The Lion King Wiki
Register
Advertisement
The Lion King Wiki
The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa
The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa

Attribution Information
Director

   Roberts Gannaway
   Tony Craig
   Rob LaDuca
   Jeff DeGrandis
   Eddy Houchins
   Mauro Casalese
   Brad Neave

Composer

Stephen James Taylor

Starring

   Nathan Lane
   Quinton Flynn
   Kevin Schon
   Ernie Sabella

No. of seasons

3

No. of episodes

85 (171 segments)

Production Information
Executive producer(s)

   Roberts Gannaway (Seasons 1-2)
   Tony Craig (Seasons 1-2)
   Tedd Anasti (Season 3)
   Patsy Cameron (Season 3)

Producer(s)

   Chris Bartleman (Season 3)
   Blair Peters (Season 3)

Company

   Walt Disney Television Animation
   Studio B. Productions (Season 3)

Channel

   Syndication
   CBS
   Disney Channel
   Toon Disney

The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa (also known as simply Timon & Pumbaa) is an American animated spin-off television series inspired by The Lion King that aired from September 8, 1995 – September 24, 1999 and was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It aired on Fridays and later Mondays on the syndicated block The Disney Afternoon, with new episodes airing on Saturday mornings on CBS.[1][2] The series later reran on Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and Disney Junior.

The show features Timon and Pumbaa as the main characters, as they venture beyond the African plains in search of wild, wacky adventures, continuing to live by the phrase Hakuna Matata.[3] Rafiki, Zazu, and the hyena trio are also given their own segments occasionally. The series uses fast-paced slapstick comedy in order to convey life lessons to young viewers.[4]

Premise[]

The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa follows Timon and Pumbaa as they continue to live according to the Hakuna Matata lifestyle, having (mis)adventures in the Pride Lands, their jungle home, and across the globe in various settings, such as Canada, the United States, France, and Spain.

Characters[]

Original Lion King characters[]

Character Information Voiced by

Supporting characters[]

Character Information Voiced by

Villains and antagonists[]

Character Information Voiced by

Episodes[]

Season Episodes Originally aired
Full Segments Season premiere Season finale
1 25 53 September 8, 1995 December 29, 1995
2 21 40 September 2, 1996 November 25, 1996
3 39 78 January 1, 1999 September 24, 1999

The episodes are usually split into two 11-minute segments. "Once Upon a Timon" and "Home is Where the Hog Is" are the only half-hour episodes of the series, being considered two-part specials. Occasionally, a music video is featured after the second segment of an episode during the first season, making said episode consist of three segments. The music video segments include "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "Yummy Yummy Yummy", and "Stand By Me".

In the Fall of 1995, 13 episodes aired on Friday afternoons on the syndicated Disney Afternoon block while 12 more episodes aired on Saturday mornings on CBS. In the Fall of 1996, 13 new episodes aired on The Disney Afternoon on Mondays with 8 more airing on CBS.

Season 1 (1995)[]

Episode Image Title Original Air Date

Season 2 (1996)[]

Episode Image Title Original Air Date

Season 3 (1999)[]

After Season 2, the show was originally cancelled due to Disney purchasing ABC. However, in 1998, Disney ordered a 39-episode third season due to overseas demand. For this season, the show had a new set of writers and directors and was produced by the Canadian animation studio Studio B Productions for Walt Disney Television Animation. The episodes now open with the same title card artwork that is used in "Catch Me if You Kenya" and the Timon & Pumbaa logo that usually appeared at the frame is gone. These episodes premiered in the United States on the now-defunct Toon Disney in 1999.

Episode Image Title Original Air Date

Production[]

Timon and Pumbaa sketches

A production sketch for the series.

On January 24, 1995, it was announced that a Lion King television series starring Timon and Pumbaa was set to premiere during the fall, as part of The Disney Afternoon.[5][6] Gary Krisel, who was then president of Walt Disney Television Animation, found Timon and Pumbaa to be the best new comedy team to come on the scene for a long time and that they had the potential to be just as classic as Abbott and Costello, Hope and Crosby, Martin and Lewis, and Nichols and May.[6]

T&P poster

A promotional image for the series.

For the first two seasons, Roberts Gannaway and Tony Craig served as the show's executive producers. As of Season 3, the series was produced by Chris Bartleman and Blair Peters, with Tedd Anasti and Patsy Cameron serving as the executive producers. Gannaway stated that he and Craig wanted to expand on Timon and Pumbaa's personalities as a comedy team to keep the series fresh and to keep the show interesting, they decided to not have Timon and Pumbaa be locked into the Serengeti, but allow them to explore the world and meet different kinds of animals.[7]

According to one of the show's writers Kevin Campbell, at the beginning of the series, he and Gannaway made a giant list of puns using country names to open the doors on how many places they could go. After figuring out which funny animal or obstacle situation Timon and Pumbaa would face, they used a "Which Animals Live Where" atlas reference book to find where in the world an episode could take place and check a list of country puns they could pick.[2]

As was common for Disney animated shows at the time, the animation production was done by a consortium of overseas animation studios, including Walt Disney Television Animation (Australia) Pty. Limited, Toon City, Wang Film Productions, Rough Draft Korea Co., Ltd., Sunmin Image Pictures Co., Sunwoo Animation, Koko Enterprises, Toonz Animation, Jaime Diaz Productions, Shanghai Morning Sun Animation and Studio B Productions.

