The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a direct to video movie released by the Walt Disney Company on October 27, 1998 as a sequel to The Lion King and was re-released as a Special Edition DVD on August 31, 2004.

It is the highest grossing direct-to-video animated feature release of all time, with tallies of US$286 million, as of August 2004.

Plot

In this movie Simba's daughter Kiara falls in love with Kovu who happens to be raised in the opposite pride, the outlands. Zira, Kuvo's adopted mother tries to murder Simba and Kiara. The tensions between Zira and Simba's pride grow until Kiara and Kuvo bring the prides of Simba and the outlands together in peace.

Based on the behavior of actual lion infanticide when prides are taken over, some more science-minded viewers presumed Nala had been one of Scar's cubs in the first movie. Although the movie makes no reference to this "real life" situation, some fans thought Kovu had originally been designed to be Scar's son, but that the idea was dismissed to avoid a possible suggestion of incestual dilemma, as it would mean that Kiara is Kovu's cousin.

The film, somehow, implies male chauvinism, on the fact that Kiara was under her father's complete control throughout the film. An example would be when Simba is about to exile Kovu from the Pridelands. Kiara tries her best to stop it, but Simba orders Kiara to be silenced.

Characters

• Simba - Kiara's father and Nala's mate.
• Princess Kiara - Simba and Nala's daughter and heir to the throne. She falls in love with Kovu.
• Nala - Kiara's mother.
• Zira - Scar's mate who takes over the outlands after his death and mother of Kovu. She wants to revenge the deather of Scar against Simba and his pride.
• Kovu - A lion of the outlands. He was chosen by Scar to become king of the Pridelands.
• Vitani - Zira's daughter who sides with her mother. At the end, Vitani goes against Zira's wishes when she realizes that she is no different than Simba and his pride.
• Nuka - Zira's son who dies in an attempt to murder Simba and Kiara.
• Rafiki - Mandrill who encourages Kiara and Kovu to fall in love in Upendi.
• Timon and Pumbaa - A comical duo who babysit Kiara and unsuccessfully try to teach her the philosophy of Hakuna Matata.