The Lion King
The Lion Kingmay have been discharge in 1994 , but it is good to say that the motion picture has not aged a twenty-four hours in the middle and minds of Disney fans . So much so that the Mouse House decide to bring this tarradiddle back to life in a2019 remaking starring Donald Glover and Beyonce .
Despite the fact that Timon and Pumbaa are nearly universallybeloved Disney fibre , fans do not make love a lot about them . With so much turmoil and nostalgia surroundingThe Lion Kingonce again , it is clip to revisit some facts about two of its most important characters and learn more about them .
TIMON AND PUMBAA’S VOICES ALMOST WENT TO DIFFERENT CHARACTERS
This may come as a shock to manyThe Lion Kingfans , but Nathan Lane ( who voiced Timon ) and Ernie Sabella ( who voiced Pumbaa ) were initially brought in to audition for the roles of the hyenas in the motion-picture show . However , the film ’s directors were on the face of it worried thatLion Kingwas turning out to have too dark-skinned of a tonicity .
After Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella audition for Disney , the studio initiate to get different ideas for the motion picture as a whole . During aninterview with the Huffington Post , Sabella explain : “ There was something in our ad - libs that made [ The Lion Kingdirector ] Roger conceive that we could maybe be the voice of these comic characters that had n’t even been produce yet . ” All in all , it is safe to say that the approximation for Timon and Pumbaa rise from Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella ’s audition for the roles of the hyenas .
HAKUNA MATATA ORIGINALLY HAD A VERSE EXPLAINING TIMON’S BACKSTORY
We all know that “ Hakuna Matata ” explains not only what this catch phrase actually intend , but also provide a small turn of backstory as to where Pumbaa came from . While we have all come to accept this wonderful , fun song as it is … It still begs the interrogation : why did n’t we also get Timon ’s backstory ?
As the story goes,“Hakuna Matata ” originally did have an total verseexplaining Timon ’s backstory , which sounds just like the verse about Pumbaa . However , the rhyme was finally cut out of the song because it was considered to be too long .
PUMBAA WAS THE FIRST CHARACTER TO EVER FART IN A DISNEY MOVIE
This may come as a surprisal to many , but Pumbaa actually holds the very of import claim of being the first - ever character to fart on filmdom in a Disney moving-picture show . That ’s correct : beforeThe Lion Kingin 1994 , no character reference had ever farted in an animated feature produced by Disney .
It is safe to say that , if there was ever a character that was capable to discover the stigma of passing throttle in a Disney cinema , that was certainly Pumbaa .
TIMON DISCOVERED THE GREEN JUNGLE PARADISE WHERE THEY LIVE
You screw the immature hobo camp paradise where Timon and Pumbaa know , where they introduce Simba to“Hakuna Matata”and eat slimed things for dessert ? Well , harmonise toThe Lion King 1 ½ , it was Timon who found that unbelievable spot .
After1994’sThe Lion King , it was implied that Timon and Pumbaa travel to Pride Rock to be alongside Simba in his kingdom . However , the Disney Channel tv set seriesTimon & Pumbaatook place almost completely in the hobo camp , meaning that these characters moved back eventually . Fun fact : intheKingdom Hearts IIgame , it is established that the lionesses of Pride Rock knew of this jungle paradise , but were blocked by Scar to move there .
IN SWAHILI, PUMBAA MEANS “LAZY”
Many of the words and character name used inThe Lion Kingcame from the Swahili linguistic communication , which is considered the common oral communication of various parts of Africa , including Kenya , Rwanda , and Tanzania , to name a few . For exercise , “ Hakuna Matata ” comes from Swahili , where it literally means “ no worries . ”
Like many other names and terms inThe Lion King , “ Pumbaa ” is also a word in Swahili . grant to translators , “ Pumbaa ” mean things like “ lazy , ” “ regardless , ” and even “ illiterate . ” Needless to say , Pumbaa ’s name was really painting a picture of what the character would be .
TIMON AND PUMBAA HAVE LAST NAMES
It is not uncommon for fictional characters to have full epithet that fan were never actually aware of . That is because , most times , animated moving picture only concentre on a case ’s first name , making it easier for audiences to remember it .
Because Timon was developed as a reference that had Jewish blood line , it makes sense for his name to have a Judaic origin . In the Disney Channel tailspin - off seriesTimon & Pumbaa , it was bring out that Timon ’s in-between name is Leslie and that his last name is Berkowitz . In the same TV serial , it was also give away that Pumbaa ’s last name is Smith .
PUMBAA RUBBING HIS BELLY WAS INSPIRED BY A PREGNANT WOMAN
One of the most memorable Pumbaa moments inThe Lion Kingis when the character rubs his belly as he , Timon , and Simba are stargazing and discuss what the stars in the sky really mean . Well , it turn out that the inhalation behind Pumbaa ’s belly - rubbing amount from animator Tony Bancroft ’s pregnant married woman , who used to fret her belly that exact same room while he was work out on the movie .
According to Tony Bancroft , Pumbaa itch his venter is one of his pet scenes inThe Lion King . During an interview with MovieWeb , the animator stated , “ It was something that I think added a little spirit to [ the scene ] and made it more relatable . ”
TIMON HAS TWO KNOWN RELATIVES
Even hard-core Disney fan have failed to watchThe Lion King 1 ½ , but a lot of Timon ’s background was actually unwrap during that film . For example , it is now canon that Timon has two known relatives : his mother , which is officially known as Ma , and his uncle , who is named Max . However , it is not cleared to audiences whether Uncle Max and Ma are sib or in - laws .
Ma is a caring and supportive female parent who fears for Timon ’s safety but also wants him to deliver the goods in life . Uncle Max is more of an nettlesome character who is often scared and negative , often prompt Disney devotee of an early - on Marlin fromFinding Nemo .
WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL IS PUMBAA?
Though it may seem curious to many more diehard buff , there are a surprising amount of multitude out there that simply do n’t get laid what animals the two characters are . Not to cite quite a few younger fans who are still learning about the rude universe through playfulness and memorable movies likeThe Lion King .
Pumbaa is identified by himself in the movie as a warthog . They are bombastic pigs that are indigenous to Sub - Saharan Africa , and are , therefore , a logical alternative of brute to see in the movie ’s setting .
WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL IS TIMON?
Timon , on the other hand , is a meerkat , a little mongoose love for its tendency to subsist in big groups and stand on its hind legs to find out out for danger . They ’re also indigene of southern Africa like warthogs and therefore not odd brute for the area .
Obviously , certain impropriety are get hold of with the reality of the animals , and not everything about Timon ’s representation as a meerkat in the movie is strictly precise , as our next entry delve into …
