Although I consider myself quite a big Disney fan, I usually skip the sequels - mostly because they seem awful from the trailers. Because I felt like watching a new Disney film, I said what the heck, and saw LK2, knowing they couldn't go too wrong in a sequel to their biggest hit. I'm a afraid I was proved wrong. I admit my expectations were low to begin with, but this movie sucks on so many levels.
I have yet to see a sequel with SO many references to the original. Any character mannerism you can think of in the LK is here (including Pumbaa's flatulence jokes). It's OK if it's done subtly and in crucial points of the story, but it's there every two minutes and it's so tacky. I lost count of how many times someone hung off a cliff in this movie.
The story is a rehash of TLK, only instead of hyenas you get the outlanders - a pack of lions and lionesses exiled from Pride Rock and led by Zera, the female version of Scar. There is an abundance of cringe-worthy moments, mostly thanks to the "brilliant" script (one such moment has Simba survive an attack by the outlanders and upon returning to Pride Rock, murmurs to his minions "Kovu... Ambush..." and bang, he passes out. It was worth it, I admit, I laughed out loud.
Songs - usually they're the highlight in a Disney movie, not here. Whoever wrote the lyrics should be sued. "Upendi"? "Not One of Us"? I'm sorry, the Disney Channel's chicks offer better music than this. And that's saying a lot.
Animation - as in most Disney sequels, the animation is Saturday-morning cartoon style, leaning heavily on cheap computer graphics that give it a sterile and stagnant look. No trace of the earthy, organic visuals of the 1994 classic. The characters, as you've probably concluded, look off model most of the time and move awkwardly.
Disney should pay respect to their classics and avoid a sequel if it's not going to receive a normal treatment.
I have yet to see a sequel with SO many references to the original. Any character mannerism you can think of in the LK is here (including Pumbaa's flatulence jokes). It's OK if it's done subtly and in crucial points of the story, but it's there every two minutes and it's so tacky. I lost count of how many times someone hung off a cliff in this movie.
The story is a rehash of TLK, only instead of hyenas you get the outlanders - a pack of lions and lionesses exiled from Pride Rock and led by Zera, the female version of Scar. There is an abundance of cringe-worthy moments, mostly thanks to the "brilliant" script (one such moment has Simba survive an attack by the outlanders and upon returning to Pride Rock, murmurs to his minions "Kovu... Ambush..." and bang, he passes out. It was worth it, I admit, I laughed out loud.
Songs - usually they're the highlight in a Disney movie, not here. Whoever wrote the lyrics should be sued. "Upendi"? "Not One of Us"? I'm sorry, the Disney Channel's chicks offer better music than this. And that's saying a lot.
Animation - as in most Disney sequels, the animation is Saturday-morning cartoon style, leaning heavily on cheap computer graphics that give it a sterile and stagnant look. No trace of the earthy, organic visuals of the 1994 classic. The characters, as you've probably concluded, look off model most of the time and move awkwardly.
Disney should pay respect to their classics and avoid a sequel if it's not going to receive a normal treatment.