Since I do love Simba's Pride just as much as the original film, I can name many things I love since I like this one way more than 1.5 (which I don't like that much). I can appreciate 1.5 in some aspects since it's not awful as a film, but it's nowhere near is awesome as the other two. Anyways...
1. Watching Simba's life continue
- Since Simba is my favorite character from the entire trilogy, I guess this is a much more personal thing for me. Seeing the playful and lovable cub transform into the king with the same power Mufasa had along with having a family, it's so incredible. Besides the film centering on Kiara and her relationship with Kovu, I love how it also focuses on him trying to learn how to be the reflection of only himself as an individual instead of being the reflection of his father. Watching someone grow up is interesting since that's how life is like. I relate a lot with him since I had to deal with many issues growing up and improving on my growth as a child diagnosed with Autism (similar to how he has to deal with his PTSD). Even to this day, I'm often very emotional when it comes to various situations I face whether it deals with the present or past. Since I've gotten older, I can relate to Simba's paranoia since I deal with that quiet a lot in my life with all the frustrations I face. He's not perfect, has flaws, and he finds his resolutions in the end. He realized his mistakes and admitted that he was wrong. I admire characters like him.
2. Simba and Kiara's father-daughter relationship
- Kiara and Simba do have similarities (more when they're cubs), but she's also different from her father at the same time. When Simba was a kid, he was excited about being king and ready to rule a kingdom. On the other hand, Kiara does not have interest in becoming queen and just wants to live a normal life without all the pressures of responsibility. With the type of personality she has and the way she acts, Simba and Nala did raise her right and she knew how to think in a wise manner as she got older. To bring the two prides together, she took in the lesson Simba taught her when she was little and fixed the problem. It's a lot like how Simba took in all of Mufasa's teachings when he was little and applied it to his life when he got older. They had ups and downs, but they fixed their relationship in the end. Watching their relationship is very sweet since Simba loved her very much.
3. Kovu
- Getting to meet my second favorite character from the trilogy was awesome the first time I saw it. He's a very different character and I liked seeing him progress through the film. He knew what he was set out to do originally was wrong and decided to move forward in his life in the right path. I can relate with him when it comes to dealing with situations by myself and learning how to be more active in a group.
4. The effort and quality
- With many of the Disney direct-to-video sequels, I have seen quiet a handful of them and they are usually meh/mediocre/or really bad. Unlike those films, SP (along with Bambi II) are probably the only DTV sequels I actually like since there was a lot of time put into the story, characters, animation, continuity, and the themes and morals of the film. There's way more good than bad. To add an extra bonus, I'm so happy that many of the actors from the first film stayed for the second movie to voice the same characters (Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, etc.). Most of the time, the DTV sequels for other Disney films usually have different actors voicing the characters from the original films, which is something I don't like very much. The only exception is for when the original actor either died, grew too old to play the role (mainly applies with child actors), or is retired.
5. The songs and scores
- Just like the first film, I love all the songs in the second one (with the exception of Upendi since I find the song and sequence way too silly). They fit the tone of the Lion King universe and they're great. We Are One is my favorite TLK song due to it's message and how much it can be applied to life. The instrumental music is also great and I love listening to it in the background during various scenes.
6. Zira
- As being one of the few Disney female villains we get compared to male villains, she's really intimidating and she will not take crap from anyone. She's an awesome villain when it comes to her actions and motives into getting what she wants. I also appreciate that she's different from Scar and not just a cardboard copy of him.
I'm sure I have more, but those are some of the things I like about SP.