Timon and Pumbaa

Timon (full name Timon Berkowitz), and Pumbaa Smith are two comedic duo animals from The Lion King (film).

Timon is a meerkat, and Pumbaa is a Warthog. They both are the protectors of Simba when he was little. Inspired by the idea of having a major predator on their side, Timon and Pumbaa took Simba in when he collapsed of heat exhaustion after his father's death.

Background

Timon

Timon chose to leave his colony and find his own home after failing at every job he tries, from digging tunnels to sentry duty.

Pumbaa

Pumbaa was an orphan, and mistreated because of his awful smell.

Personality

Timon

Timon's personality

Timon can be rather selfish and thoughtless at times, but in the end, he has a good heart and is loyal to his friends. Unlike most meerkats, who work constantly, Timon is a lazy daydreamer which results in him being cast out of his colony. His status at the bottom of the food chain means he relies on stronger animals to protect him once he's on his own, and as such he usually looks out for himself, but nonetheless he never abandons his friends in times of trouble and is willing to risk himself for them. He is not as clever as he'd like to think he is, often claiming Pumbaa's good ideas as his own (and seemingly genuinely believing it). He's not incapable of thinking up his own plans though, his greatest moment being the 'Tunnels' plan in The Lion King 1 1/2.

Pumbaa

Pumbaa's personality

Pumbaa is a very lovable, kind and tough. He deeply cares for his friends and is very protective of Timon. He loves bugs and longs for friends who won't abandon him. He is awkward in crowds, and sometimes displays child-like naivety which is sometimes confused for stupidity. Pumbaa in fact comes up with some very intelligent plans and insightful ideas, which Timon rapidly claims as his own. He also has a problem with his stomach which causes gas like results.

In The Lion King 1 1/2, Pumbaa is the first to follow Simba back to the Pride Lands, but has great confidence in his friend Timon, so he runs slowly so that his friend can catch up.

The Lion King (film)

Timon and Pumbaa found Simba when he succumbed to heat exhaustion. After Pumbaa suggested an adult Simba would make a great bodyguard, Timon took the idea for his own. When Simba woke up, they taught him their life philosophy, "Hakuna Matata". He also introduced Simba to a diet of bugs to keep Simba from one day eating himself and Pumbaa. They lived happily with Simba, until his childhood friend Nala arrived to search for help.

Two years later, Simba has grown up, and developed a close bond with Pumbaa and Timon. Underneath the joy however, Simba's past begins to haunt him, as he feels his father's death was his fault. One day, while bug hunting, Pumbaa spots a hungry lioness, and a chase begins. Pumbaa gets stuck in a risen tree root and desperately tries to break free. Timon arrives and attempts to save his friend, but to no avail. Simba suddenly arrives and battles the lioness.After the battle was over, the lioness reveals herself to be Nala , Simba's childhood friend. Pumbaa and Timon are introduced to her, and learn that Simba is a king. Timon however, feels that Nala will destroy the Hakuna Matata trio, getting Pumbaa to believe so as well.

After learning Simba is the king, and that he was going to reclaim his kingdom, Timon was at first doubtful, but when Simba confirmed it, he was exceedingly enthusiastic about it, feeling a great sense of power. When he and Pumbaa see Simba and Nala falling in love, he is regretful about losing Simba, not only as a bodyguard but also as a friend, eventually becoming heartbroken by the whole event. Later that night during a nap, Nala awakens Timon and Pumbaa asking where Simba was. Oblivious to the three, Simba has returned to Pride Rock to reclaims his throne. Fortunately, Rafiki, a mandrill friend of Simba is his father Musfasa, informs the trio by simply saying, "The king, has returned."

Timon and Pumbaa joins Nala as they race to meet up with Simba. Eventually doing so, he and Pumbaa danced the hula to distract hyenas so that Simba and Nala could get back into the Pride Lands unnoticed and Simba would have a clear shot at Scar. He and Pumbaa fight off numerous hyenas before he is chased by Banzai into Scar's cave and takes cover in Zazu's cage. During the fight, Pumbaa comes to Timon and Zazu's rescue, expressing anger when Banzai called him a pig. Pumbaa rescues him, breaking Zazu free at the same time, and at the films end, Timon decides to stay and live with Pumbaa and Simba at Pride Rock, claiming great praise alongside Simba, Nala, and Pumbaa as heroes of the Pride Lands. 

