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Well, lets look at the similarites:

* In both movies, there is conflict between two families

*There is a male from one side and a female from another who fall in love

* They both run away together in both stories

Only big difference is that there's no tragic ending in SP.
So, what do you think?

Yeah, that sounds about right.

It's all based on Shakespeare, my friend. Even the original TLK was based on Shakespeare (I think it was Hamlet).

I think Disney did a good job basing TLK2 on Romeo and Juliet, don't you think so?

Yes, they did. I should know, I read the play once. It was very good!

Ah, yes. Too bad there wasn't any beautiful speeches like in the original play in SP . . . then it would have bored the kids to death.

And it is missing several things too . . .

- In the play, Juliet was supposed to marry another man. I wonder, was Kiara supposed to be with another? I mean, it would have been interesting and more based on the original story of R&J, but I guess they thought that would be too much for a kid's movie . . . a sequel, no less.

- In the play, several characters die (Romeo poisons himself over Juliet's "death", Juliet stabs herself, one of Romeo's friends is killed which causes him to kill Juliet's brother, and so on. Plus, did I mention that Juliet's "fiancee" was killed by Romeo as well? Holy crap, that's a lotta death. Yeah, this was a given: kiddie movie, only a mininal amount of death - Nuka and Zira . . . And of course, if Kiara and Kovu killed themselves, that would make kids everywhere become depressed and suicidal and Disney doesn't want that. ^__^

And there's more, but I'll leave those to you.
(Can't ya tell I luv Shakespeare? *theatre buff . . . to a point*)

true, true . . . . that would be the death of Disney there.

And besides, the kids wouldn't understand the similarities either.

Yeah, basicly TLK 2 is Romeo and Juliet with some slight variations and a happy ending. At least they cut out the Rosiline character. That would do wonders for kids to see Kovu going, "Rosiline, Rosiline, Rosiline *see's Kiara* Rosiline who? Oh the joys of Shakespear.

Does anyone else find it odd that they bassed both Lion Kings off two of Shakespear's tragedys. At least they cut out all the death in Hamlet, seeing as how everyone dies in it. Actually, Romeo and Juliet is very different from Shakespear's other tragedys, in the fact that it is the only one in which not all the characters die. Still, it makes me wonder why they didn't use one of his Romances, that would have been a much better idea. Well, if they ever did make a TLK 3, the Tempest would be perfect to use.

Seriously?? I didn't know that!! But I just finished reading/watching Romeo and Juliet in school and then for some random reason wanted to watch SP and noticed that it is similar. But I didn't know that TLK was based on a Shakespeare play!!

I suppose it is slightly based off it but not entirely.

Wow, I never actually noticed it before. Now that you guys mention it, I have to agree with you. When you put together all of the character death (well, there were only two, but still) and the entire romantic plot, you definately get something that's really close to Romeo and Juliet.

Sure SP is based on romeo & juliet, I don't know if you got it on the SP dvd elsewhere but here there was a making of documentary in the bonus section of the dvd where they said they based the story of Kovu and Kiara on romeo & juliet there was the same thing on the special edition dvd of TLK where they said part of the movie was based on hamlet!!

nice......thats cool glad you found that out

TLK1 wasn't accually based on Hamlet to begin with. Scar was orginally a rouge lion. They made him his uncle to make things more interesting, and thats when they noticed it was like Hamlet.

As for TLK 2 and Romeo and Juleit, that I'm pretty sure was on pourpose.

yea that was on purpose...but i dont think that there was much similarity



yea...and seeing as they were based on shakespear...i dont see why people still think it was based on kimba