#kovu from the lion king two… i watched a lot of disney as a kid obviously

[tvrningout-a]

i’m on the way home so tell me your oddest animated crushes rn 🔪

[my-makeshift-masquerade]

The Lion King 2 Was Good: Change My Mind

SPOILERS AHEAD

Now, I know that no film is perfect. I’m saying that this sequel gets a lot of hate online, and I don’t understand why at all. Keep in mind that this movie was a direct to DVD release, meaning it had barely had a comparible budget to the original. It was made in 1998 and used traditional styles of animation. Considering these factors, it’s no wonder it cannot live up to the legendary masterpiece that it’s original film will be until the end of time. But I think the creators of this film did an amazing job, and I want to provide some reasons as to why.

The writing for this movie is often criticized as lazy and unoriginal. I think this complaint is more reflective of a genre difference than anything else. The Lion King was based on Hamlet, and the Lion King 2 was based on Romeo and Juliet. Both are Shakespearean tragedies, but the latter is far more focused on romance for obvious reasons. That means the overall pacing and writing for the second film is slightly different from its predecessor. For example, while the original had the intense Mufasa death scene earlier in the film, the death of Nuka in the second film was near the end. If viewers only wanted a remake of the Lion King script with different animation, they’d clearly be disappointed in this sequel.

The characters get criticized a lot, too. Kiara is often called a brat, but really she shares a similar arc with many other female characters from Disney. You know, the one where the girl disobeys her overprotective or controlling parent because she has a desire to be/achieve something more. The arcs that also occur in characters like Rapunzel, Merida, Ariel and Mulan. We don’t call any of these characters brats, do we? They did essentially the same exact thing as Kiara.

Timon and Pumbaa were there, and Rafiki too. They didn’t have as much of an impact as the central cast though, so let’s get to the rest of them.

Simba and Nala were hardly the same characters we saw in the first film, but there’s a good reason for it. Simba clearly has some issues from the beginning. He’s like a lion racist, on top of bejng extremely hypocritical and protective of his daughter. Clearly his traumatic experiences with Scar affected him very deeply. We even get a whole dream sequence about how he subconsciously sees Kovu as another Scar in the second film. Nala is more level headed as usual, but she still is understanding of what Simba is going through.

Kiara is the one who doesn’t hold back on criticizing her father for his prejudices. She even tells him straight up what he needs to accept: “You will NEVER BE MUFASA!”

Now, onto the Outlanders. Zira was an amazing character, and quite a revolutionary villain. She lived up to Scar’s evil legacy, and then some. She is so underrated and honestly I don’t get it. This is the mother gothel before mother gothel. “Mother Knows Best” and “My Lullaby” had the same manipulative energy and the only difference between these two villainous ladies is the details of their motivations.

Nuka... Oh Nuka. I want to give him a hug, because this poor boy needs it. Despite his obvious flaws in the eyes of his own mother, he was absolutely committed to his family, in a way that made his death scene so sad. His last words were: “I’m sorry mother. I tried.” He deserved to live and nobody can convince me otherwise!

Vitani, while being a minor character, is very well done. She is likable and her sibling dynamics with Nuka are fun to watch. She even has an arc as at the end of the film, she sides with Kovu and Kiara rather than her mother.

Now for the furry maker himself. Kovu is such a likable character, even without all the charm the animators and voice actor gave him. He clearly has a big heart and the relationship he has with Kiara feels very genuine and mutual between them both. They listen to eachother and work together perfectly. I don’t see why so many people think the relationship is forced...

The animation did leave a lot to be desired, but the music sure didn’t. The songs in this film do what they’re meant to do, and sound amazing.

In my opinion, I think the Lion Guard is comparable to a fanfiction. I’m sure it’s not that bad of a show, don’t get me wrong. I say this simply because of the way it shoved itself into the Lion King 2 canon, and added a bunch of lore that had never been established prior. It feels like it has to be an alternate universe if anything. With all the magic and marks and other friend animals, some that Simba even asks Timon for specifically when he’s hungry in the first movie. Not kidding, he asks for hippo meat. It just pushed itself into the story line and didn’t bother trying to keep the originality of the lore in place. But this is Disney we’re talking about.

