, including Kovu, to return to the Pride Lands. Additionally, Kovu marries Kiara before joining her and her parents at the top of Pride Rock, roaring at the cheering animals. Mufasa's spirit proudly watches over from among the stars and praises his son for his decision.
==Cast and characters==
*Kiara (voiced by Michelle Horn as a cub with Neve Campbell as a young adult) is the crown princess and future queen of the Pride Lands, Simba and Nala's daughter, Mufasa, Sarabi, and Sarafina's granddaughter, Scar's great-niece and the main protagonist. Her singing voices are Charity Sanoy (as a cub) and Liz Callaway (as an adolescent).
*Kovu (voiced by Ryan O'Donohue as a cub and Jason Marsden as a young adult) is Zira's son and the lion chosen by Scar to be king after Scar's death, but after Scar is killed in the first movie, Zira trains him to avenge Scar's death as his adopted son and take back the throne of the Pride Lands. He is the deuteragonist. His singing voice is provided by Gene Miller (as an adolescent).
*Zira (voiced by Suzanne Pleshette) is Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani's mother and the main antagonist of the film. Both she and a small pride of lionesses were exiled by Simba as they still followed Scar. She fanatically worships Scar and is obsessed with revenge on Simba. She trains Kovu in the hope that he will one day kill Simba and take back the throne in Scar's honor.
*Simba (voiced by Matthew Broderick (talking) and Cam Clarke (singing) is the king of the Pride Lands as Mufasa and Sarabi's son, Scar's nephew, Nala's mate, and Kiara's father. He is the tritagonist. Although a loving and caring father, Simba is very mindful and cautious of his daughter's safety and suspicious of Kovu, later learns that over-protectiveness and lack of trust and forgiveness only makes it worse.
*Timon and Pumbaa (voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella respectively) are Simba's best friends and royal babysitters.
*Nala (voiced by Moira Kelly) is the queen of the Pride Lands as Simba's mate and Kiara's mother. She is more accepting of Kovu than Simba is and shows immense love and support for her daughter.
*Rafiki (voiced by Robert Guillaume) is the wise shaman mandrill of the Pride Lands.
*Nuka (voiced by Andy Dick) is Zira's somewhat neurotic son, Vitani and Kovu's older brother and the secondary antagonist. He feels wholly inadequate compared to Kovu and feels that he should be "the chosen one," because "I'm oldest, I'm the strongest" and that, "Scar wasn't even his [Kovu's] father, he just took him in".
*Vitani (voiced by Lacey Chabert as a cub and Meredith Scott Lynn as a young adult) is Zira's daughter, Nuka's younger sister and Kovu's older sister.
*Zazu (voiced by Edward Hibbert) is the king's advisor and majordomo. Hibbert is only credited in Additional Voices.
*Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones) is Simba's father, Sarabi's mate and Kiara's paternal grandfather who was killed by his younger brother Scar in the first film. However, he still appears in the film as a ghost in the sky and in Simba's nightmare. 
*Scar (voiced by Jim Cummings) was Mufasa's younger brother, Simba's uncle, Kovu's mentor, Kiara's great-uncle and the main antagonist of the first movie, who was overthrown and defeated by Simba and killed by the Hyenas. He makes a brief appearance in Simba's nightmare, where he transforms into Kovu.
*Animals Voices (voiced by Belle Clooney and George McHomer)
=== Additional Voices ===
* Charlie Adler
* Carlos Alazraqui
* Jack Angel
* Nancy Cartwright
* Christine Cavanaugh
* Jeannie Elias
* Pamela Hayden
* Sherry Lynn
* Mickie McGowan
* Maggie Roswell
* Pamela Adlon
* Emily Anderson
* Bob Bergen
* Cathy Cavadini
* Jennifer Darling
* Teresa Ganzel
* Jaclyn Linetsky
* Mona Marshall
* D.A. Nichols
* April Winchell
* Scott Wojahn
==Release==
In 1998, Disney believed that The Lion King II: Simba's Pride would be so popular that it shipped 15 million copies to stores for the October 27 release date. Disney sold 3.5 million copies in three days. Thirteen million copies were sold while it was still in print in the late 90s.
