Lion King 2 Movie: 4 Reasons You’ll Love It

Lion King 2

A straight to video sequel might be enough of a reason for anyone to want to shy away from viewing wonderful movie, like the Lion King 2, even with the return of most of the original cast members. One of the big reasons The Return of Jafar was lacking was the absence of Robin Williams as the Genie.

But even with most of the original players returning for a sequel (sadly Rowan Atkinson did not reprise the role of Zazu) it would be easy to write this off as nothing more than a quick attempt to cash in on the huge success of the first movie. But this is far from a throw away story lacking depth and emotion.

The first movie was about running away from responsibility and dealing with the untimely death of Simba’s father Musafa and how painful it was to deal with for him. The first reason you’ll absolutely love The Lion King 2 is the well written plot and conflicts addressed in the movie. I feel that the sequel deals with even heavier issues and yet in a way that doesn’t detract from the fun and joy that a Disney animated feature that any viewer has come to expect from the

studio.

The struggle of raising Simba and Nala raising their daughter Kiara (voiced perfectly by Neve Campbell) and the choices she must make growing up to me are much more relevant and interesting than the conflicts presented in the first movie. Seeing Kiara dealing with responsibility of being the only heir to the jungle royalty and the conflict that comes for the disapproval of her would be mate by her parents will hit home with anyone who’s been either the rebellious teenager or the parent wanting to desperately keep their child from making mistakes that could have dire consequences to them and those around them. It’s done in a really believable way and the interaction between the characters made me much more engaged in this movie than the original.

The second reason you’ll love the Lion King 2 is the soundtrack is easily as good or better than the first even with Elton John and Tim Rice missing from the equation. Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight or Circle of Life were two really strong songs from the first movie and of course they had the benefit of radio play to help those songs become engrained in the mid 1990s collective pop culture. And I give loads of credit for Disney not just reusing the old songs like they could have done and maybe thrown in a one new song for good measure.

What I liked about the music was it helped strike a balance between some of the heavier subject matter (I really feel like these issues are tougher even with tragic death being one of the major themes of the first movie). The songs We Are One and Love Will Find a Way certainly deserve the radio play that they never got that the songs from the first movie benefited from. They are way more fun and enjoyable than anything from the first movie and the other songs round out the film nicely as well. Again you have to hear them and see how well they fit with the movie to understand why I feel this way. The third reason you will enjoy the Lion King 2 is the return of the two characters who stole the show in the first movie. Yes of course I’m talking about Timon and Pumba. They arrive on the scene just when you need some comic relief the most and may I add that their scenes are even better than in the original! Yes hard to believe I know but again watch the movie and thank me later.

Finally the last reason you’ll love The Lion King 2 is because the high quality of the animation. It was done with traditional cel animation (shocking to discover considering the first one was done with computer animation) and full frame (not choppy like many direct to video) motion and astounding color that made this film deserving of a theatrical release even though it sadly did not get one. Yes this sequel could not exist without the first Lion King but in my opinion it’s one of those rare cases where the sequel is almost better than the original. While I could go on and on about the movie but rather than give too much away and take away from your enjoyment of the film I will end this review so that you can go out and rent or buy a copy or perhaps you already own it but stuck it in your collection waiting for a day when you had “nothing better to do” than watch a direct to video sequel. That day is today because it’s way better than you could have ever expected it to be. So watch the Lion King 2, you won’t be sorry.

Lion King 3 Review

Lion King 3

Lion King 3 called Hakuna Matata was released in the year of 2004 by Disney Pictures. The main characters of the movie are Timon and Pumba.  In the lion king series, the Lion King 3 is the third and final edition.

Well,the movie starts with the fact that Timon and Pumba are watching a film in a theater. To the surprise of the viewers they are watching their own episodes on the movie.   At a point of time,Timon finds a remote control that can control the sequences of the movie. Timon uses that remote control and then fast forwards the movie to the certain location where Timon and Pumba exactly appears on the movie.  This irritates Pumba and he argues with Timon that the movie should be watched in the exact way that it is meant to be.  Both Timon and Pumba starts to fight till a time when both of them mutually agrees that the film should tell their part in the Lion King story.

Occasionally Timon and Pumba interrupts the movie and then comments on the happenings of the movie. This interruption is very interesting.  When both Timon and Pumba have completed watching the movie in it’s entirety, Pumba insists Timon to watch the movie once again. (Spoiler alert) But Timon rejects Pumba’s offer and then he says that he likes to watch the movie with each and every Disney character. Then some of the Disney characters appears in the theater. Timon and Pumba are happy on seeing that characters have arrived to that theater.

While watching the movie Timon and Pumba were interrupted by Ma who arrives late and she rewinds the movie so that she can watch the movie from the beginning. Adding to their dismay Uncle Max, Simba and Rafiqi also want to watch the movie. Adding to this more non sense occurs when the Disney characters such as Micky Mouse, Peter Pan, Lilo and stitch, The Disney Princess and many other Disney characters arrives to watch the movie. Adding to Timbo’s dismay he starts the movie with his nightmare.  After watching all these things Pumba tells Timon that he does not do well in the crowds.

The Lion King 3 does make for an enjoyable movie, so if you’re a fan of the other movies, you should enjoy this one as well.

The Lion King Movie Review

The Lion King

The Lion King is part of the Disney catalog, which is vast, stretching all the way back to the 1930′s. During that time, Disney has produced countless classic animated films. Nonetheless, not all Disney movies are created equal, and they run the range from forgettable (like the Black Cauldron) to game-changing (like Toy Story).  But when it comes to all-around greatness, no Disney movie can rival The Lion King.

There is more to The Lion King than there may appear to be at the surface.  Although a great majority of Disney movies are based on traditional fairytales and folktales – mostly of the Brothers Grimm variety – The Lion King isn’t. Also, contrary to the statements given by Disney writers and publicists around the time of the movie’s release, it isn’t a purely original story. What no one was saying at the time, although the truth is undeniable, is that The Lion King is an adaptation of the Shakespearean play Hamlet. Don’t believe it? Compare the two plots.

In Hamlet, the hero is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, whose uncle murders Hamlet’s father in order to become King. However, no one in the kingdom knows that the uncle killed Hamlet’s father. The spirit of Hamlet’s father appears and tells Hamlet about the murder and Hamlet’s destiny to avenge his father’s death and retake the throne. Hamlet tries to prove his uncle’s guilt while two good friends try to distract him with happier things. Ultimately, Hamlet exposes his uncle as a murderer, and the uncle winds up dead.

In The Lion King, the hero is Simba, Prince of the Pridelands, whose uncle Scar kills Simba’s father Mufasa in order to become King. No one knows that Mufasa was murdered, and since Simba has run away, Scar becomes King. Meanwhile, Simba forgets his destiny while he hangs out and has fun with Timon and Pumba. Eventually, Simba sees the spirit of his father, which tells him to return to the Pridelands and reclaim his rightful place as King. Simba returns, exposes Scar as a murderer, and Scar winds up dead.

So, what Disney did with The Lion King was to take an extremely successful, time-tested story, and give it an overlay of lions in Africa. That overlay contained several elements that added richness and depth to the movie. The music is top-notch – so good, in fact, that it became the basis for a broadway musical. Several acclaimed actors voiced characters in the film, including James Earl Jones as the voice of Mufasa. New animating techniques were used in order to create realistically-moving herds of animated wildebeests.

And last but not least, like all truly classic Disney movies, The Lion King is beautifully drawn in two dimensions, an excellent execution of an artform that deserves recognition and preservation. At every level, in every aspect of its creation, The Lion King is a superior animated film.