Rating: 
Summary: A Surprise in a Small Package
Review: I bought this film for my daughter amidst mixed reviews that the film was very good, or that it slaughtered the original. After watching it with my daughter, I was entertained in a completely different way than I expected.This film, not a sequel but sort of a prequel and retelling rolled into one, does an incredible job of telling Timon and Pumba's story amidst the events that occur with Simba and his pride of lions. In addition to treating us to their tale, we see scenes of Timon, Pumba, and Simba together in their (as we find out in this film) newly discovered paradise. The most impressive aspect of this film, however, is its ability to keep the recognizable events of The Lion King in the background while still keeping Timon and Pumba's story the strongest and at times spoofing the first film. A good example is a scene in which Timon and Pumba think they have found the perfect home until their peace is disrupted by loud singing. Fans of the first film can recognize that the "noisy neighbors" (as Timon calls them) are Simba and Nala singing "I Just Can't Wait to be King." This is a more appropriate film for children of all ages, while the first was perhaps too violent for very young children. The only thing that keeps this from acquiring five stars is that it feels more like a long episode of a Timon and Pumba cartoon than a film. But I recommend it to any Disney fan.
Rating:
Summary: A sly retelling of "The Lion King," minus the sap
Review: Unlike, apparently, most moviegoers in the 1990s, I found the original "Lion King" to be far too saccharine for my tastes. A fairly bland character makes a bad decision, briefly gets mixed up with some interesting outcasts, the clock whirls forward through all that stuff, and then he goes back to fix his mistake. While I'm no fan of "Hamlet," I felt "The Lion King" really robbed the story of much of the drama it could, and should, have had. And, frankly, I was irritated that Timon and Pumbaa got so little screen time. "The Lion King 1 1/2" to the rescue. Not only do we get to see Simba's time with the duo in more detail, we get to see all of "The Lion King" through Timon's much more cynical eyes, and the story improves for the retelling. The creators of this sequel clearly like the original movie, which is interwoven or sometimes literally used in the background of new shots, but they're also well aware of its cornier elements, and Timon is as well. The conceit of having Timon and Pumbaa watch their own version of events on a giant television screen (seen in silhouette, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" style) is great, and allows for them to comment on the action, make fun of overly dramatic elements ("What's up with that running, if you can call that running?" Timon asks of Pumbaa's dramatic slow motion race through desert sand) and act as audience surrogates when they buzz through the boring stuff. It's simple, but effective, and embodies the sly, sarcastic sense of the filmmakers. Set pieces from the original film are turned on their ear ("Everything the light touches ... belongs to someone else.") or gleefully skewered ("Oh, great timing, omniscient monkey!"). The story of this sequel is a fairly classic Disney story, of the misfit character who doesn't fit in with the social norms of his environment, and sets out on an adventure that both makes him a hero and redefines his relationship to his community. In this case, it's Timon, who isn't the nervous wreck the other meerkats all are, nor, unfortunately, nearly as competent at any of the skills they think are important (i.e. tunneling and watching out for marauding hyenas). In the course of his journey to find a place where he won't have to hide underground, he encounters the flatulent Pumbaa, who is recast as part embarassing uncle, part smelly family dog, with well-observed bits brought out by both the animators and performer. While children, especially little boys, will enjoy the gross-out humor (of which there is relatively little), for the most part, "The Lion King 1 1/2" is an adult film, and perhaps the first post-modern Disney movie, commenting on another Disney movie with the leading characters explicitly observing and analyzing the original events. Of course, for those looking for lots of more of what the original movie offered, they'll be disappointed -- the story is slight, the song-and-dance number is lightweight and very silly and the lions are, frankly, something of an afterthought -- but for those of us who thought the original needed a little more bitter with the sweet, this new film is a delight. Strongly recommended for Disney fans who prefer their cartoons a little less sugary sweet, and a little more tart and sour instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Rent it Before You Buy It
Review: We rented this DVD to test it, and we didn't like it enough to buy it. It recycles a LOT of footage from the original film, and the new material is pretty thin. The animation is pretty good for a direct-to-DVD film, and the original voice actors are back, but it doesn't have much of a story, and it doesn't really tell that much about the time that Simba spends growing up with Timon and Pumbaa. The first direct-to-video sequel, The Lion King II, is actually better, since it has a real story to tell. Your kids might be able to watch this one more than once, but you probably won't want to watch it with them. Rent it first and see what the family thinks of it before you bother to buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Boring movie?
