Animation Source Forums

Okay, the DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack for TLK2 comes out in over a month from now, and I was wondering.... Which DVD cover is the better of them all?


Limited Issue DVD
The first release of Simba's Pride in 1998. The VHS version looks exactly like this too.



Two-Disc Special Edition
Released in 2004. The second and probably best release of the sequel in my opinion.



The DVD/Blu-Ray combo & DVD only Editions
The March 6, 2012 release art.



Optional Special Edition DVD Release
I think this was available overseas? I'd never seen it before today and I don't know when it was released like this, so if anyone's got any info on this artwork or the cover itself, please tell me!

====================

If I had to choose which one I think was the best, it'd have the be either the Limited DVD [the first one] or the first Special Edition set. The Limited Issue cover is simplistic and only gives us the basics that we the viewers need to know: It's Simba and his daughter... and it's a continuation of the original. Good, it leaves us guessing until we actually see the movie! The Special Edition 2-disc set has a nice cover too - I especially love Simba's sorta-loving, sorta-protective, yet always-watching pose above the main lovers of Kovu and Kiara. Not having Zira in the shot gives her more mystery when you first see her in the film, so I approve of these.

The worst? The new release. S-shudder....! Why are the heads of Kiara and Kovu so BIG? Also, the layering SUCKS. It could have been much better. The optional Special Edition cover is just as bad in the design - WTF, Zira? I only like the sight of Kiara and Kovu in motion, but the fact that the designer made it look like Zira and Simba are mates here [And those EYES... *ded*] is just... oddly weird. Consistency much, Disney DVD cover artists?

Now it's YOUR TURN, TLK Sourcers! Please vote on which cover you like the best! Comment if you'd like to say which is the best and/or the worst too, so we can get some discussion on around here! Don't forget to say why!

Thanks and let's have some fun!

- Juuchan17

Okay, I'm gonna have fun with this topic. lol

Best
The limited issue/Two-Disc Special Edition
In my opinion the limited issue doesn't have any major problems. Like you said, it's simple, and it represents the film. Though, I do think Kovu should have been on the cover. Just having Simba and Nala on the cover makes it look more like a movie between Kiara and her father. Like Balto III or Bambi II for example. The two-disc special edition comes in 2nd. It represents the film better than the first cover. My only problem with this cover is the sizes of the characters. Why are Kiara and Kovu so large? They are both taller than Pumba, when in the movie that wasn't the case. I mean, I know Pumba isn't that big to begin with. Even Rafiki seems too tall to me, even if he is a baboon. Zazu and Timon seem to be the only ones that are the right size. Also, what's up with those two blobs of grass at the bottom of the cover? They seem randomly placed to me. I think it would have looked better without the grass, or they could have at least did a better job with it. Otherwise it's all good.

The worst
Optional Special Edition DVD Release
I don't know anything about this one, all I know is that it's horrible.
This is the WORST Disney cover I've ever seen... My first reaction was "Zira?" Not only does she not belong there (I think it makes Simba and Zira look like mates), but what on earth did they do to her face? She looks all stiff and hunched up. Even I could do a better job. It looks as if she had been repeatedly beaten on the head with a cast iron frying pan, and then from the bottom... And Simba...What did they do to him? O.o He looks freakn' creepy. *shutters* ...I'm also really lovin' that photoshoped grass (this is a standard brush in photoshop for those of you who don't know) in the bottom left corner. I mean really, that only takes one swipe of the brush, and looks as if they then grabbed the burn tool and just gave it another quick swipe and called it good. The rest of the background looks okay, still not the best. You can obviously tell whoever made this cover was lazy, or has poor art skills.

