Joss Whedon

The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride

Special Edition DVD

Won by “One”

Completing the so-called Lion King “trilogy” (a word that is bandied about much too often these days, don’t you think?), The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (note the new use of “2” instead of the more esthetically pleasing “II” from the original release) has now been re-released on DVD in a 2-disc special edition that, apparently, rounds up just about everything left over that was not included on the Lion King and Lion King 1 ½ special editions released within the past year. In other words, all the informative and historical material was found on the former, while all the clever and amusing bits found on the latter, leaving this special edition not quite so ... special, scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel to pad it out to two discs; all, that is, save for one brand new little gem that makes the whole thing worthwhile.

But we’ll get to that later; as for the main feature, Simba’s Pride (originally released in 1998, when it became one of the best selling Disney videos ever) stands a little taller then the average direct-to-video progeny, due in large part to some swell animation from the always reliable Australian animation unit, even though it still pales in the shadow of its predecessor.

Continuing the Shakespearean allegory from the Hamlet-esque original, the sequel grafts a Romeo and Juliet theme of lovers from two different worlds onto the plot, requiring some creative revisionism on the back-story of the antagonists in order for it all to make some semblance of continuity. Standing in for the “Circle of Life”, “He Lives In You” (first heard on the Rhythm of the Pride Lands album and also borrowed from the Broadway production of The Lion King) finds viewers in a lower-budgeted version of the ending of the first film, with the twist that that royal cub Rafiki is hoisting up into the air is not a prince, but a princess (yes, another princess to add to that particular Disney marketing machine), named Kiara. She grows into a feisty little feline groomed for eventual leadership in the pride, just like her father when he was her age (although in real life, male lions are always the leaders ... oh well, in real life lions don’t talk or perform production numbers in the middle of the savannah either). But, unlike Simba, she can wait to be king ... er, queen. Even at her young age, she wants to be thought of as something other then jungle royalty. This causes the needed friction between the overprotective father and rebellious daughter, which sends her off in a huff to the forbidden Outlands (presumably the Elephant Graveyard has since been renovated) where the followers of the tyrant Scar have been banished by King Simba.

And this is where it gets a little tricky. Supposedly, aside from those pesky hyenas, Scar had some lionesses on his side as well, a fact totally absent from the first film. The leader of this pride of outcasts is Zira, mother to Scar’s chosen successor, Kovu. The point is made clear early on that Scar is not Kovu’s father, he just chose him as his heir because ... well, that’s never quite explained; its all just a convenient plot device so that the inevitable (a romance for Kiara and Kovu) can happen without any nasty hints of incest, thus avoided any questions popping out of young viewers mouths to uncomfortable parents. (In retrospect, its too bad that they didn’t throw in a scene in The Lion King 1 ½ of, say, Zira escaping with an infant Kovu from Pride Rock during the climactic Simba/Scar battle, ... if your going to be revisionists, then you might as well go all the way.)

Anyway, Kiara and Kovu meet cute over a pack of hungry crocodiles, but the vengeful Zira and prideful Simba forbid any further play dates. Time passes, allowing Kiara and Kovu to grow to adolescence, and Zira hatches a scheme to have Kovu get close to Kiara, and thus closer to Simba ... close enough to kill, that is, leaving Pride Rock open for take over. But Zira didn’t count on Kovu actually falling in love with Kiara, and it all goes downhill from there, ending with a battle between Simba and Zira, with Kiara and Kovu in the middle, the future of the pride at stake.

While not an exact carbon copy of The Lion King, the second film does feel awfully familiar at times. Recognizable facial expressions from the first film reappear on different characters here (Scar’s sarcastic snarl on Zira, for example) and most of the songs stand in for the same story points here as in the original. But instead of Elton John and Tim Rice’s classic tunes, we get “My Lullaby”, virtually a reprise of “Be Prepared” in style and execution (and co-written by, of all people, Buffy the Vampire Slayer guru Joss Whedon); “Upendi”, the ridiculous, expressionistic would-be show-stopper here given to poor Rafiki; and the requisite love song, “Love Will Find a Way”, the worse song Diane Warren never wrote. The only standouts are “We Are One”, rhythmically and thematically uplifting, and “One of Us”, arguably the strangest song ever for a Disney animated film, if also one of the most dramatic.