The film was first released on VHS in the United States on October 27, 1998, and on DVD as a limited issue on November 23, 1999. Both the original VHS and limited issue DVD were placed into the moratorium on January 19, 2000. It was not released again on DVD until August 31, 2004, when it was a two-disc special edition. The film was altered to remove or change several scenes that were deemed too dark for the attended audiences. The special edition went into moratorium in January 2005. The film has been rendered in high definition and, from October 4, 2011, became available in a trilogy set with the other two films. The Blu-ray edition of the film was released as a stand-alone version on March 6, 2012. The Blu-ray edition has two different versions, a two-disc package containing a Blu-ray and DVD and a DVD-only edition. 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. The Blu-ray edition of The Lion King II, along with the other two films in the series, were placed into a moratorium on April 30, 2013. The film was re-released on DVD, Blu-ray combo pack, and digital on August 29, 2017.
==Reception==
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride received mixed reception from critics. 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. James Plath of Movie Metropolis gave the film 6/10, saying that, "Simply put, we've seen it all before."
TV Guide gave the film 2½ stars out of four, claiming that, despite being of slightly higher quality than Disney's previous direct-to-video animated sequels, it "comes nowhere near the level of its big-screen predecessor" either musically or artistically. The review later went on to say that "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."
Among "normal" audiences and fans of the original film, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride has been received better than most other Disney sequels of its nature and is at least "approved of" by most of the Lion King fanbase. Fan approval has increased dramatically in recent years, however.
This is by and large the only direct-to-video sequel from the 1990s that is more beautifully and professionally done, almost on par with the quality of the original 1994 film. Many other DTV sequels during that period, such as The Return of Jafar and Belle's Magical World, were notorious for the low-budget animation quality.
==Music==
=== Songs===
The songwriters were Marty Panzer, Tom Snow, Kevin Quinn, Randy Petersen, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Jack Feldman, Scott Warrender, and Joss Whedon.
* "He Lives in You" - This is an original song by Lebo M and his African choir. This song represents Kiara's birth and is also the equivalent of "Circle of Life". The song can also be a reference to when Rafiki told Simba in the first film that Mufasa "lives" in him. Also appears in the Broadway version of the first film. It was considered as the only song to be composed by Hans Zimmer, the man who composed the original film.
*"We Are One" - Sung by Cam Clarke and Charity Sanoy. Following Kiara's encounter with Kovu and Zira, which puts herself in danger, Simba explains how important she is to the pride and that the pride is one. The musical equivalent to the first film's talk about the Great Kings of the Past with Mufasa and Simba.
*"My Lullaby" - Sung by Suzanne Pleshette, Andy Dick, and Crysta Macalush. Zira's lullaby to Kovu, which outlines her plot for him to kill Simba and how proud it would make her. The equivalent to "Be Prepared" as the song is talking about how they plan to murder Simba just like how Scar's song talked about killing both him and Mufasa in the previous film. The song's ending is similar to the end of "Be Prepared" with Zira towering over the Outlanders mirrors Scar towering over the hyenas at the end. They are even standing on similar structures; For Scar, forms of rock that suddenly came out of the ground during the song, and, for Zira, a massive termite mound that is part of the group of termite mounds that the Outsiders live in. Zira's treatment of Nuka during the song also resembles Scar's abuse of Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.
* "Upendi" (Swahili for "love") - Sung by Robert Guillaume, Liz Callaway, Gene Miller, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Rafiki's song to Kiara and Kovu about love and happiness. Sung by Rafiki and his animal friends. Also the equivalent to "Hakuna Matata", from the first film, as well as "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" visually.
*"Not One of Us" - Sung following Kovu being exiled by Simba after he wrongfully accuses Kovu of betraying him in an attempt by the Outlanders to assassinate him. This was the first time the animals outside of the main characters (they talk in Lion King 1½) and the lions in both films (they congratulate Kiara when she hunts) have been seen talking. This is the only song to not have an equivalent to the first film, but lyrically, may reflect on Mufasa's death.
