The Lion King 1 1/2
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Movie Reviews of The Lion King 1 1/2
Movie Review: A cheap ploy for Disney to make another few million dollars.
Summary: 2 Stars
Lion King ruled, no question, Lion King 2 was actually very well done and was great for a sequel, but this 1 1/2 is a cheap money making scheme by Disney. First of all, I found this movie/documentary, or whatever you want to call it, very boring and a waste of my money and it will be a waste of yours too if you considering buying it. Take it from a fan who loves the Lion King story.
For whatever reason, and no offense to Amazon though, I blame Disney and the people that say this is a great movie. They mixed unwarranted comedy with snipits of the original Lion King and meshing those together made me angry and upset that Disney could even call this "Lion King". This is not a movie and should not even be considered one. It mainly focuses on the warthog and the annoying weasel throughout the whole thing. You have to sit through their annoying chatter and hear them discuss the story of the original Lion King in their own words. There are some decent moments with Simba but 75% of the movie is the warthog and the weasel, don't expect anytime with the pride or in the pridelands, which I thought the Lion King was supposed to be about anyway. To it's credit, the animation is decent and the kids will love the comedic take on the movie, but I did not enjoy this farce. Lion King 1 and 2 are the ones worth owning, not this, especially considering how much Disney wants for it. Don't bother.
Movie Review: A cleverly done alternate take on the Lion King saga!
Summary: 5 Stars
Be mindful that this review might contain spoilers for this movie.
I've always treasured the 1994 original "Lion King" movie ever since I first saw it on the big screen when it came out and today it is still a much beloved Disney movie and one of the companies last great movies (Not including the Pixar CGI animated movies) to date. This ingenious addition to the legacy of this wonderful classic is one of the most unique animated films to have come out in many years. I find it hard to say if "The Lion King 1 1/2 "is either a sequel or a prequel. I would almost consider this as more of like a parallel storyline because it takes place at the exact same timeline as Simba's does.
This is the story of Simba's life but where as the original was through Simba's perspective, "1 1/2" on the other hand is told through the eyes of lifelong buddies Timon the meerkat, and Pumbaa the warthog and delves back into Timon's past as an outcast amongst his meerkat community that dug tunnels and was disillusioned with the concept of meerkats being on the bottom of the food chain. As disaster happens due to his bumbling, he leaves his old life behind and goes out on his own into the world. While on his adventures Timon meets up with a loner warthog named Pumbaa. From there it's the start of a lifelong friendship between the two.
From there it's a long adventure for the twosome buddies and then came along the young lion cub Simba who escaped from his evil uncle Scar after his father Mufasa is killed. From there it's a really light-hearted adventure where Timon and Pumbaa tell their side of the story of when Simba came along and how they aid him in reclaiming his rightful place as the king of Pride Rock. Also Timon and Pumbaa venture out on their quest for "Akuna Matata", the place of their dreams.
The shenanigans in this movie are so funny. Do you remember when Simba was singing "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" and when the song ended, the whole formation of performing animals falls apart and they all fall on top of each other when the song ends? Well 1 ? shows you what caused it to happen. There are a lot of other scenes that answer other questions as to how or why things happened in the original that may have had some baffled.
It's also really funny how the major events that were important in the original were just mere background noise to Timon and Pumbaa especially with Simba being held in the air at the beginning just being a background event.
The best part is where Timon and Pumbaa like `pause' the movie and comment on several events they went through and how they comment on the various events they went through.
We meet some new characters on here. One is Timon's doting mother who to my surprise sounds like the voice of Marge Simpson. The other is none other than Uncle Max who is a riot with his hot-tempered personality similar to a drill sergeant on a bad day and having too much coffee. There are lots of new songs that are really great to listen to and for kids to sing along with but are also very enjoyable for older audiences too.
The animation, while not the most stunning by any means, is really good and blends hand drawn cell art and computer animation and the result creates a lot of really colorful scenes throughout the animated feature.
The cast involved in the original return for this ingenious alternate version and have lost none of their edge and are just as great on this as they were on the original classic from 1994.
The second disc is unfortunately lacking. While kids might enjoy it to some degree, adults will find a lot of the features on this second DVD to be rather lacking and nowhere near as enjoyable as the features were on disc two of the "Special Platinum Edition" of the original "Lion King" movie. There is a poorly done commentary along with a quiz game involving a talk show host whose named eludes me at the moment and it feels more like some kind of video game advertisement than an actual DVD featurette. There is also a Virtual Safari on this but it's nowhere near as great as the one on the original Lion King Special Edition DVD released late in 2003.
