The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004)

73% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(229,481 ratings)

Ten years after The Lion King shot to the top at the box office and first introduced the characters of Simba (Matthew Broderick) and his pals Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), Disney presented this retelling of the Academy Award-winning animated musical. Switching the perspective to… More Ten years after The Lion King shot to the top at the box office and first introduced the characters of Simba (Matthew Broderick) and his pals Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), Disney presented this retelling of the Academy Award-winning animated musical. Switching the perspective to that of meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa, The Lion King 1 1/2 puts a new spin on the events of the original film. This time around, the comic duo are conveniently at the center of much of the story. Along with returning cast members Moira Kelly, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cheech Marin, The Simpsons' Julie Kavner and Seinfeld's Jerry Stiller lend their voices to newcomer characters Timon's Mom and Timon's Uncle Max, respectively. The straight-to-video film also features the never-before-heard song "That's All I Need." ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 17 min.
Directed By: Bradley Raymond
Genres: Animation, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Feb 10, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Feb 10, 2004

Critic Reviews

Joe Leydon, Variety
A clever retelling of a classic tale from skewed p.o.v. of supporting characters.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
"The Lion King 1 1/2" is a very clever "syncquel" that's entertaining in the beginning but weighed down by a premise and format that seem ill-suited for a full-length feature.
Beth Pratt, Common Sense Media
Clever and mostly charming--most kids will enjoy.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
In no way does The Lion King 1 1/2 measure up to the standards set by the original movie, but it does add an enjoyable twist to the fable.
James O'Ehley, Movie Gurus
Quite inventive for a Disney straight-to-video release . . .
Gerry Shamray, Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
This is clearly the best video sequel that the mouse house has produced to date. Hakuna matata!
Larry Carroll, FilmStew.com
This may become known as the gold standard for straight-to-video cartoon releases.
Rob Blackwelder, SPLICEDWire
Most Disney straight-to-video sequels are bunk, but here is an entertaining exception.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
However, this direct-to-DVD feature ... does have some charm as well as the voice talents from the original film.
Emily Blunt, Blunt Review
The Lion King 1 1/2 is visually beautiful, musically delightful and slap-the-knee-till-it's-raw funny! There are oodles of fun filled hours and super-wide smiles awaiting you.
Staci Layne Wilson, Fantastica Daily
While the young cubs will delight in The Lion King 1-1/2, there is also a treasure trove of pop culture references and dialogue-asides especially for adult film buffs.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
This is quite possibly the studio's most banal direct-to-video sequel to date
Fred Topel, About.com
If they must milk every franchise for all it's worth,at least they approached this one with a creative perspective.I'd still like to see them take more risks with the sequels.
Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Even if you haven't seen 'The Lion King,' this quasi-sequel will entertain you and make you laugh out loud many times while watching it.

Read all 14 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Brad W

The Lion King 1.5 is hilarious, has a nice story that connects with the first, and is just a much better sequel than The Lion king 2.
Directors C

It stands ut from theatrical disney productions because of its inventive way of retelling the original story from diffeent characters prespective.
Alexander D

Think the original version of THE LION KING...then add another five-minute opening sequence plus a really boring explanation of what it's going to be like. A waste of time; just a way to make easy money.
Bethany M

A childhood favourite and a classic! A must see!
Michael E

a great side story to the first film by my two favorite characters
Luke B

Well they tried something different, but it will probably fail to impress fans of The Lion King. Placing Timon and Pumbaa into earlier events and adding plot points later, just tarnishes the original and even contradicts it. It just seemed like a lot of, sometimes inventive, excuses… More
Well they tried something different, but it will probably fail to impress fans of The Lion King. Placing Timon and Pumbaa into earlier events and adding plot points later, just tarnishes the original and even contradicts it. It just seemed like a lot of, sometimes inventive, excuses to make a few cheap jokes. At least they managed to get back the majority of the original voice cast, but to imagine Pumbaa's fart caused the bowing at the beginning of the original is actually kind of annoying. By the end it is obvious that the makers were favoring parody, but these two work best as co-stars, and comic relief, rather than the heroes of the movie.
KJ P

I have no idea why, but this is the only lion king movie that I've seen. I don't know wether the others are better or not, but I actually really enjoyed this one!
Wahida K

Hakuna Matata
Cassie H

Cool
Rachel F

My least favorite of the Lion King films, but it was still good.
Bradley W

The Lion King 1.5 is hilarious, has a nice story that connects with the first, and is just a much better sequel than The Lion king 2.
Dillon L

The story affects the original in a negative way, however, it is often funny.
Jason V

Kudos to this pre/sequel to The Lion King for trying something different and mostly succeeding. This story spans the entire original film, showing the events from the perspective of secondary characters Timon and Pumbaa. The oft-used Mystery Science Theater asides may get tiresome,… More
Kudos to this pre/sequel to The Lion King for trying something different and mostly succeeding. This story spans the entire original film, showing the events from the perspective of secondary characters Timon and Pumbaa. The oft-used Mystery Science Theater asides may get tiresome, especially when they come at emotional high points of the film, but that's kind of the point, I think. A light, breezy outing revisiting the first film in the series with a different look. Animation and voice talent is impressive even if the film runs about 10 minutes too long. There is a gag at the end I won't spoil which had me playing a mental game of "Guess Who." Be warned: TLK 1.5 may make you want to watch the original all over again.
Bradley J

The pinnacle of Disney's straight-to-video releases, I wish I could've seen it in a theater format(if they had released it that way). The Lion King 1 1/2 is a surprisingly enjoyable film with a clever parody-like view of the original, some hilarious moments and fun… More
The pinnacle of Disney's straight-to-video releases, I wish I could've seen it in a theater format(if they had released it that way). The Lion King 1 1/2 is a surprisingly enjoyable film with a clever parody-like view of the original, some hilarious moments and fun voice-acting, this delightful film should sit on your DVD shelf for years to come. Overall Rating: 81
Jackson W

Funny parody of the original film, but does not rank anywhere near the success of the first two in my opinion. This was more of a money pit, partially disguised as a way to promote Timon and Pumbaa, characters who were originally sidekicks yet are puffed up as their own selves in both… More
Funny parody of the original film, but does not rank anywhere near the success of the first two in my opinion. This was more of a money pit, partially disguised as a way to promote Timon and Pumbaa, characters who were originally sidekicks yet are puffed up as their own selves in both this film and their now ended television show. Definitely the weaker of the trilogy.
Yinalí R

Veeeery funny!
Andrew P

Never impressed by the straight to DVD range that Disney launched, I reluctantly gave this a watch. It's not a terrible idea, giving us a bit of extra back story from two characters that many love and cleverly tying it in with the events of the original classic. It feels like it… More
Never impressed by the straight to DVD range that Disney launched, I reluctantly gave this a watch. It's not a terrible idea, giving us a bit of extra back story from two characters that many love and cleverly tying it in with the events of the original classic. It feels like it has been made by a group of young animators who have a genuine love for Disney but under pressure to churn out a quick money grabbing film. The result is glimmers of hope but quickly diminished by a cheap gag. It was never going to be a touch on the original film of course, but it'll keep kids quiet, just don't expect a rich story because it isn't going to happen.
Sarah P

This was a fun and really cute movie and a way to relive the original.
Marion R

The only reason they made this film was to try and milk as much money as they could from The Lion King. It was just horrible, not funny and it even took away from The Lion King. You should be ashamed Disney!
Sunil J

Unecessary and low budget stupidity.