Genres

Visitors Review

Ryan 2013-05-24 00:57:34

"And I thought beans were the only musical food!"

If The Lion King is a serious story about a young lion growing up toavenge his father's death, The Lion King 1 and a half is the totalopposite, full of whimsy and cheer. The Lion King told the story fromthe side of Simba the young lion, 1 and a half is from the view ofTimone and Pumbaa, a less than perfect duo made up of a meercat wholeft home because he could not dig tunnels without burying his friendsand neighbors and a warthog who has an odor issue. The movie is alittle short on substance, but Disney does a good job of filling timewith various sketches starring Timone and Pumbaa as they "watch" themovie with us. My favorite is the sing-along that happens halfwaythrough the movie, make sure you watch the bouncing bug! Disney hasadvertised 1 and a half as "the rest of the story," though it reallyisn't. It is just a different perspective of The Lion King, without allof the serious stuff that pervaded most of the second half of theoriginal Disney classic. Credit Nathan Lane as Timone and Ernie Sabellaas Pumbaa for their voice work, without their efforts, the movie maynot have worked. The sing, they entertain, and they make us laugh. Theyalso give us a reason to avoid a hot tub with a warthog.

renato_gandamaluko 2013-05-23 12:18:48

The funniest Lion King movie

The firsts Lion King was great, a masterpiece, an animation classic.The second was, for me, a car crash with a lot of victims and bloodwhen it comes to animation.But this one is the funniest of them all. It tells the same story asthe Lion King, but from Timon's and Pumba's point of view, which ishilarious. We can now see how the two legends met, and their adventuresbefore meeting Simba.It's not as good as the first, it's not a great movie, but it'sentertainer, funny and original. If you love Timon and Pumba, you'regonna LOVE this movie. See it.

jvfunn1 2013-05-23 13:14:14

One of the best sequels ever!

I think Lion King 1 1/2 is one of the best sequels ever as if not thebest out of the three Lion King movies! In the movie Timon and Pumbaatell us where they came from and having trouble fitting in with otherssuch as Timon having trouble digging tunnels with other Meercats! Timonand Pumbaa journey off into finding their dream place and find it andsoon find it and also Simba who they raise but soon they must choosebetween their dream place or helping Simba face his evil Uncle Scar andproclaim his right as the Lion King of Pride Rock! Filled withwonderful new characters like Timon's Ma(Julie Kavner) and Uncle Max(Jerry Stiller). I think my favorite character was Uncle Max because hewas very funney and was voiced by a funney comedian Jerry Stiller thefather of Ben Stiller. Disney was smart to cast Stiller in that role!Filled with wonderful characters, animation, and story and music LionKing 1 1/2 is in my opinion the best of any sequel and better thanSimba's Pride even though I will admit I really did like that one too!Lion King 1 1/2 is a great Disney sequel the whole family can enjoy!It's got a good story and is very funney! 10 out of 10!

didonatope 2013-05-23 04:27:19

Truly Tasteless

Overall, Lion King 1 1/2 is a sadistic experiment in throwing popculture and toilet humor into the original classic. However, it couldhave been good. It does bring a few good ideas to the table. Timon'sback story isn't executed too poorly, and the idea of giving Timon andPumbaa a back story was a great idea. However, the execution of theplot was horrendous, as it can never make up its mind; is it a parodyof the first film or a serious back story? There are also numerouscontinuity errors between this and the original Lion King. For example,in the original Lion King Rafiki tells Timon and Pumbaa that Simba haswent to fight Scar, but here, it is Nala. Why did they do this? Simple;in this film Rafiki serves as Timon's guardian angel, a plot elementthrown in to make this film a cheezier midquel (Kudos on the honesttitle by the way, this is not a Lion King 3 and I'm sick of midquelsand prequels being paraded as sequels). Classic scenes from theoriginal such as the sunrise, the animals bowing to baby Simba, the "BePrepared" musical number, the stampede that KILLED MUFASSA, and justabout every serious moment are ruined by Timon and Pumbaa's unfunnycommentary and fart jokes including cutting to QVC footage, Pumbaabreaking wind numerous times, and literally pausing the movie to parodyMystery Science Theater (disrespecting fans of that show as well). Ifyou respect the original, I suggest not only avoiding this film, butthrowing any copied of this film in the nearest blender you can findASAP. This movie may not be a complete disaster because of its decentexecution of the story it is telling by itself, but the way itliterally pastes jokes on the original film to pander to the littlekiddies is a disgrace. A disgrace to everyone who loved the original,everyone who worked on the original, and a disgrace to people who valuefilm as an art-form in general. From a moral perspective, it is perhapsthe most tasteless, disgusting, and sickening heap of trash everdesigned by the utterly worthless Disney Toon Studios.

crowrobot 2013-05-21 15:48:39

Huh. See, I was expecting it to be WORSE....