To the sequel’s credit, most of the original cast returned, including Matthew Broderick (Simba), Moira Kelly (Nala), Robert Guillaume (Rafiki), and Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, whose Timon and Pumbaa shtick is a little strained this go round. (Even James Earl Jones’ late Mufasa makes a few heavenly appearances. Original Zazu, Rowan Atkinson, sat this one out; here the hornbill, barely noticeable in a diminished role, is voiced by Frasier’s Edward Hibbert.) The new additions range from the luscious verve of Suzanne Pleshette as Zira (surely relishing her diva villainess role to the utmost) and the finely modulated Jason Marsden as the older Kovu, to the annoying screech of professional idiot Andy Dick as Zira’s older, termite-ridden son Nuka and Neve Campbell’s utterly blah rendition of the older Kiara (why anyone would cast this actress for her voice is beyond me). (Some points of interest on the new cast members: Ironically, Pleshette and Marsden would go on to voice similar roles with a similar relationship in the English redub of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away; Campbell’s Party of Five little sister Lacey Chabert voices the role of Kovu’s little sister, Vitani ... hmmm, with names like Zira, Nuka and Vitani, all the Outlanders sound like refugees from a Planet of the Apes movie.)

The disparity in the performances between the two new main characters brings up the film’s vital flaw: coming off like a self-centered, well, princess, Kiara’s personality makes it hard to feel affection for her, while Kovu’s is more fully developed. Like the best of Disney heroes from Pinocchio and Dumbo to the Beast and Quasimodo, he is an outsider struggling to fit in with the norm. Even a last ditch effort to have Kiara show some heroics (she tries in vain to save Zira in the climax, but alas, Zira meets the fate of the best of Disney villains: a high fall to her death) doesn’t help matters much, eventually leading to a rather dispirited ‘happy ending’.

(c) Disney

The two sole bonus features on disc one are tied to the film directly, leaving all the stand-alone features for disc two. In addition to the now standard Disney Song Selection (on screen lyrics for all the songs), there is the Lion King Matter of Facts feature. Turn it on, and relevant nature tidbits pop up on-screen throughout the film. Educational, I suppose, but with weak attempts at wit and the jolting jungle sound effects that announce their appearance makes this attempt (yet another try at a ‘kid-friendly’ audio commentary-type feature) annoying at best and intrusive at worst.

Disc two leads off with the “Love Will Find a Way” Music Video, notable for its star (Heather Headley, who originated the role of Nala on Broadway and went on to win a Tony Award for Disney’s Aida) and location: the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In the “Backstage Disney” section, you’ll find five of the Timon and Pumbaa Find Out Why shorts; produced for the National Science Foundation in 2000 and seen in between cartoons on ABC Saturday mornings, these brief bits taught youngsters such scientific facts as why we sneeze or how airplanes fly. Interesting, I suppose, for Lion King completests, but hardly required. Why not T & P’s “Stand By Me” music video instead? T & P return to narrate the mini nature doc Lots About Lions, and there’s the short ‘making of’ documentary titled Proud of Simba’s Pride, which proves just how much a moron Neve Campbell really is. Aside from an interesting view from director Darrell Rooney on how the film shows the “other side of Pride Rock”, it mostly dissolves into a love fest by the end.

T & P, who have a surprising presence in all the bonus features in this set considering their lackluster work in the main feature, return yet again with Timon and Pumbaa’s Virtual Safari 2.0, the third and final of these supposedly innovative interactive features. Not quite as cheeky as the first two, there a still a couple of laughs to be found, including a sly reference to, of all things, Oklahoma!, and a surprise jet-set cameo. T & P now board a crudely CGI-ed elephant named Gertie (a possible reference to Windsor McCay’s famous dinosaur) for this adventure. Rounding out the “Games and Activities” section are two more games: Pride Land Games, a disposable series of math, shape and matching quizzes hosted by (surprise!) Timon and Pumbaa. A bit more interesting is Rafiki’s Challenge, a virtual variation of the shell game that is actually challenging as it gets faster. Alas, neither of these games have any pay off - they just stop.

And finally, from the ridiculous to the sublime:

The original short One by One has quite a history. Originally heard on the Rhythm of the Pride Lands album and featured in The Lion King on Broadway (like “He Lives In You”), this song, written by Lebo M (the famous chanter of “Circle of Life” fame) was developed into a short for the now defunct third Fantasia feature, and that lineage sure shows. As directed by Pixote Hunt (who directed the Beethoven section of Fantasia 2000), this awe-filled celebration of color and transcendence is a joy to behold.

To say any more may tarnish the simple enjoyment of this mini-masterpiece, but its safe to say two things more: this short will hopefully be eligible for the Animated Short Subject Academy Award, and its presence herein definitely makes it worth the price of the DVD.

Toon Talk Rating: B