The Lion King 1 1/2 aka The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata (2004)

The Lion King 1 1/2 aka The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata (Dir: Bradley Raymond, 2004).

The third and final feature in Disney’s original Lion King trilogy; burdened with the clunky and less witty title The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata internationally. 

Just as Tom Stoppard’s 1966 play Rosencrantz and Guidenstern Are Dead retold William Shakespeare’s Hamlet from the perspective of the comic supporting characters, so too The Lion King 1 1/2 relates the Hamlet inspired The Lion King (Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff, 1994) from the point of view of co-stars Timon and Pumbaa. A neat framing device of Timon and Pumbaa watching and commenting on the original movie introduces the fairly novel conceit and also provides us with their hitherto untold backstories.

Amazingly, this device works beautifully. Director Bradley Raymond interweaves scenes from the original movie with those of his own almost seamlessly. To achieve this, the standard of animation is of a markedly higher quality than one has come to expect from previous, modestly budgeted DisneyToon Studio sequels to Walt Disney Animation Studios features.  Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella return as the voices of Timon and Pumbaa, respectively, as do most of the original cast. Original composers Tim Rice and Elton John also return with the new tune Meerkat Rhapsody. Tom Rogers screenplay is witty and fast-paced, with the story not seeming as over-familiar as it might. Overall, its concept is excellently executed and does not feel overly gimmicky.

Not particularly a fan of the Disney brand of straight-to-video sequels, The Lion King 1 1/2 came as a pleasant surprise. It is a vast improvement on the good-looking but dull Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Darrell Rooney) and is one of the few Disney sequels which does not does not disgrace the original. While much of DisneyToon Studios' product is aimed squarely at the youngest of audience members, Lion King fans of all ages should enjoy this movie. I would definitely recommend watching the original The Lion King first, but this follow-up holds its own against that movie. While The Lion King 1 1/2 is not as essential as its classic forebearer, it is a lot of fun; a clever and good looking addition to the previously tired franchise and easily the best of Disney's much maligned series of sequels.