My Lion King Forum

I wish the sp soundtrack would get a 'legacy collection' treatment with complete film score and the two 'he lives in you' covers by diana ross and tina turner.

The soundtrack is probably the best part of TLK2 Imo. And that also includes the songs. That being said, it's still not as good as the original. All the songs in TLK are good from a technical standpoint (although some of them aren't the greatest from a moral/theme standpoint, I.e. Hakuna Matata and mayyyybe IJCWTBK) but the songs in SP range from great (He Lives In You and We Are One) to kinda silly but still good ( One of Us) to just alright (My Lulluby and Love Will Find A Way) to OH MY GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE (Upendi)

I guess a 4 would sound about right for me. Even when disregarding the forcefully wedged-in nature of the Outlanders and how the entire concept undermines everything Simba fought for at the conclusion of the original film, it's still a somewhat underwhelming experience to sit through. Not only does the entire idea behind the film's plot have the stench of mediocre fan-fiction all over it, but even the dialogue feels dry and overly expository, equal to that of a young wannabe screenwriter's handiwork than a professional's. It's especially noticeable if you decide to pop in the original film or even TLK 1/2 soon afterwards. Conversations in those movies actually have a sense of liveliness to them and feel believable, whereas TLKII's dialogue just comes off as flat. Even with those plot-related issues, I think the film would have probably still turned out far more entertaining had the writers gone over the script a few more times.

I remember a similar thread like this from a few years back. Based on the review description of that poll, I gave it an 8. However, since this poll has a different description of one's overall opinion, 7/10 seems to best match my opinion, although my praise and criticism of it has remained the same since then.

Story: The writing is the biggest problem of the movie. The backstory of Zira and the Outsiders concerning their origins and whereabouts during the battle of Pride Rock is left unexplained, and probably intentionally to make Zira more mysterious and borderline insane. Her repetition of claiming Kovu is Scar's chosen heir may cast some doubt since Kovu and Kiara are about the same age and size, but it is hinted that Scar and Zira have some history, but because of story changes mid-way through production, it was not a romantic one.

Adapting Romeo and Juliet was probably not a wise move since it's an all-too-familiar story and invites similarities to other films that also borrow from Romeo and Juliet. The only thing new it brings to the table is the involvement of the parents of both lovers in the storyline, as director Darrell Rooney explained to the Los Angeles Times. However, the first movie only adapted basic ideas from Hamlet, but the overall story (and its structure) is entirely different. Here, the second half of Simba's Pride directly follows the story structure of the play where the resolution of the conflict feels contrived (it's also the same exact conflict resolution in Pocahontas) where years of conflict is pushed aside by a multicultural message, and a predictable happy ending.

Nevertheless, I admire the dramatic and serious aspects of the storytelling that remains faithful to the original. Kovu's character arc is the most interesting one, but he changes too fast. Nuka's arc is also well-told while the character himself is more comedic, and his last words are haunting words a parent should never hear.

Music: The African feel of the songs is left intact with an abridged version of "He Lives with You" used for the opening. "We are One" and "One of Us" are also my favorites, and feel like true additions to the catalogue. "My Lullably" has wickedly evil lyrics for charm while "Love Will Find A Way" has overtly schmaltzy lyrics, but I think it's a cute song. "Upendi" is by far the most cringe-worthy song of the entire film. Nick Glennie-Smith (who worked on the first film's music) inherits Hans Zimmer's mantle as score composer, and while there is a recurring leitmotif action scene music track, the score itself is unmemorable.

Animation: While it is better-produced than The Return of Jafar and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, the animation lacks the sparkle and wonder of the African savanna grassland. The character animation is overall decent, although the Blu-Ray transfer has shown some of the weaker qualities including the crude, rushed drawings of the background Outsider lionesses. The character designs and post-production digital color scheme of Simba and Nala make the characters look substantially different from how they appeared in the first film.

[quote="TheLionPrince"]Nick Glennie-Smith (who worked on the first film's music) inherits Hans Zimmer's mantle as score composer, and while there is a recurring leitmotif action scene music track, the score itself is unmemorable.[/quote]

There are actually a few more leitmotifs than that. Simba has his own new theme, replacing the well known "Ascension" motif we heard throughout the original form in a variety of renditions. Kiara has her own theme, the Outlanders have a distinct harsh sound that plays during their scenes, and there's a love theme that's derived off of "Love Will Find a Way." The film also make multiple uses of an idea from the original film's Stampede cue for the final battle.

When I think back, I feel that the score is one of its few redeeming qualities for me. Nothing absurdly amazing, but some of the motifs established for it are nice enough.

Well, I wasn't denying that there weren't more, but it's one I most frequently notice over the years. My review is not really complete since there's a whole paragraph I will write about the characters, but I will take your knowledge of the score and reevaluate the merits of the score.

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I really enjoy SP. I'm aware of the problems it has, but that doesn't stop me from watching it at least once a week. In fact, I seem to watch it more than the original.

Go ahead, call me weird, but I like this movie even better than Lion King, in fact it may just be my favorite movie (before I saw it my favorite movie was How To Train Your Dragon 2). I am 15 now, and I actually sob the whole time from when Kovu gets exiled to when he is reunited with Kiara. Then again, this is just my opinion. I think there is a good amount of humor in it too

I love this movie, I gave it a 9 due to the fact that I have no problem with the movies flaws. I just overlook them and enjoy the movie. Because I was thrilled that Lion King got a sequel. Even if it was not the theatrical sequel I though it deserved.