The non-canon feel of this movie...

[Luigi Severus]

I sometimes feel that this movie is non-canon, it barely even gives me the feel of the first one... The Pride Lands look way different than they did at the end of the first movie, Simba... Well, he's nothing like he was in the first one...

[Pocahontas]

Technically it isn't canon. Nobody who worked on the last one did it, and it was a completely different studio, so it can be considered non-canon. ^^

[TheLionPrince]

Technically it isn't canon. Nobody who worked on the last one did it, and it was a completely different studio, so it can be considered non-canon. ^^

True, there was a lack of involvement of the original filmmakers unless you consider the email message by Disney employee Tad Stones as an official fact.

As for the topic, I do understand that the movie has a "non-canon" feel to it because the film used different background artists and animators and had a lower production budget, but the film was still made by filmmakers at a studio owned by the Disney company. It's the same scenario with Pixar employees; they work for Pixar, but they still work for a branch of Disney so they are still considered Disney employees. For me, personally, Simba's Pride is not canon, but official since the synopsis of the film on its 2004 DVD cover reads:

All the power and majesty of THE LION KING return in this final volume of THE LION KING trilogy! This Special Edition features an all-new vibrant picture presentation from the digital master. Meet Kiara, Simba's headstrong daughter and heir to the Pride Lands. While on the prowl for adventure, she encounters the mischievous Kovu, a young member of the banished Outland Pride chosen to walk in Scar's paw prints. As they seek their proper places in the "Circle Of Life," Kiara and Kovu find that they may be the only hope for healing the rift between their prides! THE LION KING 2: SIMBA'S PRIDE Special Edition includes original cast members, stunning Disney animation, and six spectacular songs.

So, it seems Disney considers Simba's Pride as an official volume of the trilogy therefore it's part of the official storyline.

[DGFone]

So, it seems Disney considers Simba's Pride as an official volume of the trilogy therefore it's part of the official storyline.

Money, dear boy. If it comes with a big enough paycheck through the form of revenue, Disney will believe anything to be canon.

[PrincessKiara]

Why wouldn`t it be considered canon? Yes, it was made by different writers and animators, but it`s still Disney, and it`s presented as a sequel to the original film.

[Timon the great]

I don't consider this TLK film to be canon with the original (and its interquel), at all. Just the whole film all-around was too different compared to the other two and this seems to be the direction the creators were aiming for in the film, with not just the appearance and animation, but even the plot/story.

Not only that. The Shakespearean referencing was too heavy here, especially on the Pridelanders/Outlanders thing, definitely alluding to the Montague/Capulet groups of Romeo & Juliet.

Overall, even though I don't care much about this film, instead of just flat out bashing it like many others have done to TLK 1 1/2 which is completely unorthodox, I generally respect TLK 2 and the work that was put into it by its own creators.

[FlipMode]

That's not that it feels different, it is quite different. If everything in the World was the same, it would be a lot less interesting place to be.
The film is cannon, it's part of the trilogy story arc. I mean, the clue is in the title Lion King 2... The two there means it is cannon.

That's like when people say that Star Wars prequels aren't cannon because they aren't as good as the original trilogy and it's like; "Dude. Of course they are!"