Rating: Summary: Very Good Review: I thought the movie itself was good. Timon and Pumbaa tell the story of the lion king from their point of view. You can see how they met, what happened in timon's family, and other stuff before the story started. It even shows what happened afterwards. The DVD has a lot of cool features, like Who Wants to be King of the Jungle? Same thing as Who Wants to be a Millionaire? but you answer the questions. There are the lifelines and everything. Overall, this was not bad.
Rating: Summary: I thought this movie was terrible Review: The movie takes place in a movie theater where Timone and pumba are watching a moving apparently that they have recorded during the time before they raised Simba. Timone and Pumba watch the movie with the audiance. Later the film jumps to the part where they meet Simba and raised him. In the middle of some of the scenes, Pumba or Timone would stop the video which I thought was annoying and distracting. This movie stank because it was not about Simba, but more about Timone. For that reason, I was very disappointed. His character is very annoying and he's NOT strong enough or appealing enough to be a lead! I suspect that the guy that did Timone's voice was the executive producer, because he was in every scene. The story was so weak that I cannot write about it or describe it. What was the point of this movie? It displayed scence from the original movie--which I loved--but it did not offer me anything except a little bit of backgroun on Timone. At the very least, Disney could have given us a little background about pumba, or give us a little more on Simba, Kiara or even Zira for that matter! I cannot believe I spent $19.00 on this DVD. I give it one start for some of the music.
Rating: Summary: No, no, no. Review: This is the last disney "cheapquels" I will ever buy. The problem with this movie isn't the animation. The animation is "OK," I guess, but more of the low quality animation associated with TV, than with feature films. The problem here is that the story is simply boring. It's meant to be a comic take on The Lion King, as told from the perspective of Timon and Pumba, but really, the plot is thin, the characters are shallow and didn't capture my attention in the least. Sadly, the film--probably to save money--is inter-cut with actual scenes from the original Lion King. The gualing part about this is that it reminded me how well-crafted and interesting the original film was. Also, how good the original animation and story were compared to this crap! Yes, the concept "seems" funny. And the cover art looks well done. If only the folks at Disney had spent more time on the actual film, particularly in character and story development. If you want to be bored for 70 minutes, buy this film now. Otherwise, save your money.
Rating: Summary: Another gem in the Lion King crown Review: First off, the original Lion King is still the greatest animated movie ever made. And I mean that in terms of ALL animation. Cel and computer. The Lion King II:Simba's Pride is the greatest direct-to-video sequel that Disney, or any other studio, has made for an animated feature. It deserved a theatrical release, as does this new movie. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella are in full-on hilarious mode as Timon and Pumbaa. This isn't so much a new story as it's filler on the original movie, told from these two characters point of view. We also get returning voice cast members Matthew Broderick, Robert Guillame, Moira Kelly, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cheech Marin. There are TONS of big laughs in this movie. But not only that, there are new songs by Elton John, exciting action scenes, and touching character moments. Everything you expect from the Lion King. But what impressed me most was the quality of the animation. Too often, Disney shorts on the quality of their video and television features. Not here. Here new scenes are of such quality, that they seamlessly blend with scenes from the original movie. Way to go Disney!!! If you like Lion King, you simply MUST own this movie. Because the story is just not complete without it. Perfect for kids and adults!
Rating: Summary: Disney invents a scary new trend Review: Now, not only do we have sequels, we have half-sequels - retellings, essentially remakes, of classics. By all means go buy this movie, especially if you look forward to Nemo 1 1/2 from the dentist's perspective, Toy Story 1 1/2 from Barbie's perspective, etc. etc. etc. Thanks to the disappearance of Pixar from the Disney team, you can kick the tires all you want, they're still going to be retreads.
