Two of The Lion King trilogy, The Lion King 1 ½ and The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride are now on Blu-ray. The two animated films include some good special bonus features and with the Blu-ray format the picture on my home entertainment center screen is sharper and the colors more vibrant.

The story of The Lion King 1 ½ mainly involves Pumbaa and Timon, the wild and crazy warthog and Meercat that were the first to come upon Simba when he got lost in The Lion King.  In this animated motion picture we find the two fun loving characters romping through the jungle way before The Lion King starts.  We find out where the two came from, how they met and how they helped save the savanna on the Serengeti.  It’s a hilarious tale and one the kids will easly understand.

In The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride we find Simba’s first child being born and introduced to the animals much like in The Lion King.  But, finding out Simba and Nala had a girl and named her Kiara, well that’s a new story to tell. In her first outing as a cub she wanders off and enters a forbidden area of Scar’s daughter where she meets Kova a male cub her age that’s destined to become king of his pride.  Being that Kova is an outcast from Simba’s pride, his clan quickly shuns Kiara and she has to be saved by her father.  The film shifts to grown up Kiara who wants to hunt on her own. After much trepidation, Simba allows her to run into the Serengeti where a new story begins about revenge, rivalry and retribution.

The two stories are great companion pieces to the original and my all time favorite The Lion King.  Hand drawn and completely upgraded to the HD format, the two Blu-rays are very vibrant, clear and show strikingly on digital television screens.

The Lion King 1 ½ has upgrades of some familiar bonus features that were originally on the DVD that was released in 2004 plus an additional extra:

• Timon & Pumbaa’s Vacation Safari
• Deleted Scenes
• Timon: Behind The Legend
• Grazing in the Grass music video starring Raven
• “Before the Beginning: The Making of Lion King 1 ½”.

The cast of The Lion King 1 ½ includes Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Ernie Sabella plus Julie Kavner and Jerry Stiller.

The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride’s bonus features include:

• Timon & Pumbaa’s Insectapedia
• One By One – an original animated short
• Timon & Pumbaa’s: Find Out Why
• Proud of Simba’s Pride
• “Love Will Find a Way” Music Video

The cast of The Lion King 2 includes: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Ernie Sabella, Neve Campbell, Jason Marsden, Andy Dick, Robert Guillaume, James Earl Jones and Moira Kelly.

The technical aspects and additional information include:

• RATING: Both films are rated G
• ASPECT RATIO: The Lion King 1 ½ – Blu-ray: 1.66: 1/1080p High Definition, DVD: 1.66:1/Widescreen. The Lion King 2 – Blu-ray: 1.78: 1/1080p High Definition, DVD: 1.78:1/Widescreen
• SOUND: Both films – Blu-ray: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish, 5.1 Dolby Digital, DVD: 5.1 Dolby Digital English, French and Spanish.
• LANGUAGES: Both films – English
• SUBTITLES: Both films – English SDH, French and Spanish
• Genres: Kids, Family, and Animated
• Running Times: The Lion King 1 ½ – 1 hr 16 min, The Lion King 2 – 1 hr 21 min
• Both are available in Blu-ray Combo Packs – sold separately and come with a Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download
• Street Date: March 6, 2012
• Distributed by: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

FINAL ANALYSIS: Great companion pieces to The Lion King. Feature: The Lion King 1 ½ Feature (B) Bonus Extras (B), The Lion King 2 feature (A) Bonus Extra’s (B).   

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