The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa was a cartoon on the Disney Afternoon block based around the lives of the popular meerkat and warthog of the 1994 film The Lion King. The show is currently on Disney Junior in the wee hours. The theme song is Hakuna Matata, taken straight from their part of the film.
The Lion King would get a proper television adaptation in 2015 with The Lion Guard.
Controversy[]
The first episode had Timon and Pumbaa end up on "Boara Boara" (a parody of Bora Bora), with the residents resembling stereotypical tribal Africans (a disclaimer was given regarding this).
Availability[]
The show is currently available on Disney+
Characters[]
- Timon- a scheming meerkat who speaks with a Brooklyn accent. His name is Greek for "respectful".
- Pumbaa- a lovable warthog (although he more resembles a boar) whose trademark is his stench. His name means "foolish" in Swahili. He speaks with a Brooklyn accent also.
- Rafiki- a wise, old baboon who speaks with an Jamaican accent. His name means "friend" in Swahili.
- Simba- a lion and one of the main characters from the film. Only featured in certain episodes, and in his adult form. His name is Swahili for "lion".
- Zazu- Simba's majordomo (butler). He is a hornbill and has a British accent.
Trivia[]
- One segment had Timon singing Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" with Pumbaa being severely hurt every time Timon said "stand by me"
- One segment had Timon and Pumbaa singing The Tokens' classic hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
- They also sing part of this song in one scene of the original film before Pumbaa is kidnapped.
- In one episode, Timon and Pumbaa sing a variant of the Ohio Express' bubblegum hit "Yummy Yummy Yummy".
- One episode involved Pumbaa being mistaken for the "Cisco Pig", a parody of the Cisco Kid, a comic book hero. One question given to determine whether Pumbaa is the actual Cisco Pig is "Dick Sargent or Dick York?", referring to two actors who played Darrin Stevens on the sitcom Bewitched. It later turns out that the Cisco Pig is a big fan of Timon and Pumbaa.
- In one episode, Zazu has to document the number of animals in the pridelands. He is always off by one, so Rafiki reveals to him that he forgot to count himself. He does this by showing Zazu his reflection. However, he first goes to the wrong pool, which shows Simba, a reference to an iconic scene in the original film.
- In one episode, Timon tries to prevent Pumbaa from leaving him. One thing he mentions is that the show would be "The Lion King's Pumbaa and Pumbaa".
- In one episode, Timon and Pumbaa compete in an Olympic-style tournament. After completing one event, Pumbaa tumbles into a field of wheat, mowing down some in a perfect circle. This causes a group of tourists to visit the site, believing it to be a crop circle. In reality, a crop circle is a mysterious design seen in wheat or other farm fields that can be seen from miles above.
- Keith David had a minor role in one episode. He is better known as the voice of Goliath in Gargoyles or Captain Anderson in Mass Effect. He also had minor roles in Aladdin and Hercules.
- The late, great Tony Jay had a minor role in this series
- In one episode, when Timon and Pumbaa are in a river, bubbles start to appear around Pumbaa. Timon asks about the jacuzzi bubbles. Jacuzzi is a brand of hot tubs which has since become a genericized trademark for such products. A snake later explains to his partner that in order to eat Timon and Pumbaa they need someone with certain traits, turning himself into examples. One of them resembles Superman.
- In the same episode, when being pursued by a giant piranha, the Jaws theme plays.