What a pleasant surprise: A Disney DTV (Direct to Video) sequel that'sactually GOOD. "The Lion King 1 1/2" is a comedy affair that involveseveryone's favorite meerkat and warthog, Timon and Pumbaa. It startsout with them watching the original movie and making comments, untilTimon complains that "we're not here yet". After fighting over theremote, Timon and Pumbaa decide to tell the audience "their story".They start the new movie, and the laughs begin.To be honest, I was losing hope in Disney. Most of theirdirect-to-video fare has been aggressively awful, with the story linesdesperate to cash in on the original. "1 1/2" decides to try somethingdifferent: It tells the original story from a new point of view. Okay,it adds some stuff, like where Timon came from and how he and Pumbaamet, but it's an interesting concept. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabellaperfectly recapture the bond and friendship that made us love them inthe first movie. There's also some neat movie parodies (including onescene that simultaneously spoofs 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' and'Cool Hand Luke), and the script is filled with funny memorable lines.Added to the cast are Julie Kavner ("The Simpsons") as Timon'sworry-wart mom, and Jerry Stiller as Timon's slightly crazy Uncle Max.Matthew Broderick shows up as Simba, and his "teen" scene reminded meof Ferris Bueller. Everyone does well, especially Robert Guillame (isthat how you spell it?) as Rafiki, who exudes more and more Yoda-speakin this movie (Timon comments on this several times).'The Lion King 1 1/2' is a perfect alternate choice for those of yougetting tired of the Shrekification of animation. 10/10

undercover_dancer 2013-05-21 00:11:57

This is NOT the godfather part 3...

Yes, it is build on "The Lion King", but the original movie was amasterpiece, so why shouldn't it?If your children loved "The Lion King" make sure *NEVER* to put themanywhere near "The Lion King 2", and bring them this movieinstead.And with vocal talent of Nathan Lane, Julie Kavner and Ernie Sabella tonamefew, it is a great cast and movie.People, I rather see this movie 10 times then watching some of Disney's"not-so-great" movies (and the list there is L----ong)!I suggest to everyone to see "The Lion King", and a day after see thismovie. It's the real sequal to the movie.If combined with the original, it is getting a 8/10!

SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain 2013-05-18 17:45:37

The Lion King 1½ (2004)

Well they tried something different, but it will probably fail toimpress fans of The Lion King. Placing Timon and Pumbaa into earlierevents and adding plot points later, just tarnishes the original andeven contradicts it. It just seemed like a lot of, sometimes inventive,excuses to make a few cheap jokes. At least they managed to get backthe majority of the original voice cast, but to imagine Pumbaa's fartcaused the bowing at the beginning of the original is actually kind ofannoying. By the end it is obvious that the makers were favoringparody, but these two work best as co-stars, and comic relief, ratherthan the heroes of the movie.

Morgan52 2013-05-18 01:28:11

Disney's best sequel yet.

This move is absolutely awesome. As someone who is very tired of Disney'scynical grabs into our wallets by convincing our kids we need to rush outtobuy the lame boring sequel of every 'Classic', I didn't expect much whenwebought this. I even groaned watching the previews seeing that "Mulan II"iscoming out. Whoopie, I thought as my daughter jumped for joy, andBlockbuster quiety did as well a few miles away. But what a surprise LionKing 1 1/2 was.We watched this last night and I have never laughed so hard watching acartoon. It takes a unique slant on the story, it follows the origins ofTimon and Pumba, which you know by now from the advertising, but it doessowhile cutting in and out of the original Lion King story line, and alwaysinfunny ways. I won't ruin any surprises, but there will often be a sceneyourecall from the original movie, and then see it was really caused by Timonand Pumba's background antics, not some Shakespearean plotline.Even the music is kind of a parody. The first song "Dig a Tunnel" soundslike Circle of Life and even has the same gospel-like sound to it, but ishilarious. And you probably never would imagine Can You Feel the LoveTonight and the theme from Peter Gunn cross-firing, but it's anotherside-splitter.We haven't even looked at the DVD extras yet, but the movie alone is worthit. I like this even more than the original movie, or Lion King II, whichwas pretty good. Our kids from ages 4 to 11 all loved it, even if a lot ofthe jokes are over the younger heads. If you enjoy Disney's funnycartoons,you are guaranteed to love this.

