The Lion King 1½ Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Lion King 1½ Blu-ray Movie Review

"Get a load of the monkey gettin' all existential on me!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown October 6, 2011

If The Lion King is Disney Animation's Hamlet, The Lion King 1½ is its Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. It's an even looser adaptation (if it can even be called that); one favors gimmick-driven comedy over most anything else. The result? Kids will laugh themselves silly at the meta-misadventures of sideline sidekicks Timon and Pumbaa while adults will be split into two camps: those who laugh right along with their children and those who, despite their best efforts to grin and bear it all, make note of several missed opportunities. The real problem with The Lion King 1½, though, is that it tramples holy ground. It doesn't just tiptoe its way through The Lion King, picking and choosing its steps carefully; it crushes the original film's most dramatic and memorable scenes beneath its paws with fart gags, self-aware whimsy, slapstick hijinks and farce-riddled revisionism. Does any of it spoil the movie? That depends on what you hope to get out of Disney's 2004 Lion King midquel and how willing you are to take it on its own terms.

Simultaneously a sequel, a midquel and a prequel, The Lion King 1½ bounds back through time; before young Simba (Matt Weinberg), the once and future lion king, met a meerkat named Timon (Nathan Lane) and a warthog named Pumbaa, before Timon befriended Pumbaa, before Timon even took notice of a distant jut of Earth near the horizon called Pride Rock. Naturally, the quick rewind through time comes courtesy of a remote control, literally, as Timon and Pumbaa revisit the events of The Lion King from the comfort of their Pride Lands home theater, Mystery Science Theater 3000 style. In the past, a Pumbaaless Timon has a chance encounter with a familiar mandrill shaman (Robert Guillaume) who teaches the outcast meerkat the secrets of Hakuna Matata; secrets he then passes on to fellow outcast and newfound pal Pumbaa. As Timon continues his search for a greater calling (or a better slice of real estate), he and Pumbaa wander through a certain assembly of animals gathering at Pride Rock, get caught in the path of a certain wildebeest stampede, take up residence in a certain jungle and accept a certain lion cub as one of their own.

As direct-to-video Disney midquels go, The Lion King 1½ is less invasive than most. Its self-effacing premise earns the otherwise paper-thin plot a bit of a free pass. But for all the affection producer George Mendoza and director Bradley Raymond show The Lion King, they don't treat its more sacrosanct scenes with much respect. (I know, I know. It's part of the joke. But is it a joke that needs told? That seems to be the family debate du jour in my house at the moment.) Pumbaa's explosive gas causes the animals to bow at Pride Rock. Amusing? Eh, if the first of many A-bomb farts strikes you as amusing. Later, the bumbling exiles are nearly killed in a stampede before oh-so-hilariously landing on top of one of the fleeing wildebeest. Funny? Sure... until you realize poor Simba is losing his father somewhere in the dust cloud behind them. A classic scene from The Lion King -- one that brings me to tears every time -- reduced to nothing more than a passing laugh. Interestingly, your love of The Lion King will either soften you up for The Lion King 1½ and its brand of self-aware fun or harden your heart against it. Its humor will either strike you as harmless or disruptive, its one-liners cute or tiresome, its songs passable or subpar, its story meaningful or meaningless. Of course, a healthy love of Timon and Pumbaa is a prerequisite. If the duo didn't completely win you over in the original Lion King, their sudden seat at the head of the table won't go over so well.

Kids don't really consider these things, though. A movie either keeps them entertained or loses their attention altogether. The question, then, is whether a direct-to-video midquel/sequel/prequel should be held to the same standard as an animated feature film, and a widely acclaimed Disney classic at that. Thankfully, The Lion King 1½ never feels like a cash-in. It feels as if someone had a daring little idea and ran with it. If nothing else, Mendoza, Raymond and screenwriter Tom Rogers should be commended for trying something different. Unlike most Disney midquels and sequels, The Lion King 1½ plays by its own rules and genuinely has a blast doing so. Yes, most of the songs fail. Yes, some of the jokes fall flat. And yes, Elton John, Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer and their collective musical talents are sorely missed (despite the inclusion of key pieces of the first film's music). But the returning members of the original voice cast lend the movie welcome integrity, while more fluid and polished animation brings the midquel more in line with the original than The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. Personally, I could have done without The Lion King 1½, infectious and cleverly penned as some of its better bits are. My son, on the other hand, adores it, making it difficult to write off even when locked in cantankerous critic mode.