*"Love Will Find a Way" - Kiara and Kovu's first encounter following Kovu's banishment where they realize that their mutual romance is too strong and genuine for their differences to keep them apart. Similar to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight": Liz Callaway and Gene Miller provide the singing voices for Kiara and Kovu in the film. The end title is performed by R&B artists Kenny Lattimore and Heather Headley.
=== Soundtrack ===
==== Return to Pride Rock====
An audio CD entitled Return to Pride Rock: Songs Inspired by Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride was released on September 8, 1998. Although not promoted as a soundtrack to the film, it contained all the songs from the film and some additional songs inspired by it by Lebo M. Tina Turner recorded a version of "He Lives in You" for the film.
===="Enhanced soundtrack"====
On August 31, 2004, Disney released an "enhanced soundtrack" to coincide with the release of the film's 2-Disc Special Edition DVD. However, the CD only contains the songs featured in the film, without any of the inspired songs in The Lion King.
==The related television film, series, and sequel==
In November 2015, Disney Channel aired a television film called The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, which was followed in January 2016 by a series called The Lion Guard. Both the film and series serve as sequels to The Lion King, as well as collective midquels to The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (taking place after Kiara's first meeting with Kovu and before her first hunt as an adolescent).
The film and series focus on the son of Simba and Nala, Kiara's younger brother Kion, who as second-born, becomes a leader of the Lion Guard, a team that protects the Pride Lands and defends the Circle of Life.
In the Season 1 episode, "Lions of the Outlands", the Outsiders debut and encounter Kion, before eventually being defeated by him and the Lion Guard.
In the Season 3 premiere, "Battle for the Pride Lands", Kion departs Pride Rock in search for the Tree of Life after being injured in the final battle against the ghost of Scar, the main antagonist of the original film (who had returned in Season 2 as the main antagonist once again), explaining why he doesn't appear in the sequel.
The series finale, "Return to the Pride Lands" serves as a sequel to The Lion King II. The episode centers around Kion's return to the Pride Lands after hearing about Zira threatening war on the Pride Lands, only to find out that the Outsiders have formed a rival Lion Guard during Kion's absence.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
* The Lion King was Disney's seventh animated film to become a franchise, after Saludos Amigos, The Rescuers, Aladdin, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Beauty and the Beast, and Pocahontas (which like this movie got a direct-to-video release along with Aladdin, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Beauty and the Beast).
* It was originally planned in this film for Zira to deliberately let go of the cliff rather than simply reject Kiara's help, but her fall was instead depicted as her simply slipping while rejecting Kiara's aid, as it was felt that the villain committing suicide was too 'adult' for a Disney movie. However, although this concept was cut, Zira's death in the finished version of the film is still implied to be a suicide, or just an accident, as if you look closely, you can see that she's smiling, though this could be just her muzzle. Moreover, as she's gradually losing her grip, in the final version is visible how her position changes, because at first is seen how her fangs are about to reach the lower edge of the cliff and then, just before she falls, she is in a much higher position.
**In The Lion Guard series finale "Return to the Pride Lands", Zira's death from the film said to be due to the Outlanders betraying her, albeit with no mention of Zira falling off the cliff, even though it is subtly alluded to.
*Cam Clarke replaces Joseph Williams as Simba's singing voice. He previously voiced Simba in the Timon & Pumbaa TV series.
*In Europe, in the closing credits, it used Tina Turner singing "He Lives in You" and a cover of "Upendi" over it, instead of instrumental music and "Love Will Find a Way".
*On the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, the film is in widescreen, unlike its previous home video releases. Showing more picture on the sides.
*When Timon shouts "Let me at 'em!" and tries to make a run at Kovu, he has Pumbaa hold him back, but he lets go afterward, and Timon tells him that he "missed the basic point." This is a would-be reference to Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo.
*The film is similar to The Fox and the Hound. Both protagonists meet friends when they are supposed to be enemies (Copper for Tod, Kovu for Kiara) both protagonists are encouraged to fall in love, and later on they do (Tod and Vixey, Kiara and Kovu) and both antagonists have someone who is a pawn in their plan, but later sacrifice themselves (Chief and Nuka) however Nuka died and Chief survived.