tulsahcus 2013-05-17 12:47:10

All in all, a good story.

The Lion King 1 1/2 is a very cute story to go along with The Lion King.Itbasically follows the original story of The Lion King but with a couple oftwists. In the movie,e vents are explained by a different characters pointof view. This story is still an original plot.As far as sequels go, Disney isn't all that great at making worthwhileones.This one, being the third part to The Lion King (Simba's Pride is thesecond.) actually has an original idea to it while still involving the funof the first. Timon and Pumbaa travel along looking for the ideal place tolive. After searching far and wide, they find the place of "HakunaMatata".They then meet a small lion named Simba, and go through many things thatparents today go through.I think this is a very good movie, and I'm happy to add it to mycollection.

BenChen 2013-05-17 01:03:23

Anyone remember Guildenstern and Rosencrantz?

If the Lion King was a Disney version of Hamlet, then the Lion King 3:Hakuna Matata is a Disney version of Guildenstern and Rosencrantz areDead. Just like Tom Stoppard's beguiling film, we get to view theaction from the point of view of two of the minor characters from theoriginal: Timon, the meerkat with a penchant for breaking into song atthe drop of a hat, and Pumbaa, the warthog with flatulence issues. Byfollowing their story - rather than Simba's - we get to see why all theanimals bowed down as Simba was presented from Pride Rock. We find outwhat made Timon and Pumbaa decide to follow Simba back to Pride Rock tooust Scar. And we find out how they dealt with the hyena's once and forall. Nathan Lane as Timon gets most of the best jokes, but he is ablysupported by Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa. It is also good to hear MatthewBroderick and Whoopi Goldberg reprising their roles. Julie Kavner andJerry Stiller lend their distinctive voices to two new characters:Timon's mother and uncle. The only downside is the constantstop-start-rewind-fast-forward device which doesn't always help toprogress the story. Having said that, there is a brilliant zoom nearthe beginning of the movie. With more laughs than any otherthird-in-a-Disney-series movie, Hakuna Matata is worth watching - ifonly for the hot tub scene which is still funny despite being a littlebit predictable.

Frequency270 2013-05-15 17:12:12

Dig-a tunnel, dig-dig-a tunnel...

Lion King 1 1/2 is a very fun and addictive sequel. Don't expect theproduction values of a theatrical release, but do expect the highestquality of direct to video release.It is set up as Timon & Pumba begin watching the original Lion King ina darkened theater and abruptly switch tracks and begin narrating theirown story. This is done with frequent comedic interruptions. Forexample, during one particular tense moment a home shopping commercialpops on and a chagrined Pumba realizes he has sat on the remote. Theselittle moments pepper the movie, and whether you find them entertainingor not will greatly depend on your sense of humor. If you areparticularly bothered by movies that deliberately remind the viewer iswatching a movie, than this may not be your cup of tea.Animation is the best they've invested in the Disney DTV line, and isintegrated almost seamlessly with the original material. The newer,independent material uses a lot of the artistic style of the original.The voice talents are all well performed, though I couldn't helpthinking of Marge Simpson every time I heard Julie Kavner.Many of the jokes in the movie will be well recognized by viewers asrecycled over the generations, but are presented more with thefamiliarity of comfortable quirks of old friends than annoyinglyrepetitive.The music has made me realize how much I enjoyed and miss a goodmusical integrated with a Disney feature. The toe-tapping openingfeature of 'Dig A Tunnel' is well choreographed and hilarious. Timonand Pumba's take on the Lion King's opening sequence and theirintroduction to paradise are also amusing. The only problem was thereprise of the 'Dig A Tunnel' at the end of the movie, switching itslyrics and tune from defeatist to uplifting.Story line is pretty well done, and the integration of new plotelements is done almost perfectly, though the final bit during thehyena chased stretched the storyline credibility a little. The newstory doesn't seem to handle saccharine or emotionally charged momentsto well, and does better when it is resorting to full comedy. Overall, worth purchasing. If you like all the bonus features that comewith a typical 2-disc set, then go for it. For the penny pincher whostill is willing to invest on a good flick, wait until it drops four ormore dollars and go rent it right away. Damion Crowley.

