The Lion King III *** (2004, voices Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Matthew Broderick) – Classic Movie Review 1622

Ten years on The Lion King III is the still welcome and entertaining second sequel to the 1994 Walt Disney cartoon favourite. Director Bradley Raymond’s and writer Tom Rogers’s seamless 2004 animation ingeniously provides the middle story in between parts I and III, hence its alternative title of The Lion King I 1/2.

This time the focus is on Timon and Pumbaa, as they tell The Lion King story from their point of view. So viewers learn why Timon left his meerkat colony, meet Timon’s Mom and Uncle Max, find where he learned Hakuna Matata, see how he meets Pumbaa, and view the duo’s perils on the way to finding their dream home.

And, once again, the vocal performances throughout are strong, pleasing and distinctive, most of them the same as before. It once more features the voices of Matthew Broderick as the lion king Simba, Nathan Lane as Timon the Meerkat, Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa the Warthog, Robert Guillaume as Rafiki, Moira Kelly as Nala, Cheech Marin as Banzai, Jim Cummings as Ed, Edward Hibbert as Zazu and Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi. Other distinctive new star voices are provided by Julie Kavner as Timon’s Mom and Jerry Stiller as Uncle Max.

The songs include Digga Tunnah and Meerkat Rhapsody and this time the score is by Hans Zimmer.

The US cinema release date was 10 February 2004. The Lion King is of course basis of the long-running Broadway and London hit stage show.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1622

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