*Sarabi and Banzai, were supposed to appear in the sequel, but the ideas were dropped. Sarabi was presumed to have made a small cameo in the film, had no lines, because her voice actress, Madge Sinclair, died in 1995 before the production of the sequel. According to director Flip Kobler, Sarabi had no role in the script to begin with, which is why she never appeared in the film. A 1996 article from New York Daily News had stated that Cheech Marin, (the voice actor for Banzai in the original film) was set to reprise his role as Banzai, but was apparently dropped when the character was cut from the film for unknown reasons.
*Matthew Broderick returned to play Simba four years after the original film's release. It was also released five months after his role as Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos in the live-action sci-fi Film Godzilla.
*Later, Jason Marsden and the late Suzanne Pleshette would do voices together in Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, with Marsden as the voice of Haku, apprentice to Pleshette's wicked Yubaba (and Pleshette also voiced good-natured twin sister Zeniba).
* Previously, Liz Callaway (the singing voice of Adult Kiara) and Lacey Chabert (the speaking voice of Young Vitani) had done the singing voices of the title character in Don Bluth and Fox's Anastasia (with Callaway singing as the Adult Anastasia/Anya in place of Meg Ryan, and Chabert doing Child Anastasia in place of Kirsten Dunst).
**Not to mention, Jim Cummings (voicing Scar entirely in this sequel, after voicing Ed and finishing the singing for Jeremy Irons in the original) would do the singing voice of that other movie's villain, Rasputin (in place of Christopher Lloyd).
*Kiara and Kovu's love story as the members of feuding prides is somewhat similar to that of in the William Shakespeare play of the same name. However, unlike the story where it ended tragically with Romeo and Juliet dying, Kiara and Kovu are still alive and lived happily ever after together.
*The Lion Guard episode "Return to the Pride Lands" takes place after the movie and also mirrors the ending of the movie.
*On the Blu-ray, there is a minor change during Kiara and Kovu's encounter with the crocodiles; when a crocodile approaches after Kovu swims up to the surface, Kovu is now seen looking both sideways instead of making a scared face (despite his brief scream still being heard).
*This is the third Disney direct-to-video film to be released on VHS with the url address on the back of the clamshell case, which is www.disneyvideos.com in the United States.
*In the House of Mouse, neither of the characters that are featured here were included in that show due to not allowing any characters that created for the direct-to-video sequels because of promotional troubles during the 1990s, despite regarding this as one of the few better received DTV movies during that period. However, these characters do appear in the later series The Lion Guard and would appear in the upcoming live-action prequel Mufasa: The Lion King.
*There is a goof in this film when Timon says that Kiara needs a beeper (a pager). The director of the first film stated that it was set before humankind, creating a major anachronism, but as comic relief characters in Disney films (such as the Genie in Aladdin) tend to make anachronistic references, this line can be taken to have no real bearing on the setting of the film.
==Goofs==
TBA
==External links==
*
ar:الأسد الملك ٢: عهد سِمبا
da:Løvernes Konge 2: Simbas stolthed
de:Der König der Löwen 2 - Simbas Königreich
es:The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
fr:Le Roi lion 2 : L'Honneur de la tribu (film)
it:Il re leone II - Il regno di Simba
ja:ライオン・キング2 シンバズ・プライド
nl:De Leeuwenkoning II: Simba's Trots
no:Løvenes konge 2: Simbas stolthet
pl:Król Lew 2: Czas Simby
pt-br:O Rei Leão 2: O Reino de Simba
ro:Regele Leu 2: Regatul lui Simba
ru:Король Лев 2: Гордость Симбы
zh:狮子王2：辛巴的荣耀
Category:1998 films
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Category:Direct-to-video films
Category:Disneytoon Studios films
Category:Films about animals
Category:The Lion King
Category:Sequel films
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Category:Disney Vault Movies
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Category:Annie Award Winner
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Category:1990s films