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The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride - Special Edition
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (3rd February 2015). |
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The Film
 It’s no wonder Disney quickly shuttled a sequel to “The Lion King” (1994) into production, as it rose up the box office ranks to become the highest-grossing animated film of all-time (at that time). In fact, the studio had a follow-up in pre-production before the first film had even hit theaters. But then, as work progressed and actors were signed back on, the project went from being a potential box office hit in theaters to a direct-to-video release. That major shift didn’t matter much, however, since “The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride” (1998) went on to become equally successful, selling more than 15 million copies during its first two years of release, generating as much revenue as the first film did in theaters despite the fact it is recognized as being inferior in most every way. Continuing with the Shakespearean theme, with “The Lion King” serving as “Hamlet”, this entry plays out like “Romeo & Juliet”. Simba (Matthew Broderick), King of the Pridelands, has just welcomed a newborn cub into his pride, Kiara (Neve Campbell). During her adolescence Kiara meets Kovu (Jason Marsden), a young male who was chosen by Scar (Jim Cummings) to be his heir. The two get caught up in playing around when Simba appears to put an end to their games, something that draws the ire of Kovu’s mother. She and Simba exchange words about how her pack was exiled from the Pridelands for certain reasons. It’s the sort of expository retconning needed to give this film some purpose. The two parents leave with their respective children, avoiding any further conflict. Years later, Kiara is nearly fully matured and heading out on her first hunt. Kovu and his siblings are sent out by their mother to fake an attack on Kiara, allowing Kovu to gain Simba’s trust and infiltrate their camp. The plan works, but Kovu has a change of heart about destroying Simba’s empire when he begins to feel for Kiara. The two lions are caught in between the warring factions as an all-out war looms on the horizon. This is one of those unfortunate films that just kind of leaves you with an empty feeling once the credits begin rolling. It isn’t a bad film per se; it’s just sort of hollow and simply exists. None of the heart or emotion or power dynamics are on display here. The conflict between Kiara and Kovu’s respective clans feels so forced and arbitrary. There wasn’t a single better story idea than this? Something with Simba in a more central role might have made more sense, although this is a movie made for kids and young love is a pretty big issue. What’s with all the lions in constant peril on the edge of cliffs in this series, too? There must have been at least a half dozen times throughout the series where a lion has been knocked off the edge or a cliff, or it has jumped up on the cliff face, and it claws away wildly trying to regain position. When it happened to Mufasa (James Earl Jones), there was deep emotional impact soon after. Every other time it feels like the animators were told there’s only one way they’re allowed to kill a lion and it must involve them somehow falling off a cliff. Of the three films that comprise the “Lion King” series, this is at the bottom of the list. “The Lion King 1 ½” (2004) at least had the fortune of a fun concept, clear tie-in with the original, and some sharper humor. Much like that film, however, the songs here fall just as flat. Why does it seem so impossible for Disney to put a solid hit into one of their DTV films? Likely answer: because they know to keep the good stuff for their big theatrical releases. The DTV films only need music that maintains an established sound and style anyway.
Video
here’s barely a thing to complain about regarding the film’s 1.78:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded picture. Quality of the animation aside – the original animators didn’t return, leaving this job in the hands of Disney’s capable-but-not-as-good television team in Australia – the image here is essentially flawless. You could knock off a point or two for some very minor macroblocking in one or two shots, but that would be getting very nitpicky. This is as close to perfect as you can get.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track (48kHz/24-bit) isn’t quite as DTV quality, though it’s still far from impressive. Dialogue is, of course, presented clear and balanced within the mix. There aren’t many big moments here to really test things out, but a few skirmishes provide good support via the rear speakers to aid in immersing the viewer. Honestly, this probably could have been a stereo track and gotten the job done just the same. It’s not exactly dynamic, even the songs don’t have much weight to them. French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound tracks are also included, with subtitles available in English, French and Spanish.
Extras
Just as with “The Lion King 1 ½”, this film features all of the bonus material – mostly featurettes and music videos - found on the previous DVD plus a new short film featuring Timon & Pumbaa. DISC ONE: BLU-RAY “Timon & Pumbaa’s Insectapedia” (1080p) is a short film that runs for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. This time, the two buddies learn about, you guessed it, insects. “One by One” (480p) is a featurette that runs for 5 minutes and 42 seconds. “Timon & Pumba: Find Out Why” (480p) featurette is a series of questions the two answer for viewers, running for 7 minutes and 35 seconds. “Proud of Simba’s Pride” (480p) is a featurette that runs for 6 minutes and 49 seconds. “”Love Will Find a Way” music video (480p) runs for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. “Discover Disney Blu-ray 3D with Timon & Pumbaa” (1080p) promo runs for 4 minutes and 25 seconds. Bonus trailers (1080p) are also included for: - “Cinderella” runs for 2 minutes and 8 seconds. - “Chimpanzee” runs for 2 minutes and 6 seconds. - “The Lion King: The Musical” runs for 31 seconds. - “Treasure Buddies” runs for 1 minute and 2 seconds. - “Finding Nemo” runs for 1 minute and 1 second. DISC TWO: DVD This is a DVD copy of the feature film, with the same supplemental material.
Packaging
The two-disc set comes housed in a Vortex eco-lite keep case, with each disc housed opposite the other on a hub. A slip-cover is included on first pressings.
Overall
This one may bore most adults, but kids will lap it up all the same.
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