The movie itself is also very short even for Disney animated movies being only 72 minutes long. It just leaves you wanting more. For these things I can't help but feel slightly disappointed yet also feel immensely impressed at the same time.
This isn't one to watch if you haven't seen the original. If you do so, then this will leave you totally confused. For those who are familiar with the original Lion King movie, then this will be a highly entertaining movie that casts a totally different light on the Lion King saga.
I was a bit skeptical about this when it came out considering that it was a straight-to-DVD movie but to my total surprise, this turned out not only to be much better than I though, but it also turns out to be a wonderfully entertaining animated film for the whole family. It is really an utter delight to actually watching the Lion King sage through a totally different light altogether and also bringing much further insight into Timon and Pumbaa's past and putting them in the front seat. "The Lion King 1 ?" is Highly recommended and succeeds in maintaining the magic and spark of the original. Buy it today but buy it cheap or used.
Movie Review: Disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
Lots of recycled footage and jokes from a film I already own. I'm disappointed in Disney for milking the Lion King franchise to this level.
In my eyes, this was a pure mistake and could be a bad sign of things to come. I did not enjoy this film, my wife did not enjoy it, and my children did not enjoy it.
Stick with the original.
Movie Review: A Sharp, Clever Follow-up Worthy of the Original
Summary: 4 Stars
Having had a bad experience with made-for-video Disney sequels before (102 Dalmatians, anyone? Yikes!) I was expecting the worst from this, but my son's such a big Lion King fan that I got it for him anyway. I was VERY pleasantly surprised!
The backstory of Timon and Pumba, while a little convoluted, provides the perfect backdrop and explanation of how their paths ended up intersecting with Simba's in the original film. As a result, all the "important" events in the original film are cleverly winked at as mere background noise to the oblivious adventures of Timon and Pumba. I was reminded of Tom Stoppard's brilliant comedy, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstein Are Dead," where the 2 least important characters in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" take center stage and the tale of the Danish Prince is shoved to the background. In "The Lion King 1 1/2," the presenting of the baby Simba is literally stumbled upon by Timon and Pumba, and they have no idea what's going on and shrug off the big crowds and commotion as a total irritant. It's basically one joke throughout the whole movie, so it's lucky for them that it's a very funny one.
I agree with other reviewers that the ad-libbing by the two lead voice-actors was a bit distracting, and some of the songs weren't entirely necessary, especially the meerkat song, which is catchy anyway. But the story itself is very smart, and the animation has the nuanced coloration and detail of the original film, not the technicolor overkill of "Simba's Pride" and the terrible "Timon and Pumba" Saturday morning series.
In addition, the DVD itself is chock full of excellent extras, including a few music videos and an AWESOME "Virtual Safari" that entertained us for hours. And the Mickey Hunt game is tons of fun as well.
In conclusion, though it's not a masterful effort like the original was, it's probably one of the better, if not the best, straight-to-video sequel Disney has ever produced.
Movie Review: Answering the questions you didn't ask.
Summary: 1 Stars
First of all let me say I love the first Lion King. Its probably my second favorite animated movie after Finding Nemo. That being said I hated this movie. The first Lion King is mostly appropiate for children but has a mature storyline adults can enjoy. The Lion King 1 1/2 is just for kids. Anyone over the age of puberty will find something seriously wrong with this movie. I was also dissipointed with The Lion King 2 Simbas Pride. But at least the movie was decent. At least they tried to make it good. Its like the makers of The Lion King 1 1/2 were trying to make a bad movie. It is the first movie told from the point of view of Timon and Pumba. It tells there story. Is there anyone who cared about there story? Anyone who wondered what they were doing? Not me. I never was at any loss not knowing where they were. Whats next a remake of Tarzan from Terks point of view. It could have been decent if it was done right. It is done horribly. Its really just taking classic moments and loading them with unfunny jokes. It shows that Timon and Pumba were there in all scene of the first Lion King offscreen. Most of these scenes they really don't belong. For example in Simbas birth sequence Pumba farts causing the animals to bow down. Thats right they weren't bowing out of respect for there king is was just farts. Then they walk one day later to the "Can't wait to be king song" that makes no sense. Several dramatic sequences like the "Be Prepared", wildbeast stampeed, "can you feel the love tonight", Simbas fight, all are completly ruined by Timon and Pumba. They don't belong there. It also has annoying silowets of them constant stoping the movie. Movies this bad in a way help you appreciate the greatness of the original masterpeice. My advice to Disney is to stop those darn direct to video sequels. Just leave the classics alone.