The DVD/Blu-Ray combo & DVD only Editions
Just because I want to make fun of it. xD
The first thing I must note is Pumba. He looks drunk, and that leg sprouting out of his body makes him look like a rotisserie chicken. Zira looks a little odd to me. I think it's that smile or something. And for peace sake, yes, Kovu and Kiara have over-sized heads. >.< Kiara's pupils seem overly dilated, and her eyes in general seem too dark. They're two black holes waiting to suck you up... And it also appears that Kiara's eye whites are the same color as her fur. Not that big of a deal, just wanted to point that out. xD

Good, I wanted fans to have some fun here, instead of arguing over whether Zira is Kovu's mom and stuff like that. This is much more fun than that!

I'd forgotten to mention the bottom of the Limited Issue DVD - I love that silhouette shot of most of the characters from the original movie, even though I think it's actually the old characters... but it still works somehow. It's like a reminder that it's a continuation, so I guess it's paying homage? But yeah, it could use some more characters in there.

I never noticed the grass on the SE release... but the sizing, I think, is all perspective. It's not exactly that good though, but it's much better than the new release. Also, why does Kiara have a hair tuft? It makes her look more like a boy-cub than a girl... and that's sad. At least it DOES look good and appealing to the eyes. I seriously just love Simba's pose and the lighting around his mane. So pretty...

Yeah, the new release covers by Disney have a thing with big heads and awkward additives. It's an awful and unappealing trend, but sometimes they get it right. Here, they do not... and the top half with big-head!Simba, chicken-leg Pumbaa, and WTF-are-you-doing-here?Zira totally looks worse than the weird coloring of Kiara. LOL, Kiara's eyes are a deep black void, just waiting and tempting you to buy this new release... *insert eerie ghost sounds here*

That optional cover... it might be a fan cover by how horrible it looks. Again, I only like the bottom section of it - the top part makes me shudder. I agree, that grass - hnng - and Zira's look and pose... Ew... just EW! ...And I would say what Simba's gaze could mean, but this is a family forum site and my words could offend someone.

Also, just to let you know, I found all of these covers on this site - Movie Poster Database. Here's another cover I almost posted up here, and to be honest... it's way better than that other one. Where did it come from, and why are you so much better?

It makes me wonder how many of these covers on that site are really official ones...

Thanks for your answers, Mighty!

- Juuchan17

The March 2012 one looks very interesting. The other three just look bland i believe.

I think the best two are the second and third images they stand out more than the other two. Plus the first one has already been used and by using a new idea it would give a fresh new feel.

Lis

the best one would be the newer one. all new poses. the worst one is the unknown version.

I like the first one,and I guess the new one. Really, all but the last one.

I can find a few art issues with all but the first cover. Like Kiara's eyes, the way they did Kovu's fur on the newst one, the last one in general, and the cub's heads are a bit too big on the second.

Best:

First - Probably because I get used to it while having my VHS. And I like that they used the idea of "shadows", the same as it was in first movie stuff.

Second - I like it because it's well drawn and features Kovu. I would get rig of Timon, Pumba and Zira however...


All characters are drawn very badly and uh... Zira, is that you? O_O

This one struck me as possibly the most bland

Call me a sentimental fool, but I like "the first release of Simba's Pride in 1998" (first one).
It's the pic on my VHS, and it's the one that I personally think looks best.
I mean... Okay the "The DVD/Blu-Ray combo & DVD only Editions (The March 6, 2012 release
art)" looks fine, but tell me there's not at least ONE thing wrong with something on the others.
Zira's lack of neck, something wrong with Simba's face, whatevs.

I like the original one as well (1998). Sometimes being simple is the best, and as the years have gone on, the laziness with DVD covers is evident in animated movies... especially Disney ones... Older is better in a lot of cases...

I really do like the artwork of the 2012 release better than the others. I think the characters are fine and nicely drawn. As for the overseas one... Yeah, easy to tell that it's bad. The anatomy is terrible and no way near Disney style.

My favourite is the first one- not just because it's the one I've known my whole life, but because it's just the best!

My least favourite- The unknown one... holy crap, Zira's been ratified, Simba looks like some kind of pervert and kiara and kovu just looks retarded! Also, it looks like someone just quickly threw it together on photoshop and didn't bother editing it or anything! I'm not sure whether it's a mistake and it's just a bad fan drawing or an actual cover- someone please tell me this...