The Lion King 2 Simba's Pride

Timon and Pumbaa reappears as Simba's guardians and uncles of Simba and Nala's new born cub Kiara. The pals has moved into Pride Rock and is first shown after the opening song He Lives In You. In the sequel, the pals acts as Kiara's babysitters and are sent to watch Kiara, under King Simba's strict orders, which strongly annoys her.Pumbaa argue with Timon about losing Kiara back and fourth.  During the middle of the film, Timon and Pumbaa taught Kovu how to have fun and enjoy himself. Later, during the climatic battle with Zira and her Outsiders, Timon changes his motto from Hakuna Matata to When the going gets tough the tough get Going. Timon uses Pumbaa's gas problem to scare off the villainous outlanders  Later on, their motto is reverted back to Hakuna Matata.

The Lion King 1 1/2

Timon chose to leave his colony and find his own home after failing at every job he tries, from digging tunnels to sentry duty. During his journey he meets Rafiki, who tells him to look beyond what he sees (not realizing that Timon takes such things literally) and then Pumbaa, who he at first considers a bodyguard, but comes to see as a friend.  Pumbaa was an orphan and mistreated because of his smell. He meets Timon after he was stalking him because he thought Timon being so little shouldn't be out alone. Pumbaa also noted that he came across a dream home that would be perfect for him and Timon which turned out to be the jungle they would soon call home.

They caught up in the stampede which killed Mufasa.They meet up with Simba and comes to face the responsibilities of parenthood. It is revealed that.Timon actively tried to stop Simba and Nala falling in love rather than merely singing about.

At first, after Simba returns to Pride Rock, Timon does not want to follow, and splits from Pumbaa briefly. But then he meets with Rafiki and comes to understand that if you're alone and unhappy, you cannot have "Hakuna Matata". He follows Pumbaa back to Pride Rock, where he reunites with his Ma and Uncle Max. He then joins the final battle, diverting the hyenas from attacking Simba. He then thinks up a plan involving tunnels to trap the hyenas, stalling them by spinning plates, doing the can-can, break dancing, and finally in desperation, to Shenzi's disgust and Pumbaa's jaw-dropping speechlessness, proposing to Shenzi. The tunnel trap fails, and Timon dives between Shenzi's legs and breaks the last few supports, completing the trap. Finally, Timon finds a new place for his colony to live and in his Ma's eyes, is a hero. 

TV Show appearances

Timon and Pumbaa

In the spinoff series, Timon and Pumbaa have many adventures in the jungles of Africa. He and Pumbaa have been to many famous places such as Las Vegas, Paris and Hollywood. Many of Timon actions in the show involves "get rich quick" schemes.

In the episode "Once Upon a Timon" some of his back story was revealed. He lived in a Meerkat colony complete with streets, shops and even a princess who Timon had a massive crush on. One day when Timon had guard duty, he left his post to speak with the princess. While he was gone a snake invaded and kidnapped her. Timon was baned and met Pumbaa. Son enough he came across the captive princess and rescued her. He was offered to marry her and get the good life but that would mean leaving Pumbaa. He decided to stay with his pal. 

In the television series, Pumbaa had an uncle whose name was Boaris, and lived in Russia. Apparently, Boaris was really good at ballet, but then, because of Timon, he fell on fish eggs and went to the hospital and Pumbaa was dancing the ballet, but he broke his leg, then Uncle Boaris comes to dance.

House of Mouse

Timon and Pumbaa are recurring characters on the House of Mouse television shows and films. Timon made appearances usually along with Pumbaa, but also with Simba, Rafiki, Nala, Mufasa, Scar, Zazu, Shezai,Banzai and Ed. He often has a comment on a certain performance (most of the time it's rude).

In the episode Timon and Pumbaa, Timon and his buddy get into an argument and do not reunite until Pumbaa is embarrassed on stage and Timon backs him up. A recurring gag in the series involves, Timon trying to eat Jiminy Cricket and nearly succeeds until Pumbaa saves him.