The Lion King 1½ Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

In a word: extraordinary. Disney's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation is bold, beautiful and brimming with brilliant colors. Technically speaking, it's every bit as impressive as The Lion King's transfer, even if its animation isn't quite as stirring. Primaries embrace Hakuna Matata, black levels are impeccably inky, and contrast never flounders. Moreover, detail is perfect, down to every last pixel. The animators' line art is crisp and clean (without any noticeable ringing), background and foreground elements pop, and every last flick of the wrist or turn of the brush is rendered with care. Better still, animation fans won't have to overlook any artifacting, banding, aliasing, pixelation or noise as every scene is as precise and pristine as it should be. (Well, save a passing shot of animals racing to Pride Rock as the sun rises. Some pixelation is apparent if you inch through frame by frame, but it seems to be inherent to the source.) All in all, The Lion King 1½ is a stunning exception to the direct-to-video-sequel rule of diminishing returns. Toss those DVDs in the trash...

The Lion King 1½ Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track isn't nearly as spectacular, but then again, neither is the movie's sound design. Flatter, thinner and weaker than its predecessor, The Lion King 1½ doesn't offer the low-end oomph or the immersive ooohs and aaahs of the original Lion King. Neither the LFE channel nor the rear speakers disappoint per se -- there's still plenty of power to go around and plenty of playful ambient effects, at least enough to keep things nice and lively -- but they don't have that patented wow factor either. Even so, the resulting experience is more than adequate to the task at hand. Dialogue is healthy, clean and perfectly clear, effects are bright and suitably silly, and dynamics are decidedly decent. The Lion King 1½ doesn't sound as good as it looks, but it gets the job done without falling prey to any serious issues.

The Lion King 1½ Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Timon & Pumbaa's Vacation Safari (HD, 5 minutes): Timon and Pumbaa chat about real animals including meerkats, warthogs, cheetahs, crocodiles, rhinos and elephants. But... where are the lions?
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 12 minutes): Seven storyboarded deleted scenes and early concepts with introductions and (some limited) running commentary with producer George Mendoza and director Bradley Raymond. Scenes include "Opening Concept #1," "Opening Concept #2," "Old Fearless Buzz," "Timon Talks to Dad," "Timon, Dad & Mom," "Intro to Scurry, Flinch, Sniff" and "Timon & Pumbaa Look for Oasis."
• Timon: Behind the Legend (SD, 4 minutes): Peter Graves goes "Behind the Legend" in this faux-Hollywood bio.
• Before the Beginning (SD, 15 minutes): Go behind the scenes of The Lion King 1½ with Mendoza and Raymond.
• Music Video (SD, 3 minutes): "Grazin' in the Grass," as performed by Raven.
• Discover Blu-ray 3D with Timon & Pumbaa (HD, 4 minutes)
• Trailers and Sneak Peeks (HD, 9 minutes)

The Lion King 1½ Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sequel? Midquel? Prequel? Whatever The Lion King 1½ is, it isn't for everyone, isn't nearly as essential as the first film, and doesn't rise to classic status by any means. It amps up the comedy and the fun and doesn't look back, beloved original be damned. Taken on its own terms, though, it succeeds as a funny followup and a rare bit of meta-Disney hilarity, even if it isn't a movie you'll revisit as often as The Lion King. But what a sight to behold it is on Blu-ray. Its DTS-HD Master Audio track may not resonate and its supplemental package may be lacking, but its video transfer defies direct-to-video expectation. All in all, it's a solid little sequel-midquel-prequel with a solid little AV presentation to match.