The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa is an American animated television series made by the Walt Disney Company. It centers on Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog from the Disney film franchise The Lion King, without most of the other characters in the franchise. The show ran for three seasons from September 16, 1995 to 1999.
Premise[]
The show stars Timon, a meerkat, and Pumbaa, a warthog, both characters from the Disney animated film The Lion King and its sequels. The characters are normally seen having misadventures in the jungle, but sometimes find themselves across the globe in various settings.
Production[]
Ernie Sabella and Nathan Lane reprised their roles as Pumbaa and Timon, respectively, in The Lion King, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and The Lion King 1½. Both actors were featured early in the television show; however, Lane is not the only voice actor who played his respective role. The role was also played by Quinton Flynn, in some episodes, and Kevin Schon, in most episodes. Music underscore by Stephen James Taylor featuring frequent use of a microtonal xylophone and pan pipes based on an African tribal tuning.
This was one of the last Disney productions to air on CBS, which had a cross-promotion agreement with Disney. Disney would buy ABC in 1996, the same year that this show (and all other Disney properties still airing on CBS at the time) left the network.
Since February 8, 2009 (after its final airing on the now-defunct Toon Disney), this show went off the air for three years. However, it returned to broadcast on March 23, 2012, when Disney Junior went on the air as a channel replacing SOAPnet.[1]
Characters[]
Main article: List of Timon & Pumbaa characters*Timon (voiced in early episodes by Nathan Lane, then by Kevin Schon and Quinton Flynn) - One of the show's main protagonists.
- Pumbaa (voiced by Ernie Sabella) - The show's other protagonist.
- Simba (voiced by Cam Clarke) - Friend of Timon and Pumbaa and king of the Pride Lands.
- Zazu (voiced by Michael Gough) - A pompous hornbill who works for Simba.
- Banzai, Shenzi and Ed (voiced by Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille and Jim Cummings) - Three hyenas who pick on Timon and Pumbaa. They used to work for Scar.
- Rafiki (voiced by Robert Guillaume) - A wise baboon who gives good advice and is occasionally the butt of jokes.
- Quint (voiced by Corey Burton) – The archenemy of Timon and Pumbaa. He is a man of many disguises, and his role varies from episode to episode, from mildly bothersome antagonist to full villain.
- Speedy the Snail (voiced by Corey Burton also) – An easygoing blue snail who can talk and sing too. Timon and Pumbaa were planning to eat him, but ended up becoming friends with him instead. They often find themselves rushing to have to save Speedy from dangerous situations.
- Boss Beaver (voiced by Brad Garrett) – A stereotypical beaver whose life philosophy is the exact opposite of Hakuna Matata. He values hard work and is sometimes too harsh on his employees. He also emphasizes the importance of safe work conditions.
- Erwin (voiced by Charlie Adler) – A dimwitted, accident-prone penguin whose bad luck seems to be terribly contagious. He's got no friends other than Timon and Pumbaa (who became his friends after they were stranded in Antarctica and Erwin had two extra tickets to a cruise ship). They will try to avoid him at all costs.
- Toucan Dan (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – A criminal toucan, wanted by the police. He is known for being a convincing liar and impersonator and always manages to trick Timon and Pumbaa (or just Timon) into helping him
- Smolder the Bear (voiced by Jim Cummings) – A large bear with a very short temperament who Timon and Pumbaa often run into. He can be quite menacing, but at least one episode shows that deep inside he is a nice guy.
- The Three Natives (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – Three natives who are really university students.
Episodes[]
Main article: List of Timon & Pumbaa episodes
Awards and Nominations[]
- 1996 - Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - Nathan Lane For playing "Timon". (Won)
- 1997 - Outstanding Sound Mixing - Special Class - Deb Adair, Jim Hodson, Melissa Ellis, Michael Beiriger, Dan Hiland, Joseph D. Citarella, Allen L. Stone, and Michael Jiron (Won)
- 1997 - Outstanding Individual in Animation - Kexx Singleton for ("Beethoven's Whiff") (Won)