The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (later renamed The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride) is a romantic animated film released in 1998 in the United States. It is the sequel to Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King, and the second installment in The Lion King franchise, with a plot inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The final text evolved into a variant of Romeo and Juliet, according to director Darrell Rooney.