TheLittleSongbird 2013-05-15 06:50:32

Fun, cute and entertaining, not perfect, but not absolutely awful either

I am 18, and I absolutely adore the first Lion King film. It isgorgeously animated, has terrific music, likable characters and makesme laugh and cry, in short, like Beauty and the Beast and Snow Whiteand the Seven Dwarfs The Lion King is an animated masterpiece. Judgingby the fact that I liked Simbas's Pride, not loved, just liked, Iwatched The Lion King 1.5. It is not a bad sequel at all, like Simbas'sPride it is not as good as the original, but I think like the second itis one of the better sequels. It does have its problems, it is tooshort(then again this is a problem most of the sequels have), some ofthe story, the Lion King but in Timon and Pumbaa's perspective ispredictable but it is a great concept and there are a few parts such asthe ending that felt a tad rushed. However, it is vibrantly animated,the music is very good, there are some surprisingly funny jokes and thevoice acting is very well done. Overall, a fun, cute and entertaining,if inferior, sequel. 7/10 Bethany Cox

jaemiewaters 2013-05-11 02:33:41

great movie amazing

it is a great movie amazing i like this movie a lot make this movienumber 2 of all the lion kings because the first lion king is number 1but this is still a really good movie i like this movie a lot i neversaw a movie this good before i like this movie so much i never saw aDisney movie this good before i like this a lot and so will you it isone funny movie it is a hoot it is the bomb i never saw a movie thisgood before this is one good movie that the whole family to enjoy ilike this movie a lot this movie so much this is one cool movie thismovie is the bomb the worse lion king is the second one it was horriblebut this one s great i like this movie a lot this is one cool movie inever saw a movie this goofed before this is one good movie this is agreat movie i like this more than any movie this i one cool movie ilike this movie so so much this is one cool movie

malkane316 2013-05-10 11:25:24

Quick Reviews!!

7 if you're a kid- 6 if you claim to be an adult. This semi-sequel tothe Lion King sees to spin off side characters Timone and Pumba,retelling the original story through their eyes, including the story ofhow they met. In the grand tradition of Disney, inferior sequels aremade, and occasionally TV series featuring the adventures of minorcharacters from their biggest hits. You can be as sceptical as you wantabout this, but kids and fans of the series will likely not care; theirare enough jokes and songs and interesting things to ensure that thisis one of the few above average sequels. This works because of thecharm of the much-loved central characters, the quick pace, thein-jokes involving the first film, and for older viewers there are somefunny gags. The animation is as good as ever, if a little lessflamboyant than the original, but the plot here is all about taking iteasy, Hakuna Matata.Timone and Pumba decide to watch the events of the first film,frequently stopping mid-film to joke about parts of it, like a realaudience. We see how Timone is a near outcast, he feels he does not fitin and decides to go looking beyond what he sees to find his idealhome. On the way he meets Pumba, another outcast and they becomefriends. Soon they meet Simba, a Lion cub, natural predator of T and P,but they form a trio. However, when Simba realises he must follow hisown destiny and leave the group, it is up to the others to decidewhether to help or not, and how. Of course the usual Disney elementsand themes are here, friendship, good versus evil etc. The plot issimple but works on many levels, making it smarter than your averageanimated movie. As the CG movies appear, Disney's traditional form mustbecome smarter, but not forget the roots which made them popular. ToyStory and all that have come since have been clever, with jokes to suitall ages, and it seems this is the way the market is shifting. However,there will always be a place for films like this, and you cannot gowrong buying this for the youngsters.7 out of 10

