The Story:
Okay, remember how Grease 2 totally took the concept of the original Grease and just reversed the gender of each character? Okay, maybe I'm the only one who remembers that. Scoff if you want, but Michelle Pfeiffer was on fire in that flick. So anyway, that's what's been done with Lion King II: Simba's Pride.

Simba has had a child, a lioness named Kiara. And Kiara is a curious, feisty little lion who wants to know what's beyond her home in the Pride Lands (sound familiar?). Back again are Timon and Pumbaa to baby sit her, but she gets away from them easily, and meets another young lion named Kovu. But it turns out Kovu is the son of Zira, an evil female lion banished from Pride Land for being a follower of the now deceased Scar (ah…so it's a female Scar this time). And seeing her son bond with Simba's daughter, Zira hatches an evil plot to overtake Simba, using her son as a paw…I mean pawn.

This sequel treads familiar ground, with the gender-reversed plot, similar action sequences that supply viewers with nice thrills, Timon and Pumbaa still have a penchant for grossing out lions with their obsession for bugs, and the opening shows that the lions do indeed have ritual practices, with the raising of the newborn Kiara on the mountain by Rafiki—although it does not have as much of an impact this time around, perhaps because it was just so impressive the first time. However, the opening song is a favorite of mine in terms of songs written for this film. There are actually several musical moments where the characters sing pleasant enough songs, but none is as memorable as the opening tune.

Even the standard Disney theme of friends becoming enemies is at the forefront—honestly, don't most Disney movies follow the same formula anyway, even when they aren't sequels? And yet they still get us every time. I'd say the charm that makes a Disney movie bring a tear to your eye is toned down for this film, but it still manages to work as a worthy sequel. Kids will love it, and adults will enjoy it, too, and if you are a collector of quality Disney animated movies, this one should be in it. Some big names supply the voices. Matthew Broderick (Simba) and Nathan Lane (Timon) are back, as well as several other regulars. Suzanne Pleshette is evil as Zira, and Andy Dick voices her other son, Nuka (the dumb one). And then there's Neve Campbell in the leading role as Kiara. The animation is brilliant, although the moving animation contrasted drastically with the background. If you know video games, then think of pre-rendered backgrounds, particularly on older consoles, where the still shot behind the moving characters felt extremely separated from your character. That's what it looks like here at times, as if they took a gorgeous painting, and plopped a cartoon character in front of it.

Bottom line, Lion King II: Simba's Pride will never be the first movie, but it is definitely one of the best Disney sequels I've seen.

The DVD

Video:
Starting with the menu itself, the animation is incredible. There are some moving visuals, and they carry you along to the next screen when you select an option from the menu. The feature itself is in a 1:66:1 aspect ratio, and enhanced for 16X9 widescreen. The picture quality on the film is extremely sharp, vibrant and colorful, a near perfect print. But there was one detail that was driving me nuts. The animation of all the animals is so detailed that the animators go really heavy on the shadows cast on the undersides of the animals, which may explain what I thought I was seeing. Every time there were animals on the screen, I could have sworn there was a band of grayer area all the way across the bottom quarter of the screen that gave the color down there a different tint than the rest of the screen. The illusion (which it may have been) was not present in scenes with bright colors, so maybe I was just seeing things, but it was really distracting to me.

Sound:
The main menu is in Dolby 2.0 and sounded crystal clear. For the feature itself, you had the options of Dolby 5.1 surround or DTS surround. Both audio tracks were outstanding, but I felt the DTS made a little better use of the back surround speakers. The bass response was off the charts.

Extras:
Well, it's Disney, so you can imagine a lot of them, including a whole second disc worth!

Disc 1—As with every Disney release, this DVD launches right into the previews of upcoming releases. But, you have the option to skip them, and they are then available for viewing in the menu. Setup options offer you the two audio options mentioned above, as well as French Dolby or Spanish Dolby audio tracks. There's also a THX video/audio optimizer that you can fiddle with if you want to spend time adjusting all the settings on your home theater system. You get a "Disney's song selection" which allows you to jump to any one of the songs featured in the film, but this time, the lyrics run across the bottom of the screen so you—I mean, the kids—can sing along. And finally, there's the "Lion King's matter-of-facts" option. Select this and as you watch the film, you get a "pop up video" routine, with various facts about animals hiding half the animation on screen. I'm not a fan of this type of thing. Also, each time there's a pop up, some sort of animal let's out it's call. Children will probably love it.

Disc 2—First off, you get the video of one of the songs from the movie: "Love Will Find a Way" is performed by Heather Headley and Kenny Lattimore. Pretty song, good performance, but the audio and video were shockingly bad! The image is horribly blurry and washed out (I felt like I was watching a video on MTV in 1983) and the sound, although supposedly Dolby Digital 5.1, didn't even sound like good stereo! The 2.0 menu on this disc sounds a whole lot better! Very surprising for a Disney release.

Next, there's the original short "One by One." About 6 minutes long, this is a beautifully animated (widescreen format) short about a group of children who go out to fly a kite, set to an African chant. It's very much geared towards entertaining children. The audio was mostly from the front & center speakers, although it was in Dolby 5.1 surround. The short itself felt like something that was left on the cutting room floor when Fantasia 2000 was made. I'm not much of a fan of Fantasia 2000. 'Nuff said.

The "Backstage Disney" segment is hosted by the always funny Timon and Pumbaa. There are several options here. You can learn trivial facts such as why there's lightning and why we sneeze, and there's a very PBS-like "Lots about Lions" segment that has some of the most beat up footage I've scene of real lions. Shame on Disney for using such bad film. But in the first segment, the animation is splendid (and widescreen). And the Dolby 2.0 stereo sound is excellent. This is good educational stuff for children.

"Proud of Simba's Pride" is a 'making of' featurette that does the usual: interviews with creators and cast, talks about the creative process, showing how the animation was created and voices recorded. This is less than 10 minutes long. Dolby 2.0 stereo.

"Games & Activities" should keep the kids occupied for a while: interactive pick and choose animated games for memory recall, math practice and more, including a safari where you choose the path—and feel like you're riding an elephant with Timon and Pumbaa! All the selections are made with the arrow and enter keys on your DVD remote. This might be a little clumsy and awkward for children, but it's all in good fun—and kids today are so smart, they'll probably be better at it than grownups!

Final Thoughts:
Lion King II: Simba's Pride uses the same tried and true Disney formula as the original, but reverses the gender of the lead character. All the characteristic charms of a Disney movie are here, although not quite as colorful or exciting as in the original, but it's still an extremely enjoyable romp. The animation is excellent, kids will enjoy a new chapter in their beloved story, adults will get a kick out of it too, and with this DVD, packed with interactive bonus features, there's plenty of hours of entertainment to keep the kids happy. If you're a fan of the original, this is a worthy sequel to have on your DVD shelf beside it.