The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride *** (1998, voices Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane) – Classic Movie Review 1621

Directors Darrell Rooney and Rob LaDuca’s seamless 1998 first sequel to the 1994 Walt Disney cartoon favourite is very welcome and entertaining if inevitably several notches down from the brilliance of the original. It helps a lot that most of the original voice cast are back.

The inventive screenplay by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus seemingly effortlessly carves out a new story built up from the original. It focuses a bitter feud between Simba’s pride and the outcast pride led by the banished Zira, the mate of Simba’s wicked Uncle Scar. Back home, Simba and Nala’s daughter Kiara escapes her babysitters Timon and Pumbaa, and goes to the forbidden lands, where she meets the lion cub Kovu (voice of Jason Marsden), who turns out to be the son of Zira.

It features Matthew Broderick as the voice of the lion king Simba, Nathan Lane as Timon the Meerkat, Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa the Warthog, Robert Guillaume as Rafiki, Moira Kelly as Simba’s childhood friend Nala, James Earl Jones as Simba’s father, King Mufasa, Neve Campbell as Kiara, Edward Hibbert as Zazu and Suzanne Pleshette as Zira. And, once again, the vocal performances throughout are strong, pleasing and distinctive.

The songs include Upendi and He Lives In You and this time the score is by Nick Glennie-Smith.

The US cinema release date was 29 October 1998. The basis of the long-running Broadway and London hit stage show. The Lion King III followed in 2004.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1621

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