Review: Hey, I bought the DVD and I thought it was going to be better than the other Lion Kind movies. Turns out to be the worst one. Timon and Pumba interrupts the movie, and it doesn't really show the theme, so what's it about anyway, just behind the scene of Timon and Pumba, what else. Overall, I thought it was okay, and well, it was sorta funny, but I only watched it once, and got bored of it.
Rating: 
Summary: A poor use of the Disney imprimatur
Review: My [child], who loved Lion King and Lion King 2, (...)declared it was a boring film and just not fun to watch. He didn't like the use of the movie theater review concept, and that there really wasn't a story, just vignettes.
When it's a video that doesn't qualify as a theater release, caveat emptor.
Rating:
Summary: The Lion King 1 ½ , a bit cheesy but....
Review: When I had seen The Lion King 1 ½ first previewed I was really excited. I am a bit disappointed. They made it look so cute and funny. Ok, so it is cute and funny but not what I had expected. Maybe I had expected too much. Some of the songs are a bit cheesy. The Lion King 1 ½ is basically The Lion King all over again except it is retold by Timon and Pumbaa. What I liked about it the most is, you get to see what Timon and Pumbaa had to go through when parenting Simba. Four stars for the movie. Five stars for the movie trailer.
Rating: 
Summary: The Great Secuel
Review: I gotta say, this is a great movie. Now it is at a different point of view, Timion and Pummba watching the movie like us. This is the funniest secuel I have ever seen! It was still very anoying how Timon and Pumba "pause" the movie at the funiest or most important parts. Still, this is a great movie. The special fratures are great. I loved the safari! This is a must see.
Rating:
Summary: A fun re-telling of the tale from Timon's point of view
Review: Almost everyone knows the story of "The Lin King," of how Simba becomes the king he was meant to be, but does anyone know the story behind the scenes? Finally, the truth comes out in this fun re-telling of the now-classic movie, told by Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog. It begins with Timon's family of meerkats, tunneling their way through the savannah. He doesn't feel that he belongs and wants to explore, to find the right place for him. So he sets off across the grasslands, running into Rafiki the baboon who tells him to search beyond what he sees for Hakuna Mata. In the grasslands, Timon runs into Pumbaa the warthog, and together, they set off in search of their paradise. Along the way, we get to see just how Timon and Pumbaa fit into the story of Simba. And, they happened to be everywhere, from Simba's debut to the animals to the wildebeast stampede. I absolutely loved this movie. Not only does it mesh well with "The Lion King," but it doesn't take itself too seriously. Timon and Pumbaa constantly break in during the film to give some kind of commentary on the scene, or to get a fresh bag of grubs. The Disney team even managed to get many of the original voices to return: Nathan Lane as Timon, Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa, Robert Guillaume as Rafiki, Matthew Broderick as Simba, and Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin as the hyenas. Some fresh, new voices have been added as well, including Julie Kavner as Timon's Ma and Jerry Stiller as his Uncle Max. The extras on both discs are pretty good, especially the delted scenes and the Hidden Mickey Hunt. Peter Graves makes a special appearance as the narrator for the short feature: "Timon: Behind the Legend." This is a fun film that everyone in the family will enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised
Review: From the previews I thought this movie looked much better than the last Lion King sequel and I was right. The original Lion King is still the best but this one is very good. Lion King 1 1/2 is a little more upbeat and less violent than the original. It also has some catchy songs, too. Another good thing about the movie is it has almost all of the original voice talent. If you liked the original Lion King and were disapointed with Lion King 2, you should watch Lion King 1 1/2. You too will be pleasantly surprise.
Rating:
Summary: What is with all of these low ratings for this movie?
Review: After viewing this film, I cannot understand why so many people gave this film a low rating. I thought it was a perfectly acceptable fun and light-hearted approach to The Lion King. The Lion King scenes that people said The Lion King 1 1/2 desecrated were not desecrated at all. No matter how sensitive the scene was. Of course, the movie cannot be compared to The Lion King...but only total morons would think that the makers of this film planned on making this film so that it would be comparable to The Lion King. It's a parody people - accept that. I agree with other reviewers of this film when they say that the people at Disney were just trying to make some easy cash by releasing this film, but how does that harm us if the movie fulfills its purpose? It does live up to the trailer, at least, and people often view movies depending on their opinion of a movie's trailer. This is not the type of movie which I would watch repeatedly, but it is a good flick to pick if you are a Lion King fan. It also reminds me a lot of the Timon & Pumbaa cartoon series, so if you liked that cartoon series, then you will like this movie. I definitely favor this film over all of the other direct-to-video pre/mid/sequels, including Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
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