My Favourite One Is Also The First One Because It Looks More Real. The Other Ones Look A Bit Fake To Me :/

I think I'll just comment all of them ^ ^

Limited Issue DVD: I'm used to this one, since it's the only TLK 2 cover version I get to see in stores here in Lithuania. But still, I'm tired of this red shade they put on covers of every TLK movie. Sure, it looks good on the first movie's cover, but on second and third...It just gets a bit boring and bland, at least for me. I also somehow always seem to have a problem with Simba there, his nose in particular. That sharply-set shadow of the nose doesn't look good. Overall art also looks a bit cheap and too cartoony, lack shadows, unlike the other versions of the cover. That TLK shadow thing on the bottom is a good idea, but I also find it overused and not really fitting anymore, since the characters change in the second movie anyways. They could've come up with a new shadow composition of that kind.


Two-Disc Special Edition: This is possibly my favorite cover of all Disney movie disc releases, together with the colorful Tarzan covers. Character proportions are very well drawn in this one, overall composition is very nice, the shading is well flowing and beautiful, and the background...Oh, talking about background, I'd also like to remember MightyBalto1925's post about "photoshopped" grass in the Optional Release...If you look closely, it's in this cover too, but somehow it doesn't get in the eyes unlike the other one, because it fits well into the background. Now, to continue on, I LOVE how relaxing the colors are in this one. They aren't bright, fit well, and are very nice to look at. And also the logo blends in very well with such colors.


The DVD/Blu-Ray combo & DVD only Editions: Now, this one isn't that bad. I like how it's mostly focused on Simba's head, which takes most of the space in cover, even though the head itself might be a bit out of proportion (it must be his big muzzle here that's annoying me), I like the shading alot. I, however, can't see the problem you have with Kovu's and Kiara's heads here. They look fine to me, I don't know. I just the shading to be a little overdone on Kiara. There's so much of it that her head just looks weird. Looking at the background, I wouldn't say that the film takes place in Africa. The ground looks so desert-like, that it reminds me more of Mexico or Brazil than Africa. And I think they should've added more characters in the cover: with just Simba taking most of the space, then small(est) heads of Timon, Pumbaa (by the way, why are they even here instead of other characters? Heck, Vitani, Nuka, Rafiki or even Mufasa's shadow could have looked much better instead of those two), Zira (whose head could have been bigger), and Kiara's and Kovu's heads at the bottom, this cover doesn't look too interesting or appealing. And the logo doesn't stand out enough.


Optional Special Edition DVD Release: Ahh, the good ol' "Walt Disney Pictures Presents" logo up there...It gets me in every cover. I dunno, it just looks so pretty everywhere...
Now, back to the cover. This cover...Okay, maybe not the whole cover, but some particular parts of it...Are so messed up that I don't want to acknowledge it. First of all, I somehow don't mind Zira being there next to Simba all smiling. At least she got more space and is more visible than in the DVD/Blu-Ray combo cover. But, what is wrong with her head? I mean, I can overlook the obvious disproportionate things on other characters, like Kovu's weird looking muzzle and Simba's huge muzzle. Yes, these don't even get in the eyes that much. But, this Zira here? She just looks so WRONG! Like Mightybalto said, her face looks all hunched up and weird. And, from the first look at her, I would say that she's either a cat, or rat, or hamster. Anything BUT a lioness.
Everything else in this cover seems more or less OK. Not to mention Simba's almost human-like ears, yet again "photoshopped" grass (can't get over that one XD), also Simba's girly-looking eyes. Background looks pretty cute for me, and, if there wasn't this disproportionate-to-the-very-core Zira's face, then the cover would look halfway good.


So, I guess I'm done reviewing these covers. They are all more or less nice, if not mentioning their slight or not so slight flaws. I love how different each of them are, and would love to see if any more of these various covers get it into the stores of my country.