For years, I always believe the filmmakers of
1½ were simply given better production values than the filmmakers had with
Simba's Pride. Also, because the film takes place during the events of the first movie, the artists and animators had to stick close to the original character designs and colors in order to maintain artistic consistency. Anyway, I reminded myself of this source:
[quote="
DVD Dizzy"]
Although the story is set within the framework of the first "The Lion King," the director points out, "It's really an original movie." [Bradley] Raymond was pleased and reassured to see that many of the men and women who had worked on the original "The Lion King" were on board for this film. "I was lucky, because the studio gave me a lot of support and brought in tons of great people. Roger Allers, who co-directed the original, and Irene Mecchi, who was one of the writers on the original, came in to help consult. We had plenty of time and great talent to put together this project.”
In addition to veterans from the original film, Raymond brought in a new team of talented artists whom he credits with giving the film an updated new look and pace. "Our art director James Gallego was able to capture the look of the original film. He spent countless hours studying the original, but also brought his own artistic perspective to our movie.
"And Editor Joyce Arrastia really worked magic in the edit bay. "'The Lion King 1 1/2' is unique because we cut from silhouettes of Timon and Pumbaa -- to scenes from the original -- then back to new scenes. Joyce was able to edit the film so that the audience could follow the story while keeping the pacing fresh and exciting."[/quote]
We fans should grateful because the look of the film would have been a lot worse if Disney stuck to the
original production schedule. Originally, Disney hired their writers in April 2000, and then expected to release the film on video the following year. Animation (unless you want it rushed) just does not work that way.