The Lion King II: Simba's Pride 2 ½ (1999) VHS

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride 2 ½ (later retitled The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride 2 ½) is a 1998 American animated direct-to-video romantic musical film and a sequel to Disney's 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King 1 1½ . The story takes place in a kingdom of lions in Africa and was influenced by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. According to co-director Darrell Rooney, the final draft gradually became a variation of Romeo and Juliet.

Produced by Walt Disney Video Premiere and Walt Disney Animation Australia and released on October 27, 1998, the film centers on Simba and Nala's daughter Kiara, who falls in love with Kovu, a male rogue lion from a banished pride that was once loyal to Simba's evil uncle, Scar. Separated by Simba's prejudice against the banished pride and a vindictive plot planned by Kovu's mother Zira, Kiara and Kovu struggle to unite their estranged prides and be together.

Most of the original cast returned to their roles from the first film, apart from Rowan Atkinson, who was replaced by Edward Hibbert as the voice of Zazu for this film and its prequel/sequel, The Lion King 1½, Madge Sinclair who was replaced by Vanessa RedGrave as the voice of Sarabi after her death in 1995, and Jeremy Irons, who was briefly replaced by Jim Cummings as the voice of Scar.

Plot
The film opens a few months after the events of the first film, In the Pride Lands of Africa, King Simba and Queen Nala's newborn daughter, Kiara, is presented to the assembled animals by Rafiki, a baboon who serves as shaman and advisor. Simba's father Mufasa proudly watches over the ceremony from the Heavens above. Later that day, Rafiki draws Kiara’s image on his tree. Mufasa’s spirit visits him and tells hI’m about the birth of the son of Simba’s sworn enemy Zira, who lives in the Outlands, a termite-infested wasteland with her band of lionesses.

Meanwhile, the lionesses loyal to Scar celebrate the birth of Zira’s cub Kovu. Zira looks at the cub and longs for their return to the Pride Lands after Kovu comes of age. Zira’s other two children, Nuka and Vitani and her new henchmen Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed also join in the celebration, but Nuka becomes jealous of Kovu as he desires to be Scar’s heir. Kiara becomes annoyed with her father's overprotective parenting. Simba assigns Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and warthog, to follow her. After entering the forbidden "Outlands," Kiara meets a young cub, Kovu, and they escape from crocodiles while befriending each other. When Kovu retaliates to Kiara's playing, Simba confronts the young cub just as he is confronted by Zira, Kovu's mother and the Outsiders' especially the Hyenas leader. Zira reminds Simba of how he exiled her and the other Outsiders, and she reveals that she selected Kovu to be the successor of Simba's uncle, Scar.

After returning to the Pride Lands, Nala and the rest of the pride head back to Pride Rock while Simba lectures Kiara about the danger posed by the Outsiders and the hyenas. He then tells her that they are a part of each other. In the Outlands, Zira reminds Kovu that Simba killed Scar and exiled the lions who respect him. Kovu explains that he does not think it is so bad to have Kiara as a friend, but Zira realizes she can use Kovu's friendship with Kiara to seek revenge on Simba.

Several years later, Kiara, now a young adult, begins her first solo hunt. Simba has Timon and Pumbaa follow her in secret, causing her to hunt away from the Pride Lands. As part of Zira's plan, Kovu's siblings Nuka and Vitani trap Kiara in a fire, allowing Kovu to rescue her. Simba is forced to accept Kovu's place since he rescued Kiara. Later that night, Simba has a nightmare about attempting to save Mufasa from falling into the wildebeest stampede but is stopped by Scar who then morphs into Kovu and sends Simba to his death.

Kovu contemplates attacking Simba as he was instructed to, but he teaches Kiara how to hunt instead and eventually realizes his feelings for her. Later, Kiara and Kovu stargaze where they talk about the Great Kings of the Past and Kovu wonders if there is a darkness in him like there was in Scar. Simba watches the two from afar and Nala convinces him to give Kovu a chance. Kovu attempts to reveal his mission to Kiara, but Rafiki interrupts and leads them to the jungle, where he introduces them to "upendi" (an erroneous form of upendo, which means "love" in Swahili). The two lions fall in love. That night, Simba allows Kovu to sleep inside Pride Rock with the rest of the pride, but Vitani tells Zira about Kovu's failure to kill Simba. Zira sets a trap for her son and Simba.

The next day, Kovu once again tries to reveal his mission to Kiara, but Simba takes him around the Pride Lands and tells him Scar's story. The Outsiders and the Hyenas then attack Simba, resulting in Nuka's death and Simba's escape but is badly injured. Meanwhile, Nala, Sarabi, Kiara, Timon and Pumbaa find an injured Simba and take him back to Pride Rock .Enraged, Zira scratches Kovu for his brother's death, causing him to turn on her. Zazu brings in the animals to Pride Rock as Simba prepares to pronounce judgement on Kovu. Suddenly Kovu returns to Pride Rock to plead Simba for his forgiveness but is exiled. Kiara makes Simba realize that he is acting irrationally, and flees to find Kovu while Mufasa glares at Simba for banishing Kovu from the Pride Lands without letting him explain his side of the story. The two lions later find each other and profess their love. Meanwhile Zira the Hyenas, and the Outsiders head to the gorge to face Simba. Zazu alerts Simba of the impending attack and make it to the gorge to face the Outsiders and the Hyenas. By realizing that they must reunite the two prides, Kiara and Kovu return to the Pride Lands and convince them to stop fighting. When Zira attempts to kill Simba, Kiara intervenes and Zira falls to her death as the hyenas run far away never to be seen again.

With his enemy's gone, Simba accepts the Outsiders back into the Pride Lands, and appoints Kovu and Kiara as his successors.

Voice cast

 * Matthew Broderick as Simba,
 * Cam Clarke as Simba Singing
 * Neve Campbell as Kiara,
 * Liz Callaway as Adult Kiara's Singing
 * Michelle Horn voiced Young Kiara,
 * Charity Sanoy as Young Kiara Singing
 * Jason Marsden as Kovu,
 * .Gene Miller as Kovu's Singing.
 * Ryan O'Donohue as Young Kovu.
 * Suzanne Pleshette as Zira,
 * Moira Kelly as Nala,
 * Nathan Lane as Timon,
 * Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa,
 * Robert Guillaume as Rafiki,
 * Edward Hibbert as Zazu,
 * Andy Dick as Nuka,
 * Meredith Scott Lynn as Vitani, Vitani.
 * Lacey Chabert as Young Vitani
 * Crysta Macalush as Young Vitani Singing.
 * James Earl Jones as Mufasa,
 * Jim Cummings as Scar,
 * Frank Welker as Crocodiles/Birds,