Lion King II (Simba's Pride)

Contents/Summary:

                     The film opens during the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn daughter, Kiara, to the gathering of Serengeti creatures clustered below Pride Rock. However, as Kiara matures the overprotective Simba fears for her safety and enlists the guardianship of Timon and Pumbaa in following her during her explorations of the Pride Lands. However, when Kiara learns of her father's lack of trust in her she sneaks away in fury from her quarreling supervisors and stumbles upon an enemy cub named Kovu, a member of the exiled Outsiders who had followed Scar during his tyrannical reign. Albeit the pair tease one another at first, they soon encounter a pack of snapping, angry crocodiles that try to attack them. Fortunately Kiara helps to guide Kovu to safety, and the two lion cubs quickly befriend each another. However, Simba and Kovu's wicked mother Zira step in to protect their offspring, Zira ranting that Kovu has rights to the throne as he had been selected by Scar as his heir.

                   

                      Later, Simba lectures Kiara for her disobedience, but reminds her that all animals are united by singing "We Are One." However, in the meantime, Zira scolds her son for romping with Kiara, though she is inspired for a new evil plan by Kovu's insistence upon being friends with Kiara and describes her craving for vengeance through song while laying Kovu to bed, "My Lullaby."

                    

                       Eventually, Kiara develops into a youthful lioness preparing to embark on her first hunt, while in the meantime Kovu is being trained by Zira for his role in her sinister plan. Kovu's siblings Nuka and Vitani enter the Pride Lands after lighting sticks on fire, burning the grass around Kiara, who collapses from smoke asphyxiation. Kovu brings her to safety and is welcomed to Pride Rock by Simba, and enjoys a peaceful life there and spends time with Kiara. Rafiki, upon the supposed insistence of King Mufasa's ghost, leads them on a romantic night believing that they are meant for one another while performing the song "Upendi" with a group of jungle animals. Rafiki's plan works and the pair realize that they are smitten. However, Simba starts to question Kovu's honesty after experiencing a nightmare in which he is present once more at the site of Mufasa's murder and tries to help his father; however, the spirit of his uncle Scar returns to murder Simba in a similar fashion, but he transforms into Kovu and releases his grip on Simba, sending him plummeting into a stampede of wildebeests.

                  

                      Simba's fears prove to be correct when he is cornered by Outsiders during a stroll with Kovu who intend upon causing him harm, and from this incident he is left severely injured. However, Kovu's underappreciated brother Nuka, in an attempt to finally please Zira, tries to wound King Simba (who has climbed to refuge up a hill of logs) but is crushed to death by the logs. A mournful Zira pins all the blame on Kovu, scarring his eye in a fashion similar to Scar's, who also is exiled from the Pride Lands in song, "One of Us," as a result. A crestfallen Kiara, miserable over her separation from Kovu, sings a duet with her mutually-saddened lover, "Love Will Find a Way," dreaming of a reunion. However, shortly afterward, a bloodthirsty combat is triggered between the Outsiders and the Pridelanders as they mercilessly attack one another, a brawl which is witnessed by Kiara and Kovu. Kiara reminds her father of the message he sent to her through his song "We Are One," the Outsiders are inspired to abandon their vindictive ways to adapt to the more peaceful lifestyle of the Pridelanders, much to Zira's rage. She attacks and tussles ferociously with Kiara, but winds up plunging to her death in a watery canyon, ending the conflicts between the Pridelanders and Outsiders permanently.

Eventually, Kovu and Kiara are wed and preparing to take over the throne. Simba turns to the sky and is congratulated by the voice of his father's spirit.

Highligths/Favorite Part:

                A few days later, Simba hears Timon and Pumbaa crying for help in the jungle and immediately rushes to their rescue, finding himself face-to-face with a hungry lioness. After wrestling with the lioness, she flips Simba onto his back, a move he recognizes from Nala. When he mentions Nala's name, the lioness becomes surprised and backs away. When she asks who he is, Simba tells her his name, and the lioness is surprised to realize it is him. As they rejoice, Simba introduces Nala to his new friends and Nala tells Simba that he's the rightful King. Simba rejects his responsibility and refuses to go back, still believing that he was he was guilty of killing his father; still,

he comforts Nala as she struggles with the reality of him being alive after all those years. Enjoying a peaceful sunset evening together, playing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," the two lions realize their childhood friendship has now blossomed into a romantic relationship. However that evening, Nala tries to explain to Simba the fate of the Pridelands under Scar's reign and persuade him to go back, but he refuses, which leads to an argument. Simba marches away from Nala and, alone in a grassy field, yells to the sky how his father is not there for him when he said he will, and Simba labels the blame on himself.

Soon, Simba notices Rafiki singing in a tree. Trying to get away from him, Simba goes to lie down away from the mandrill; Rafiki, the same one from Simba's birth ceremony years ago, refuses to leave him alone, so Simba asks who he is. Simba doesn't know anymore, and after Rafiki chants in his ear, he says that Simba is Mufasa's boy. Surprised to hear his father's name, Simba chases the wise baboon and asks if he knew his father, but Rafiki says he knows his father, and explains to

Simba that he is still alive. Rafiki leads Simba to the stream, and as Simba remarks that he only sees his reflection, Rafiki tells Simba to look harder as Simba's reflection becomes the face of Mufasa. At the same time, he hears his father calling to him from the sky, and Simba looks up to see him again. Mufasa's spirit appears in the sky, which Simba recognizes, but Mufasa accuses his son of forgetting him, to which Simba denies.

