“Lion King 2” Is Trending on Twitter All of a Sudden
People really like this movie.
It’s not entirely clear why it’s happening now, but “lion king 2” is trending on Twitter, and people are taking the opportunity to sing its praises, which is something of a surprise to those of us who forgot the direct-to-video sequel even existed.
The full title of the 1998 film to the 1994 classic is actually The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. The basic story of the first film was partially borrowed from Hamlet, so the folks behind Simba’s Pride modeled it after another Shakespeare tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Simba and Nala are the king and queen and their daughter Kiara is the princess. The Outsiders, a group exiled by Simba for previously aligning with Scar, lives in the Outlands beyond the kingdom.
It’s in the Outlands that Kiara, our Juliet, meets Kovu, the son of the Outsiders’ leader Zira and the Romeo of the story. Without getting into too much more detail, it’s safe to say that the end of the movie is much happier than Shakespeare’s original. It’s still Disney after all.
The Lion King II was released on VHS on October 27, 1998, and did quite well from a commercial perspective, eventually pulling in about $300 million. But after two other sequels, a smash Broadway hit, a live-action remake of the original, and a Beyoncé visual album, The Lion King II isn’t quite as well remembered as its fans would like it to be. Many of the tweets contain a tinge of outrage that it’s not more widely celebrated.
More specifically, Kovu seems to be a seminal character in many people’s lives, and many of the tweets call him out by name.
But the film’s greatest strength, if Twitter is to be believed, is its soundtrack.
And who knows, a big enough outpouring of love for Simba’s Pride might be enough to get it a live-action remake.
If you haven’t seen the film since the VCR era, you can stream it on Disney+.
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