It's hard not to notice the billboards and TV ads heralding the arrival of the sequel to the most successful animated film in history.

But unlike the 1994 box-office hit, which grossed nearly $800 million worldwide, Disney's "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride" will not be opening at a theater near you today. It will make its debut at video stores.

"Lion King II" ($27) is following in the paw-prints of Disney direct-to-video sequels based on its animated musical features "Aladdin," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Pocahontas."

Video follow-ups to animated features have become a thriving industry: They are cheaper to produce than feature movies. While their quality may be less than stellar, this won't be true of "Lion King II."

In the sequel, Kira, Simba's daughter, and Kovu, Scar's hand-picked successor, fall in love and work to bring peace to the Pridelands. However, Zira, Scar's loyal follower and Kovu's mother, has different ideas.

Most of the vocal talent is back, including Matthew Broderick (Simba), James Earl Jones (Mufasa), Robert Guillaume (Rafiki), and Nathan Lane (Timon). Neve Campbell is the voice of Kira and Suzanne Pleshette is the evil Zira.

Pub Date: 10/27/98