His father says Simba has forgotten his father and his own place in the Circle of Life. He reminds Simba that he is his son and the one true King, before telling him to "remember." Simba chases his father's disappearing form in the sky. Rafiki approaches Simba again and listens to him discussing how he will have to face the past, from which he has ran away from, if he is to return. Rafiki then whacks him on the head with his stick and teaches him the lesson that even though things are in the past, they can still hurt, but he should learn from them. As Rafiki swings his stick again, this time, Simba dodges Rafiki's whack. Simba snatches Rafiki's stick and leaves to take back his place as king of the Pride Lands.  

Criticism:

LION KING II is good by Disney sequel standards and unique in that the story actually follows directly from the first movie. We see a progression of themes and plot elements planted earlier, as if this story were always meant to be told. Indeed, the story of star-crossed lovers from feuding families has been told countless times before, nevertheless fans of The Lion King will enjoy seeing the characters' story continue. Cute characters Timon and Pumbaa don't have a role beyond following Kiara around, but they add some laughs to the heavy love and vengeance plot. The songs are listenable in the moment while not the makings of a child's favorite soundtrack.

Disney did a pretty good job with the DVD extras on this sequel. Timon and Pumbaa host most of the features, making them fun for kids. Particularly cool is a virtual elephant ride in which kids can pick where they go and feel like they're riding an elephant. Several simple, fun games can be played by little ones who can use a mouse. Older viewers may enjoy interviews with the voice cast members Mathew Broderick, Neve Campbell, Suzanne Pleshette, and others.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (later retitled The Lion King 2: 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 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 will be placed 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 who was 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 are keeping them apart: Kovu's mother, Zira, and Simba's prejudices against the Outsiders. While the original film's plot seems to have been inspired on the Shakespearean play Hamlet, this sequel's plot is similar to another Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet.

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, died before this film was released, therefore her character was written out.

Lion King II Pictures:

Trivia

• In a Simba's Pride game called "Simba's Pride: Active Play," Kiara will sometimes remark that the cub you're creating on the cub creator "looks like her cousin." This would mean that one of her parents had a sibling who had a cub.

• During early production of Simba's Pride, Kiara's name was Shani. Another name considered for Kiara was Aisha, but this was later changed after Disney realized that this was already the name of the Yellow Power Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, Aisha Campbell.

• In early developments, Kiara had light brown fur, green eyes, and a hair tuft. This was later changed to the orange color seen in the movie.

• Interestingly, Kiara's name is derived from different languages; in the Gaelic language, her name means "little, dark one." It has the same meaning in Irish, in which it's a variant of the name, Ciara. In the Italian language, it means "brightness" and is a variant of the name, Chiara.

• Kiara is of light coloration, but most of her name meanings depict darkness.

• According to Variety, the Walt Disney Company tried to get actresses Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker, the wife of Lion King star, Matthew Broderick, to voice Kiara, then named Aisha.

Characters in Simba's Pride

	Kiara Meaning: small, dark thing (Swahili) Kiara just wants to go on adventures, but her over-protective father, Simba, won't let her! When she grows up to be a headstrong adolescent and meets Kovu, she begins to challenge her father and ultimately unites the Pridelanders and the Outlanders.
	Kovu Meaning: scar (Swahili) Kovu, raised in a hostile environment by his hateful mother, Zira, grows up to be a vicious warrior. When he meets Kiara as an adolescent, his entire view on the Pride Lands changes and in the end he chooses Kiara over his mother's plans for him.
	Simba Meaning: lion (Swahili) The over-protective Simba tries to shield his daughter from the world, especially the Outlands! In the end, his daughter points out his mistakes and ends the feud between the Pridelanders and the Outlanders.
	Nala Meaning: gift (Swahili) Nala doesn't play much of a role in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, but when we do get the chance to see her, she is a caring, loving mother of Kiara and respectable mate of Simba.
	Zira Meaning: hate (Swahili) Zira, who had an unexplained relationship with Scar, will stop at nothing to get revenge on Simba and the Pridelanders. She trains Kovu to take over the Pride Lands, but in the end Kovu sides with Kiara, his love.
	Vitani Meaning: war, demon of war (Swahili) Vitani, Zira's daughter, seems to follow completely in her mother's footsteps until Kovu defies Zira.
	Nuka Meaning: stink, smell (Swahili) Nuka, Zira's son, tries to impress his mother with everything he does. He is killed while chasing Simba up a log dam.
	Timon Meaning: respect Timon is an advisor to Simba. He also keeps track of Simba's daughter, Kiara.
	Pumbaa Meaning: dull-witted, stunned (Swahili) Pumbaa is an advisor to Simba. He also keeps track of Simba's daughter, Kiara.
	Rafiki Meaning: friend (Swahili) Rafiki is back and ready to help the next generation with their problems, including jumpstarting Kiara and Kovu's relationship!