In "Donald's Pumbaa Prank", Pumbaa is kidnapped by Pete and Timon spends the evening trying to find his friend through the help of the club's staff. Eventually, through the help of Donald Duck, Pumbaa is returned safely. In Mickey's magicla Christmas, Timon and Pumbaa are asked their Christmas wishes. While Pumbaa wants grubs, Timon desires air fresheners for Pumbaa's odor problem. At the end of the film, it is revealed that Timon actually did get an air freshener for Pumbaa. However, Pumbaa was pleased by the gift.

In "The Three Caballeros, Pumbaa was the only guest to know the third member of the Caballeros was Donald Duck. In "House of Scrooge" - Timon grew tired of Scrooge McDuck's cheap entertainment (His Number One Dime) but Pumbaa wanted to stay because it was shiny.

In one episode, Pumbaa and Timon auditioned for a part as the Genie from Aladdin. In "Not So Goofy", Pumbaa wanted to hear Goofy do his signature holler. Unfortunately for Pumbaa, Goofy was acting sophisticated for the night and doffed the mantle. In the film Mickey's Magic Christmas, Pumbaa informs Timon of what a "humbug" is after hearing Donald being called such, Timon believed it was a meal.

The Lion Guard

Set in the middle of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Timon and Pumbaa return, and have become the adoptive uncles of a young honey badger named Bunga. Together, they reside in an area of the Pride Lands called Hakuna Matata Falls. Despite being his uncles, Timon and Pumbaa act more along the lines of parental figures to Bunga, Timon being the sterner and aggressive of the two, in regards to raising Bunga, specifically due to his dislike for Bunga's life philosophy, "Zuka Zama". Pumbaa is shown to care a great deal for Bunga and is a loving supporter of all of his endeavors and ways of life. Like Pumbaa, even, Bunga's bodily scent is considered unpleasant amongst most of the Pride Lands' inhabitants, though Pumbaa doesn't mind, motivating Bunga to use his scent to his advantage, as Pumbaa often does.

They first appear in the pilot film, helping Zuri free her claws from a log. Timon fancies himself an expert on removing claws from logs, as Simba repeatedly got his claws stuck in logs during his childhood days with him and Pumbaa. Before they can do so, the duo is greeted by an excited Bunga, who announces that he and Simba's son, Kion, are to be members of the new Lion Guard; protectors of the Pride Lands. Timon is immediately against the idea, believing hard work and danger to be against Hakuna Matata, though Kion is able to alter this train of thought by claiming he needs Bunga to join due to the honey badger being the bravest animal he knows. This is enough to impress Timon, who shows great pride in his nephew's title, and the meerkat subsequently congratulates Bunga on his position. Pumbaa is later told that Bunga has ambitions to join a group of Pride Land protectors known as Lion Guard, but the idea worries Pumbaa, who believes such a responsibility may be too dangerous. Pumbaa's mind is changed when Simba's son, Kion, mentions he wants Bunga to join because of the latter's bravery. This is enough to make Pumbaa proud and fill with excitement; so much so that he accidentally unleashes a bit of gas, causing Kion, Bunga, Kiara, Tiifu and Zuri to flee.

Since Return of the Roar, Timon has become considerably more accepting towards Bunga's various quirks and has shown to be as supporting as Pumbaa at times, such as in instances during "The Rise of Makuu" and "Bunga the Wise".

In "The Search for Utamu", it was revealed how Timon and Pumbaa came to adopt Bunga. One day, while searching for rare utamu bugs that only come out once a year, a baby, orphaned honey badger latches onto Pumbaa's leg. Timon orders the toddler to leave, but he remains and makes it apparent that he wishes to stay by the duo's side. Pumbaa finds the honey badger to be adorable and tries to convince Timon to let him stay. Timon notes his disinterest in raising another child (after all the work Simba was), telling Pumbaa that they've already done so with Simba, but with Bunga's persistence strong, Timon concocts a scheme and orders the honey badger to fetch grubs from a tall tree branch, dangling over a chasm. Bunga does so effortlessly, both surprising and impressing Timon, who had assumed the honey badger would be too fearful to go through with the task. Feeling that they have a perfect grub-catcher, Timon decides to keep Bunga which makes Pumbaa happy.

In "Bunga and the King", Timon shows his emotional side when he thinks about how his two "babies" (Simba and Bunga) are lost in a network of tunnels. He is seen crying and being visually relieved once Bunga and Simba rejoin them.