Rating: Summary: Decent; Amusing but Weird. Review: My main complaint with this movie is that it may ruin for many people the illusion that Timon & Pumbaa were friends long before the beginning of the original "Lion King" movie, and that they came up with "Hakuna Matata" themselves. Turns out, Timon left home to find a safer, more free place to live, and learned "Hakuna Matata" from Rafiki. He then met Pumbaa (whose past is hinted at, though not explored; Timon is more of the star), and the clever interweaving of Lion King 1 and Lion King 1.5 began. Basically, Timon and Pumbaa followed the original story but didn't know it until they met young Simba and lived with him in the jungle. Because in their quest to find a permanent residence, they continually meet up with the lions, hyenas, etc., in places like the Elephant Graveyard and the gorge where the stampede took place and killed Mufasa. Cute? Yes, but we're expected to believe that the only reason the animals bowed to Prince Simba was because Pumbaa was marching though them and emitting foul-smelling gas. Funny, yeah...but hopefully not true! The only really good "fart joke" in this movie is the bubbling of the jungle sauna; as soon as the warthog steps out, the bubbles cease, causing Simba and Timon to rush out, sickened. It's a subtle, funny joke. The hyenas are in this movie enough, but Zazu really isn't; he has a couple of phony baloney lines. The same is true in the Lion King 2; his great role in the first movie is truly his only shining moment. Which is sad! But anyway, the music in this movie is comme ci, comme ca....the meerkat "dig a tunnel" song is, however catchy, annoying and pretty unoriginal. Timon's little ditty about "That's all I need" has a couple of lines that actually show some creative songwriting, but on the whole, the things that really make this move entertaining for a couple of viewings are the Timon's family jokes, and the way the story moves through the events of the first from a different perspective. Sure, it's kind of like watching the first one over again. But if you liked the first one, you shouldn't mind seeing this at least once.
Rating: Summary: Not half as good as 1 Review: Some cute songs and lots of movie quotes to hold the adults, but the kids wandered away half way thru. Wait til it goes on sale.
Rating: Summary: Surprisingly touching and halarious! Review: I honestly didn't expect it to be this good. They honestly could've released this in theatres. It's all very well done. One thing...get through the first 15 minutes! The first 15 minutes you get the sinking feeling this isn't really going to be that good, but once things are set into place, things take off and start to click. There are some very funny moments for any age viewer and some touching moments you won't see coming, but they have to do with friendship. "Friends stick together 'til the end". :) Well done Disney. What a nice surprise.
Rating: Summary: RENT, DON'T BUY Review: What a waste of time and effort. Disney again hits a new low by regurgitaing one of its own "classics" to boost its DVD sales for the quarter, only this time it hypes a self-parody of "The Lion King" and diminishes it into a rolling mess of potty humor and weak plotlines. The premise, if there is one, is the retelling of the original story from the viewpoint of Timon and Pumbaa. It fails miserably. The continuity of the "story" is forceably broken at times by freezing the film and showing the silhouettes of Timon and Pumbaa in a movie theater (ala "Mystery Science Theater"), fighting over the remote control, picking noses, flipping mucous, and generally whining obnoxiously over who had the best scene. My own five-year-old daughter lost interest twenty minutes into the movie, calling it "stupid". Don't waste your money on this over-priced mess. Rent instead, and turn it in quickly.
Rating: Summary: Disney has done it again! Review: Many of us are aware of the fact that, the more they make of a movie series, the movies just seem to lack that special magic of the originals. Not this time! This movie, "The Lion King 1 1/2" is a perfect addition to what is now the Lion King Trilogy. Quite Frankly, this is the absolute funniest movie of all of the Lion King movies. The scene where Timon leaves home is one to remember. In this brand new movie, Disney meticulously shows us how Timon and his pal Pumbaa have actually have been involved in just about every aspect of the original Lion King movie, even if we didnt see them there........They were there....just beyond our vision. We also learn how Timon and Pumbaa first met. And, we learn that Timon and Pumbaa lent their "Parental talents" to the life of Simba, in ways that we never knew! Ever wonder what happened between the time we see Simba, Timon and Pumbaa walking across that log, when Simba switches from a young cub to a mature Lion? You dont have to wonder anymore, because this movie tells you what happened. This movie has some great surprises, and many, many laughs. Timon is a riot and Pumbaa is a..........gas. "Oops, sowwy". Well my comedic talents may be lacking, but Timon, Pumbaa and the rest of the Lion King gang will have you cracking up! Make no mistake...this isnt just another "Kid's movie". No, adults will get a kick out of this movie as well. This movie is a worthy addition to the other two Lion King movies and it is funnier than the first two. The story is great as well, and one of the bonus features includes the legendary Peter Graves saluting the unforgettable Timon! This is a two disc set packed with fun stuff. It even features a "Spot Mickey Mouse" game that will have you watching the movie again and again just to try and figure out where all the Mickey Mouse symbols are in the movie. You will watch this movie over and over again, and I am confident that it will always bring a smile to your face, for years to come. Enjoy the movie!
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