Criticism of The Walt Disney Company feature the theme of the circle of life. Alleged similarities in the characters, beginning with the protagonist lion cubs "Kimba" and "Simba", include the evil lions, the one-eyed Claw and Scar, the sage baboons Dan'l Baboon and Rafiki, the animated birds Pauley Cracker and Zazu, and the pair of hyena sidekicks (it was a trio in the Disney film). "The Lion King" co-director Rob Minkoff deflected criticism of similarities in the characters by stating it was "not unusual to have characters like a baboon, a bird or hyenas" in films set in Africa. Both films feature the protagonist looking up
The Lion King 1½ Timon and Pumbaa as the playable characters. The Lion King 1½ The Lion King (known as The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata outside of North America) is a 2004 American animated comedy adventure direct-to-video film produced by the Australian office of Disneytoon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures on February 10, 2004. The film was also theatrically released internationally and in selected cities in the United States. As the third film in the "Lion King" media franchise, the film is chronologically the second in the franchise. It focuses on the meerkat/warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa and their escapades taking