Video Games

Kingdom Hearts

Timon is not seen until Simba is seen in the oasis. At this point, Timon looks a little emotional to a degree, noting to Pumbaa: "Look at 'him Pumbaa, look at how he's grown. Why, when I rescued the little guy, he was only this big" and then lowers his hand to level with his knee. He is eventually met by Sora and the gang and teachs them about Hakuna Matata, which means no worries. As he leads a conga line of sorts with him at the lead and Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Pumbaa in the back, he chants "Hakuna", while the others respond "Matata". However, this carefree antic is put to a stop by Simba's fight with Nala about going back to the Pride Land.

Later, Timon helps the entire group to try and take down Scar, alongside Pumbaa. However, their attempts ultimately fail and they are cornered by Shenzi ,Banzai and Ed in a cave, which means it is Sora's responsibility to rescue them. At the end of the First Visit, Timon is present and even delivers the line, after the gateway to the next world has been opened, "Hey! What's with the light show?", which shows other people can see the glow that is seen whenever Sora unlocks another gateway. Timon is seen only scarcely, but ultimately helps Simba by telling him to "Live for today". He also gives some good advice before facing the Groundshaker.

Pumbaa is not seen until much later in the first visit, and has very few lines throughout. The only things worth noting are his almost-being-eaten by Nala (similar to the movie), and his capture by the hyenas Shenzai, Banzaii and Ed which leads to a boss fight against the three hyenas.

While Sora and his friends were at the oasis, he and Timon told them about Hakuna Matata. After Simba and Nala have an argument about going back to Pride Rock to take down Scar, the five of them enter the area chanting Hakuna Matata.

At the end of the final cutscene, he is shown to be quite nervous due to Timon's comment: "What if he [Simba] forgets to tell the predators who we are?" with Pumbaa shortly responding apprehensively, "Yeah, and I'M NOT GOING TO BE SOMEONE'S PORK DIIIIINNNNEEERR!" finishing in a panic and running off in a dash.Pumbaa is scarcely seen in the second visit, and mostly only plays a role of hinting where you should go next. However, in the end, Pumbaa adds onto Timon's "Live for today" words by saying: "And put your past behind you!", moving in a carefree, joyous trot. He also shows courage by protecting Nala from Scar's ghost up on Pride Rock, despite being frightened by the apparition.

Knownable Relatives

• Simba (Foster Son and friend)
• Timon's Mother (Timon's mother)
• Timon's Uncle Max (Timon's uncle)
• Uncle Boris (Pumbaa's Uncle)
• Kiara (Surrogate Niece)