Marie Mikolay 2013-05-10 17:37:07

Loved it

Wow..... that's all I can really say.My friend recommended this movie to me, which was the only reason I evenrented it. I did like the other TLK movie before this one, so I thought itwould be pretty funny anyways. And I wasn't let down one bit. I justthoughtit was great.Now, the reason I gave it 9 was because it was a bit... uh, stupid atparts.But only a VERY little bit. One example was the way Timon and Pumbaabecomefriends (and I mean, become friends, not meet). I think their friendshipgrew without any signs of it, or dramatic movement by each one of them. Ithink that they acted the same way towards each other throughout the wholemovie.One other thing that I didn't like about the movie was how Timon was anoutcast. It reminded me a little bit too much like 'A Bug's Life.' Andalso,the movie was based on an episode of the show 'Timon & Pumbaa' entitled'Once Upon a Timon.'There were alot of cute and funny moments in this movie, otherwise. And itwas kinda funny how they would stop it at random parts and let Timon andPumbaa comment on it.This was a really great movie, and I would definitely recommend it to anyLion King fan.

Nolan Price 2013-05-09 23:04:51

A great family evening!!

One of the best movies for all ages. You will never be able to look atLIONKING again without thinking of the extra history this movieadds.Nearly 40 years old, I watched this with my wife and two sons after worktonight & I have not laughed & enjoyed a movie so much in a long time.Take time out and watch this with the kids. It will remind you of howDisneyused to be when you were a young one.

Allen 2013-05-07 06:48:34

Movie is OK, bonus material great

The movie setting is like Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Timon and Pumbacommentate on the movie. The movie begins with Timon's background. Themovie re-lives The Lion King from a different perspective. The bonusfeature (Disc 2) is much better. The game Who Wants to be King of theJungle is the best trivia game I've played on DVD.

Cartoon King 2013-05-07 02:40:25

Though it does ruin some of the best moments of the first film, it is a very fun comedy movie.

"The Lion King 1½" is basically Timon and Pumbaa showing us what theywere doing when the parts of "The Lion King" that they weren't in weregoing on. It tells us a lot of Timon's back-story, and we even get tosee his family.Unlike it's predecessors which contained a lot of dramatic scenes, thismovie is a 100% comedy film. And it does a good job, this movie has agood sense of humor, and Timon and Pumbaa are back to their old funnyselves (they weren't all that funny in the 2nd film). The animation isnicely done too. Also we have Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson) voicingTimon's mom, which is really cool.But there are some things that I have to criticize. And the main thingis that this movie ruins some of the best moments of the first film.For example "The Circle of Life" scene. Having it where Pumbaa fartsand that's why all the animals kneel down, while it is funny, itcompletely kills one of the best scenes in the "The Lion King". Andthere are much more of those scenes than the one I just mentioned. "The Lion King 1½" is a fun comedy film, and it's certainly one of thebetter direct-to-video sequels. But it does ruin some of the classicmoments, and it's really not a masterpiece. Overall, I recommend it,but it does have flaws.Rating: 6/10 "Decent"

snoopydrea 2013-05-04 02:53:42

Nice film.

This movie was highly anticipated by myself and my son. Turns out it isreally good. The story follow Timon and Pumba through the same time lineas"The Lion King".You see the reasoning behind some of the events in "The Lion King". Itwasa very, cute and kid/family friendly movie. It was great that they hadthesame voices back.I recommend this highly. Enjoy!

moviefan69 2013-05-03 21:32:31

Another gem in the Lion King crown

The Lion King series is easily the crowning achievement in Disney animation.The original Lion King is the greatest masterpiece in cel animation. LionKing II:Simba's Pride is the BY FAR the best direct-to-video sequel thatDisney, or any other studio, has made for an animated feature. It deserved atheatrical release. The same can be said for this movie. It has the originalcast, songs by Elton John, a hilarious story, exciting action, and touchingcharacter moments. Everything you've come to expect from this series. Not somuch a new story, but filler and extended background on Timon and Pumbaa,and their place in this story. What impressed me the most, was the caretaken in the animation. All to often, Disney shorts on the animation qualityof their video and television efforts. But here, they seamlessly blend newanimation with footage from the original film. The scenes never seem out ofplace. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella are in full swing as Timon and Pumbaa.Matthew Broderick, Robert Guillame, and Moira Kelly reprise their roles asSimba, Rafiki, and Nala, respectively. We even get a return visit by WhoopiGoldberg and Cheech Marin as the hyenas.There are MANY big laughs in thismovie. So if you love Lion King, you need this movie. The story is just notcomplete without it.