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Bunga the Wise
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This article is about the episode.
You may be looking for the song or the book.


Bunga the Wise
BungatheWise1
Attribution information
Director

Howy Parkins

Writer

John Loy

Production information
Series

The Lion Guard

Season

1

Episode

3

Production number

104

Air date

January 22, 2016

Episode guide
Previous

"The Rise of Makuu"

Next

"Can't Wait to be Queen"

Honey badgers are the smartest when they think before they speak. But if they do not, total disaster!
Rafiki[src]

"Bunga the Wise" is the third episode of Season 1 of The Lion Guard, and the third episode of the series overall. It premiered on January 22, 2016.

Official synopsis[]

"After floodwaters threaten the Pride Lands and Bunga comes up with a quick fix, Kion and the other members of the Lion Guard learn that the quick and easy solution to a problem is not always the best."[1]

Plot summary[]

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The Lion Guard struggles to save a troop of baboons from falling off a cliff.

During a rainstorm, the Lion Guard struggles to keep a troop of baboons from falling off a cliff with an unstable tree, but the baboons refuse to see reason. Kion sends Bunga up to scare them down, and Bunga uses his stink to flush them out of the tree to safety.

After the rescue, the Lion Guard takes a breather, and Kion speaks with the ghost of his grandfather, Mufasa. The cub asks if he should use the Roar of the Elders to blow the big storms away, but Mufasa explains that rain is part of the Circle of Life and that the Pride Lands need water to survive.

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Kion seeks wisdom about the rains from his grandfather, Mufasa.

Kion accepts his grandfather's words, but as he goes back to rejoin his friends, he sees a wall of floodwater racing across the plains. He orders Ono to take a look, and Ono informs the Guard that Lake Kiziwa is flooding. Bunga proposes that they knock a pile of large rocks into the floodwaters, and the flood is momentarily stopped.

As the other animals of the Pride Lands gather around, Rafiki approaches and starts to compliment honey badgers on their wisdom, but he is interrupted when he accidentally drops the fruit he's carrying. Bunga doesn't wait for Rafiki to finish and proclaims that he's the smartest animal in the Pride Lands. With everyone trailing behind him, he goes off to say as much to his adopted uncles, Timon and Pumbaa. Rafiki then finishes what he had been saying: that honey badgers are only smart when they think before they speak.

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Bunga uses a stick to block the floodwaters.

As the Lion Guard races after Bunga, they encounter animal after animal who needs their help, and they continually rescue those affected by the floodwaters. Just before they can check on Ushari and the cobras, Ono flies in, proclaiming that they have to see what's going on at Hakuna Matata Falls.

When the Lion Guard arrives at Hakuna Matata Falls, they see animals lined up to meet Bunga, who has proclaimed himself to be a sage. Bunga and his adopted uncles, Timon and Pumbaa, declare Bunga's wisdom to the crowd, much to the Lion Guard's dismay ("Bunga the Wise"). Bunga then doles out bad advice to the lined-up animals.

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Bunga waves to the crowd of animals who have come to hear his wisdom.

Seeing the disaster for what it is, Kion attempts to talk Bunga out of his idiocy, but the honey badger refuses to rejoin the Lion Guard. Timon ushers the friends out of Bunga's lair, and the Lion Guard reluctantly leaves. As they walk away, Fuli comments bitterly that Bunga is the last animal who should be doling out advice, but Beshte points out that Bunga had stopped the lake from flooding. Kion agrees, but admits that he has a bad feeling about the situation.

While roaming the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard frees an ostrich named Mbuni, whose head is stuck in the sand, and she explains that she had been advised to do so by Bunga the Wise. After this, the friends encounter and rescue more and more animals taking Bunga's bad advice. Finally, Kion admits that they need to stop Bunga before it's too late.

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The Lion Guard confronts Bunga over his widespread bad advice.

Just then, they see Bunga at the head of a parade, celebrating his great wisdom. Kion runs up and once again attempts to make Bunga see reason, but the honey badger points out that everyone loves his advice. Timon adds that Bunga had fixed the dam, but just then, the dam breaks and the animals are forced to flee across the plains.

With Kion in the lead, the animals run into a canyon, where they find themselves at a dead end. Trapped, the animals look to Bunga for wisdom, but the honey badger tells them to listen to Kion, who truly does know how to handle bad situations. Thinking quickly, Kion orders the others to stand behind him and uses the Roar of the Elders to send the floodwaters splashing backward.

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The animals celebrate after Kion stops the flood with the Roar of the Elders.

With the Pride Lands saved, the Lion Guard relaxes at a new water hole created by the floodwaters, where Bunga is warned by Rafiki not to bask in a patch of flowers. Scoffing, Bunga reminds Rafiki that he'd called him the wisest animal in the Pride Lands, and Rafiki corrects him, saying that honey badgers are only smart when they think things through. Sure enough, Bunga's basking spot turns into a puddle of mud, and Bunga admits that he can live with not being the smartest.

Voice cast[]

Starring[]

Guest starring[]

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. TV News Desk (December 23, 2015). Disney Junior Announces January 2016 Programming Highlights. Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved on August 2, 2020.
  2. Swing comparison
  3. Meditate comparison
  4. Revealed in "Never Roar Again" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 1, Episode 21. Written by Jack Monaco and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired November 18, 2016.


Season 1 of The Lion Guard
Never Judge a Hyena by its Spots    The Rise of Makuu    Bunga the Wise    Can't Wait to be Queen    Eye of the Beholder    The Kupatana Celebration    Fuli's New Family    The Search for Utamu    Follow that Hippo!    The Call of the Drongo    Paintings and Predictions    The Mbali Fields Migration    Bunga and the King    The Imaginary Okapi    Too Many Termites    The Trouble with Galagos    Janja's New Crew    Baboons!    Beware the Zimwi    Lions of the Outlands    Never Roar Again    The Lost Gorillas    The Trail to Udugu    Ono's Idol    Beshte and the Hippo Lanes    Ono the Tickbird
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