Trivia

• In the first Lion King film, Timon is the only character who stands and walks on his back feet (while meerkats normally walk on all four).
• It is revealed in The Lion King 2 Simba's Pride that Timon is unaware of Scar's death.
• Timon, along with Pumbaa, is the most popular character from The Lion King franchise.
• Despite the fact that Scar is one of Timon's enemies, they never interact with each other.
• In an early script for The Lion King 1 1/2, Timon's digging skills would be just fine and there were four bullies that make him leave.
• Timon has some knowledge about human technology, such as rifles/blowpipes. In Simba's Pride, when he and Pumbaa are cornered by the Outsiders during the battle, Timon jumps on the back of frightened Pumbaa and brandishes his tail like a rifle/blowpipe and points it at the Outsiders, claiming that it's "loaded". The Outsiders foolishly fall for it and run away in fear. This implies that in unseen occasions, humans and the indigenous people with rifles and blowpipes come to Pride Land (possibly as hunters, wildlife rangers, tourists or poachers), otherwise Timon and the Outsiders wouldn't know of rifles. This also imply that they have encounter humans before.
• The television series and the Wild About Safety episodes showcase Timon owning several human items, as well as Pumbaa, even including an iPad.
• According the the filmmakers, Timon and Pumbaa were meant to be childhood friends of Simba who stuck with him after his exile from Scar. It was later decided that Timon and Pumbaa were outcast as well to have a better relationship with Simba.
• According to the Timon and Pumbaa's Wild About Safety episode "Fire Safety", Timon's address is 500 Buena Vista St., which is the street address of the headquarters of The Walt Disney Company in Burbank, California,
• Timon's line, "What do you want me to do? Dress and drag and do the hula?", was improvised by his voice actor, Nathan Lane.
• Pumbaa is called a "pig" by both Timon and Simba, but doesn't react negatively either time, most likely because they are his two best friends. In the first film, only when Banzai called Pumbaa a pig, he did react negatively. This was reflected in a couple episodes of the spin-off.
• Along with Timon, Pumbaa is the most popular and famous character from The Lion King franchise.
• Pumbaa is similar to Flower in Bambi in which they both don't have friends, because they both stink.
• In The Hunchback of Notre Dame (film), two men carry a dead warthog that resembles Pumbaa in the song Out There, and also later on in the movie as Judge Claude Frollo is standing out on the balcony looking for Quasimodo and Esmeralda. A gargoyle that is shaped like Pumbaa is seen in the sequence of the film where Paris, France is burning.
• Actually, the warthog-shaped gargoyle seen in the climax, contrary to popular belief, is not supposed to represent Pumbaa at all. That's actually a real gargoyle, as pointed out by the filmmakers.
• In Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Genie turns into Pumbaa in a scene by saying "Hakuna Matata".
• Pumbaa is the first flatulent Disney character ever in a Disney movie.
• According to a director from the film, Pumbaa was an orphan, since when he was a child, his parents were eatten by cheetahs. He joined a group of warthogs, but his smell was very unappealing, more than a warthog, so he was cast out and lived as an outcast until he met and befriended Timon.
• A mongoose resembling Timon and a boar resembling Pumbaa can be seen during the song "W-I-L-D" from The Jungle Book 2.
• Timon prefers crunchy bugs above all other foods.
• Timon's original voice actor in the films was Nathan Lane, who was occasionally replaced in other media as Timon's voice by Quinton Flynn, who voices Lea and Axel in the Kingdom Hearts series.
• In the Spanish version of the play, he speaks with an Andalusian accent.
• Timon and Pumbaa were originally supposed to sing the entirety of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" in a comical fashion, but Elton John decided not to use that version of the song because he felt that it sounded horrible.
• In the movie, MouseHunt, which co-starred Nathan Lane, he briefly says "Hakuna Matata" in one of the scenes before the auction.
• Timon is seemingly from Jewish ancestry, but it is unknown if he practices this religion; he speaks with a Yiddish accent, his mom used the word "meshugenah," and in The Lion King 1½, he sang the song "Sunrise, Sunset", from the Jewish-themed musical, "Fiddler on the Roof".
• He is the first character to express flatulence in a Disney film.
• Ernie Sabella jokingly stated once that he is proud to be the first Disney character "to have gas".
• He prefers slimy bugs instead of crunchy.
• Pumbaa has been known to dislike being in big crowds, possibly suggesting claustrophobia.
• A warthog resembling Pumbaa makes a cameo in The Jungle Book 2, along with a monkey resembling Timon, during the song "W-I-L-D".
• One of Pumbaa's defining characteristics was the way he rubbed his belly. The inspiration for the tick: animator Tony Bancroft's then-pregnant wife, who would often rub her own protruding belly. Bancroft thought that the action would make Pumbaa more "human and relatable".
• Pumbaa's name can be seen as graffiti in the Mickey Mouse episode "No Reservation".

Voice Actors

• Japanese (Timon) : Yuji Mitsuya (1994 – Present), Asei (2019 Live Action Film)
• English (Timon) : Nathan Lane (1994 – 2004, Early 1995 episodes of Timon and Pumbaa, and Animated Storybook: The Lion King/Circle Of Life Environmental Fable & Once Upon A Studio short), Quinton Flynn (Timon and Pumbaa, season 1), Kevin Schon (Timon and Pumbaa Season 2 – 5, House of Mouse, and The Lion King: Simba's MIghty Adventure/The Lion Guard), Bruce Lanoil (Wild about Safety Shorts), James Arnold Taylor (Video Games), Billy Eichner (2019 Live Action Film)
• Japanese (Pumbaa) : Atomu Kobayashi (The Lion King 1 & 2), Hiroshi Hatanaka (The Lion King 1 1/2 – Present), ??? (2019 Live Action Film)
• English (Pumbaa) : Ernie Sabella (1994 – Present), Seth Rogen (2019 Live Action Film)

all information on Timon and Pumbaa came from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Timon /http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Pumbaa