The Lion King 1½



The Lion King 1½ (also known as The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata in some countries) is a 2004 direct-to-video animated film released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on February 10, 2004. The film is the third installment in the Lion King series.

The film is a prequel/parallel film to the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King as it focuses on the meerkat/warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa before and during the events of the original film.

The film starts as Timon and Pumbaa are shown watching the opening act of the original film in a dark theater when Timon suddenly uses a remote control to fast forward to where they appear in the film. Pumbaa argues that the film shouldn't go out of order and attempts to rewind the film back to the beginning. Timon and Pumbaa start fighting over control of the film until they agree that the film should tell their side of the story. Throughout the rest of the film, it is occasionally interrupted to have Timon and Pumbaa comment on whatever is happening.

When the film ends, in a theater, Pumbaa insists on watching it again. Timon protests until all their friends and almost every Disney character come to watch it too (with Pumbaa commenting that he still does not "do so well in crowds"). The original cast returns to re-voice the parts, with the striking exceptions of Rowan Atkinson, who voiced Zazu in the original film and was again replaced by Edward Hibbert who voiced the character in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and James Earl Jones, who voiced Mufasa (who has no lines in this installment of the series). Also, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who voiced Young Simba in the original film, is replaced by Matt Weinberg.