It also bugs me that they felt the need to add Kion rather than using the already free spirited cub Kiara as the protagonist. Seriously. They changed her entire character to make this new cub seem different. Kiara says bluntly as a cub that she didn’t want to be queen in the second film, then in the Lion Guard, she is all stuck up about being the queen and brags about it? Makes zero sense. For those who say she learned to take on the responsibility, bullshit. She didn’t even accept her royal responsibilities as a young adult in the second film. Alternate universes have to be at play here. A character can’t have their personality go 180 that fast. That’s just bad writing.

Well, that’s my post defending the Lion King 2, because nobody else seems to want to talk about the positive sides of this film. Feel free to give your opinions, but there’s no guarantee I will immediately respond.

[imagitory]

D-Views Special: Top 5 Best Disney Cheapquels

Evening, guys! Tonight we’ll be doing something special for D-Views – a top 5 list! Many reviewers like to do lists of different movies, and I figured it’d be fun to give it a try.

Disney sequels – there are a lot more bad ones than good. Most of the recent sequels to Disney’s animated fare were produced by DisneyToon Studios, an offshoot branch of the animation department that has solely produced direct-to-video films. These films also have a pretty bad reputation, to the extent that many scornfully designate them as “cheapquels.” I may or may not talk about these films or the films that inspired sometime in depth in the future, but for now, let’s go ahead and count down the Disney cheapquels that I have seen and actually liked all right. If your favorite doesn’t appear on the list, it is possible that I either haven’t seen it (like in the case of Leroy and Stitch) or didn’t like it as much myself. Here we go!

First, let’s start with a few honorable mentions. Bambi II, although it doesn’t completely match up with the first movie and has a pretty predictable story, gives us some depth to Bambi and his father’s relationship, which wasn’t discussed much in the original. Beauty and the Beast and the Enchanted Christmas is more of a guilty pleasure – I watched it a lot as a kid, and although I acknowledge it’s not that great, the music still brings me a lot of childish joy around the holidays. Return of Jafar also has some nostalgia factor for me since I grew up with the Aladdin TV series and actually really love the angle of Iago being our main character with a story arc. Still, the animation is definitely more on the “TV series” level than a movie, the music isn’t that great especially compared to the original, and I don’t think that someone who didn’t likewise grow up with the TV show would be able to fully accept Dan Castellaneta playing the Genie instead of Robin Williams. Plus the idea of the villain coming back seeking revenge is…yeah, pretty hackneyed. Return to Neverland has a really good cast (the actors for Peter and Hook especially are spot-on replacements), pretty good animation, and a creative story line, but the music is extremely dated and doesn’t fit the movie and the octopus just...ugh. Just ugh. Now that that’s out of the way…here’s my list!

5) Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins

Admittedly this movie is less of a sequel and more of a spin-off to Toy Story, focusing around the adventures of the fictional character Buzz Lightyear that inspired the toy in Andy’s room. It looks and feels like a pilot for a TV series (which it is), but to be honest, I think this movie pilot is the best thing that series ever put out and I still find it incredibly entertaining by itself. I really like the new characters introduced – the spunky redhead princess Mira Nova, the bumbling, bookish janitor Booster, the cynical, trouble-making robot XR, Buzz’s cocky partner Warp Darkmatter, and the gruff Commander Nebula. Then you have our villain and Buzz’s archenemy, the evil Emperor Zurg. Admittedly Zurg is completely opposite to how I’d always imagined the character to be upon seeing Toy Story 2 (basically I saw him as Darth Vader with red eyes and purple armor), but even I have to admit, he can be very funny. I still would’ve personally preferred a more menacing and complex villain, but I can see the appeal of a villain like this too, particularly in a movie that’s clearly not taking itself too seriously. Hell, at one point, Zurg says he’s going to fire his laser at “the planet of widows and orphans,” and Buzz growls at him, “You fiend!” and nobly tries to fight back – as if that planet is actually a real thing. That is just amazingly ridiculous.

4) Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World

Before all of you jump down my throat…let me explain. Pocahontas is a film that I personally enjoy for its music and its visuals, and not much else. I find the characters uninteresting, the story standard and predictable, the romance to be bland and devoid of chemistry, the events to be so unlike the history in question that it shouldn’t salute it at all, and the messages to be very heavy-handed in their delivery. Generally speaking, I don’t care for Romeo and Juliet plot-lines as well, so Pocahontas overall was just not made to appeal to my sensibilities. Strangely, though…Pocahontas II actually kept me entertained. Sure, the animation is miles below the original, and there is really only one song that I would say is really good (“Where Will I Go From Here?“ and its reprise), but everything else I can’t help but feel is done better in this film than in the previous one. Rather than being conflicted about whether to marry or not or about falling in love with this Englishman she barely knows, Pocahontas is conflicted about how much to adapt to this new world she’s entered and how much to stay true to her own heritage.  She’s gone to England as an ambassador trying to forge peace, all the while knowing that everything she is works against her. Not only is her race considered savage, but she is also a woman, in a land and time when men are seen as superior. In the first film, I found Pocahontas’s conflict to be pretty weak, since it’s clear from the start what her path will and should be, but in the second film, she has to compromise between two extremes rather than choose one option or another. This already shows much more thought in both the story and the main character. Also, I know some people will hate me for this, but I like John Rolfe infinitely better than John Smith, as Disney heroes go. Smith I’ve just never found that well-developed of a character – he’s basically every over-the-top heroic Mel Gibson performance you’ve ever seen, except that in the beginning he’s shown to be a little racist (and after that it’s NEVER addressed again, like it never happened – he never even apologizes or vocally acknowledges to Poca that she’s right or something). But Rolfe has a definitive personality with both flaws and strengths. He’s uptight and a little sexist at first, but he always asserts and retains his honor. He will stand up for the disenfranchised and try to find a peaceful route however he can, rather than just barreling in. He’s a little awkward and overly proper, but when he cares for someone, he can be warm and affectionate. He’s introverted and thoughtful, and he understands the proper time to be honest and the proper time to give someone their space. If you like John Smith, that’s fine – but I honestly think it was really mature of this movie to depict someone moving on from one love to another, which had never really happened in a Disney movie before. We came close with Megara in Hercules and Anna in Frozen, but their first romances are depicted as just flat-out bad. But there were good moments with Pocahontas and John Smith (even though I personally never cared about them), and they did both sincerely love each other – they’ve just changed into different people and realize that they belong in different worlds. And although I would never claim Disney’s films portraying Pocahontas have ever been close to historically accurate, Pocahontas II I still feel comes closer than the actual history than the first one does. It embraces the setting of London in that period – it doesn’t shy away from the fact that women were looked down upon – it depicts actual historical figures (sorry, Radcliffe doesn’t count: the real Radcliffe most assuredly was nothing like that) – Pocahontas actually goes to England as a peace emissary like the real historical figure did – there’s even a horrific scene featuring a bear baiting, which was a real thing from that period.

3) The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

Yes, I know this was based on Romeo and Juliet. Yes, I did just say I hate Romeo and Juliet storylines in the last section. And I still do. In fact, this is the thing I like least about this film. But the biggest credit I can give to this film is that although it’s based on Romeo and Juliet, there are notable plot discrepancies between this film and its predecessor, and many of the main characters from the last film don’t do much in the story, I still found enough to enjoy in this for me to recommend it. I like the main characters, Kiara and Kovu, and the chemistry that forms between them – Romeo and Juliet stories so often have very little behind them except “Oooh, a forbidden love, how exciting!” but these characters do actually have moments together...having fun, having discussions, and learning and growing through their experiences together. It helps us see them as an actual couple, rather than just a pair of two flighty, hormonal teenagers. I like the conflict Kovu has to come to grips with – that he has been raised to idolize and follow in the footsteps of a monster, and that he must turn his back on everything his family has taught him. I like the conflict Kiara has to come to grips with – that her father is casting out the one she loves, that war between the two prides is imminent, and that she has to stand up to her father to protect a pride of lions that have always been her enemies. I like Zira as a villain – no one could be a match for Scar, and admittedly the “woman scorned” is a trope as old as dirt, but the song she has in this movie (“My Lullaby”) is just as sinister as “Be Prepared” and it perfectly sets up how obsessed she is with avenging her pain against Simba. On the note of the music…it’s really good! It starts off with “He Lives in You,” which was written for a bonus Lion King CD called Rhythm of the Pridelands and of course later appeared in the Broadway production, but it also introduces memorable new tunes like “Upendi” and “Love Will Find a Way.” Of all of the Disney sequels, this soundtrack is by far the best, and the animation isn’t half bad either! The scene with Kiara trying to escape the fire actually gets really suspenseful and scary.  

2) Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

I’m sure many of you expected this to appear on the list. This movie is widely considered to be one of the very few good Disney direct-to-video sequels out there, and…yeah, it really is a legitimate surprise! I’m not the biggest fan of Disney’s animated version of Cinderella (I much prefer Ever After and the 1998 version), but I do think it’s a classic and I enjoy some of the “twists” (haha) that this sequel did on it. Not only does it help us develop our main love interests and their relationship more – not only does it develop the king into a sentimental old man who sees his deceased wife in this young girl his son brings home – not only does it develop our villains and even turn one of them into a very likable anti-villain – but it also takes a story that should be dead on arrival and makes it kind of exciting! The animation at points is pretty impressive too, especially in the climax. I admit that I still find Cinderella and her prince pretty bland in this movie (hell, they STILL DON’T GIVE HIM A NAME! COME ON!), I find the music really lackluster, and of course the story by itself is pretty silly and contrived, but all things considered, it’s much better than anything I expected.

1) Aladdin and the King of Thieves

This film is sort of a season finale for the Aladdin TV series, and as those go, this is easily the best send-off that show could’ve gotten. I think it’s one of the best send-offs for a kids’ show ever. Unlike in Return of Jafar, a good deal of money and time was put into the animation, making it a good step up from the usual TV animation we were used to seeing from the creators, and the music was a good step up from Return of Jafar too. My personal favorite song in the film is the opening number “There’s a Party Here in Agrabah,” but I also found “Out of Thin Air” very sweet and “Welcome to the Forty Thieves” and “Are You In or Out?” very catchy. I also really like the story centering on Aladdin and his father and find it very relatable. Cassim dropped out of Aladdin’s life, but Aladdin still wants him to be in it, and although Cassim wants the same, he’s constantly flaking between his selfish King-of-Thieves-like desires and his more paternal Father-like ones. And believe me, this is something I greatly relate to – I have first-hand experience with a parent who never really knew how to be one and so therefore constantly flip-flopped between being affectionate and completely and totally selfish. Despite this, though, you do still see the genuine caring there, even if Cassim doesn’t always know how to express it, and I can’t help but feel for both Aladdin and him when they realize that they belong in two different worlds. Although they come to that conclusion, though, they know that they love each other and wish each other the best. That’s a pretty great ending. There are definitely some things wrong with this movie – most notably, the lack of action for Jasmine and the extremely drawn-out focus on Genie and his jokes – but I still find this movie really entertaining. Its action scenes are excellent and creative, and the emotion hits home for me in all the right ways. It is everything I ever could’ve wanted from the Aladdin TV series.

[lizzleolsen]

all of them

Answering all the ones I have not yet.

2: Favourite actor(s)Top 6 Female: Elizabeth Olsen. Saorise Ronan. Brie Larson. Michelle Dockery. Amy Adams. Emily Vancamp.Top 6 male: Chris Evans. Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Jake Gyllenhaal. Sebastian Stan. Dev Patel. Richard Dean Anderson.

3: Favourite genre(s)I really love dramas. musicals. really, I like everything, but I’m not SUPER into comedy.

4: Favourite director(s)This is something I feel like I don’t focus on as much as I need to. So at the moment, I can’t fully answer. I’m not sure.

5: How often do you go see movies in theatres?Because of cost, not too often. Maybe 2 times a year. At least lately.

6: Opinion on remakesI think they can be great. And it just depends how long it’s been since the first, and also if they accept it is a remake. I don’t know how to explain it. But just, it’s a new movie, as well as an old, so it should somehow work within that.

7: Favourite era(s) of filmI’d say right now is pretty good. I’m still working my way back with a lot of classics, but I still say I lean towards the current era more than anything else.

