Well... it did seem his change of heart towards killing Simba seemed to happen so quickly. Would years of training and being brainwashed by his own mother really be undone that quickly?
I do love this film... but today was the first time I realised that when watching this film.
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Exterminate all the trolls! Exterminate!
Mark it down as a sudden character change, they seem to be all the script-writers were capable of, that and no change at all.
shareWell, I did think Kovu, before the My Lullaby song, nearly said he didn't want to be king but was cut off. So, it is possible he may have had regrets? It wasn't something he wanted to do... He seemed too good-natured. Probably got that from his father.
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Exterminate all the trolls! Exterminate!
Yeah, now fast-forward 2 year or more and he's the perfect trained killer, except...
The turn-around was just way too fast.
The movie plot is too weak and forced, that's it.
The outsiders appeared out of nowhere as new enemies, there was no real reason for the exilation, etc.
They just made Kovu as brainwashed as a way to show he was indeed attained to kill Simba, but soon it already changed focus to his relation with Kiara.
I mean, they somewhat clearly showed some times that there was no real reason for the outsiders hating.
I always had a feeling that Kovu just wasn't the kind of individual Zira wanted him to be. Physically and intelligence-wise, yes, Kovu was certainly capable of gaining Simba's trust and then leading him into a trap and helping assassinate him. The only problem is Kovu just didn't have it in him to kill someone, especially when he's fallen for Simba's daughter as well.
You can be brainwashed your whole life and still be able to buck it. People still defect from North Korea from time to time. Of course, a big factor can be seeing the outside world. During the Cold War, oftentimes KGB or other communist agents would defect to the West after seeing that capitalist lifestyles weren't actually collapsing, but rather allowing most people to have luxuries like food and shelter without waiting in huge lines.
Kovu got to meet Kiara as a child, one of his hated enemies who was a normal kid. Then when he came to the Pride Lands, and saw an environment with plentiful food, water, etc. and more importantly, a lifestyle that wasn't totally revolving around combat or defeating someone. Granted, Kovu's change was kinda sudden considering how long he'd been brainwashed, but still, it's amazing what seeing the outside world (depending what that means to someone) can do to someone who's been raised in isolation.
Just look at the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens (kind of a stretch, but bear with me here). Finn is raised to be a stormtrooper for the First Order since he was a very young child, and has been raised on nothing aside from indoctrination and propaganda. Yet when he gets into his first firefight for the First Order, he knows he doesn't want to kill people that haven't wronged anyone and resists. It's fictional but very much the same. People can be "taught" something their whole lives, but who they are inside is very much the deciding factor.
Can't be too careful with all those weirdos running around.
Kovu didn't seem to be "bad". I always thought when he's cut off, he was going to say he hadn't intended any of those things (getting close to the daughter to get to Simba, taking over, killing, etc). He just wanted to be friends with Kiara.
Actually, I'm surprised Zira didn't think of this plan the moment Kiara was presented. Unless, she didn't know Simba's heir was female until then. (In the comic that came with the VHS Vitani tells her.)
I think deep inside Kovu didn't want to follow in "Scar's paw prints", so the potential for "unbrain-washing" was there, but it was rushed. I don't think Zira showed him much affection (stroking him with her claws out, pulling him by the tail, intimidation, etc) and Vitani seemed only to know how to fight (although she at least appears to have loved him even if it was only because he was the chosen one and could offer a better future). Kiara was the first to like him for him not for what he was supposed to be. Still, he fell for Kiara pretty quickly. They should have shown more assassination attempts with Kiara interrupting or him spending more time with her. Okay, they're lions but 1 day?!
Sometimes, you have to just accept that a movie has to simplify things or become longer than necessary.
That is true especially for animated movies, which mostly are no longer than 100 minutes at most.
Yes, they could have made a montage of Kovu spending more time with Kiara and experiencing doubts before realizing that he loved her.
But in the end, it all worked for me anyway...