The Lion King 1½

Most Disney straight-to-video sequels are bunk, but here is an entertaining exception. Just as The Lion King was largely inspired by Hamlet, this sequel-prequel hybrid takes its cues, appropriately and quite cleverly, from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the hilarious play and movie by Tom Stoppard (writer of Shakespeare in Love) that follows two of Hamlet's minor characters and often intersects with parts of the more familiar play. Simba's sidekicks, Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat, narrate what they call "the whole story"--which is mostly about themselves and the time they spent raising Simba in the jungle, with the pair turning up in the backgrounds and behind the scenes of moments from The Lion King throughout. Jam-packed with funny nods to other movies as well, The Lion King 1½ suffers a bit from a simplistic story (and the one new song is just dreadful) and Timon's condescending selfishness can get very annoying at times, but hopefully kids will see right through to his insecurity because, even with its shortcomings, this is that rare kids' movie witty enough to make it worthwhile for adult fans too. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this double-disc set include a passable “making of” featurette with a silly spirit (that, quite unforgivably, makes no reference at all to Stoppard's play), deleted scenes, a music video for “Grazing in the Grass” (featuring Raven), several onscreen games, and a "virtual safari" that plays like a Disneyland ride. Bottom line: a fine set of extras for a surprisingly entertaining Disney direct-to-video sequel.] (R. Blackwelder)