8: Spell your first, middle, and last name out in movie titlessince I don’t put my full name on here, I’ll just do my URL. L - LionI - Ingrid Goes WestZ - ZootopiaZ - ZenonL - Lady BirdE - The Empire Strikes BackO - One DayL - LoganS - SerendipityE - The Edge of SeventeenN - Never Let Me Go

9: Favourite film seriesHarry Potter & MCU. (:

10: Favourite remake(s)Hmm. Well Cheaper By the Dozen was a remake. But my mind just went blank on stuff. So. Yeah. lol.

11: Favourite film character(s)Well, MCU characters are Wanda, Steve, Bucky, Natasha, & Peter P. HP character is Hermione.But otherwise, Nick from Before We Go. Marry Poppins. Adaline Bowman from Age of Adaline. idk, I’m sure there’s a lot more. It’s late. My brain wants to shut off.

12: Favourite movie(s) per genreDrama: Martha Marcy May MarleneThriller: Nocturnal AnimalsAction: Captain America: Civil WarComedy: Psych: The MovieMusical: Mamma Mia

13: Movie(s) you remember as part of your childhoodCheaper By the Dozen of course. Mary Poppins. There was a MyScenes (the dolls) movie I could quote backward and forwards called Jammin’ in Jamaica. That movie was my everything at a time. Jumanji was a movie I watched often with my cousins. And I was never more excited for a movie to premiere than Harry Potter or High School Musical.

14: Movie character(s) you identify withThis is something I really don’t know.

15: Prizes of your movie collectionI don’t really have much of one. So I am sad about that. I do have basically every Disney movie pre 2005 on VHS, so that’s something I am happy to have.

16: Blu-Ray, DVD, or VHS?Blu-Ray. Though I mostly have VHS or DVD. Everything is just digital now

18: Actor(s) you hateI don’t really ‘hate’ anyone, but there are people who do make me not want to watch a movie. And I know I’ve told you them before, and now I can’t even think. I hate my brain.

19: Director(s) you hateSame as above, just not something I have focused on enough to answer.

20: Your pet peeve(s) in moviesMy biggest thing is really obvious overacting. The minute I see it, I’m not as into the movie. It’s just hard to get pulled in. I also hate movies that drag out stuff that does not need to be. Scenes that go on, when they should have ended, and something else could have taken it’s place to actually further the story along.

21: Movie character(s) you have a crush onI am not sure I have time to list them all..... Like too many MCU characters. STEVE. JUST. Bucky. Wanda. Also, Taylor Sloane in Ingrid Goes West. Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia. Nick Vaughan & Brooke Dalton in Before we go. Brian O'Conner in Fast and the Furious. John Lennon in Nowhere Boy. I really could keep going on and on. But, I’ll stop. There’s just a lot. (I also had a crush on Kovu from Lion King 2 when I was younger)

22: Last movie you sawI watched Before We Go. Again. lol.

23: Favourite film adaptation of something from another mediumHarry Potter. I think it was amazing from book to movie, and they did such an amazing job with it.

24: Movies you think you probably should’ve seen but haven’t for whatever reason.There are SO MANY. I’d say Mamma Mia 2 is a major one, with how much I love the first movie. And then because of how much I love Saiorse I really want to watch Hanna and The Grand Budapest Hotel.  But I have a 100+ list of stuff to see. So...

25: Worst experience you’ve ever had in a movie theatreWell. Once I went to the theater and had a kid kick my chair for the entire two hours. So. Probably that. Or the time the lights went out. That was not at all fun. It was during Indiana Jones 4.

26: People whose opinions on movies you valueHmm. Well I have a few movie friends that I talk to about them, and value. On here, I instantly think of @aliciavikander and Jess (who I think deleted her blog again because her @ isn’t working)

27: If you could make a movie, what would it be and why?I think about this too often, and don’t really want to say, because I do truly believe I’ll write the book one day.

28: If you could adapt something from another medium into film, what would it be and why?Hmm. I once read a book series called Wicked, that I thought was amazing, and could see as a film so easily when I was reading. 

29: If you could remake any movie to improve what you felt was wrong about it the first time around, what would it be and why?I think Serena had the most potential. An amazing cast. Amazing filming. It just needed a bit of storyline help. Or a lot. Just changing that would have made such a difference.

30: Movie character(s) you find attractiveSee above question 21.