Upon its premiere, Timon & Pumbaa was accompanied with a marketing campaign, which included tie-ins with Burger King, KFC, and SpaghettiOs.[8][9][10]

Broadcast[]

Timon & Pumbaa wallpaper

A wallpaper promoting the show on Toon Disney.

The first two seasons of the show aired simultaneously on The Disney Afternoon and CBS, whereas the third and final season aired on Toon Disney. Reruns of the series aired on Disney Channel from 1997 to 2000 and later from 2006 to 2008. Reruns were shown on Toon Disney up until the channel's demise on February 8, 2009. As a result, the show went off the air for three years.

On March 23, 2012, the show returned to television when Disney Junior was launched as its own channel. However, only selected episodes were shown and some episodes were abruptly edited (presumably due to scenes being deemed inappropriate for preschoolers). As of 2014, the show was removed from the channel.

On January 21, 2017, Timon & Pumbaa was one of the shows presented to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Disney Channel France.[11]

International broadcasts[]

  • Middle East - Jeem TV and Ajyal TV
  • Japan - Cartoon Network Japan and Disney Channel
  • Australia and New Zealand - Boomerang and Disney XD
  • Korea - Disney Channel Korea and KBS1
  • India - Disney Channel
  • Indonesia - MNCTV and SpaceToon
  • Finland - MTV3, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network
  • United Kingdom & Ireland - Disney XD, Disney Junior, CITV and Disney Channel
  • Italy - Toon Disney and Disney Junior
  • Germany - Disney Channel and Kabel eins
  • France - Toon Disney and Disney XD

Home media[]

VHS releases[]

US releases[]

Six VHS cassettes containing 18 episodes of the series were released in the United States under the name Timon & Pumbaa's Wild Adventures.

European and Australian releases[]

Three VHS cassettes containing 21 episodes of the series were released in Europe and Australia. The first of these releases includes a newly-animated wraparound in which Pumbaa gets struck by lightning and develops amnesia and Timon tries to get his friend to recall the events from selected episodes of the series (and occasionally, the original film).

DVD releases[]

T&P Triple Pack

The Timon & Pumbaa triple pack DVD, which was released in Australia on June 6, 2012.

Three DVDs containing 21 episodes of the series were released in Europe, Australia, and Japan. Additionally, a triple set containing episodes from said DVDs was released in Australia.

  • Around the World with Timon & Pumbaa - June 7, 2004
  • Dining Out with Timon & Pumbaa - March 14, 2005
  • On Holiday with Timon & Pumbaa - March 14, 2005
  • Triple Pack - June 6, 2012

Video on demand[]

United States[]

As of November 12, 2019, the series has been made available in its entirety on Disney+, in remastered HD format.[12]

In 2015, the episode "Don't Be Elfish/Lights, Camera, Traction" was presented on Disney Channel on Demand and WatchDisneyChannel.com, as part of Disney Channel Fa-la-la-lidays.

International[]

The first two seasons of the show were made available on the DisneyLife streaming service in the United Kingdom.[13]

The entire series is currently available for purchase on Amazon Instant Video in Germany.[14]

Awards and nominations[]

Award

Outcome

Daytime Emmy Awards[15][16]

1996 – Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – Nathan Lane (for playing "Timon")

Won

1996 - Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - Ernie Sabella (for playing "Pumbaa")

Nominated

1996 - Outstanding Sound Mixing – Special Class - Michael Jiron, Dan Hiland, Melissa Ellis, Jim Hodson, Allen L. Stone, Bill Koepnick, Joseph D. Citarella, and Deb Adair

Nominated

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

1997 - Outstanding Music Direction and Composition - Stephen James Taylor

Nominated

Annie Awards[17]

1997 - Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a TV Production - Roberts Gannaway and Tony Craig (for "Beethoven's Whiff / Bumble in the Jungle / Mind Over Matterhorn")

Nominated

1997 - Best Individual Achievement: Storyboarding in a TV Production - Bob Logan (for "Bumble in the Jungle")

Nominated

1997 - Best Individual Achievement: Production Design in a TV Production - Mike Moon (for "Bumble in the Jungle")

Nominated

1997 - Best Individual Achievement: Production Design in a TV Production - Kexx Singleton (for "Beethoven's Whiff")

Nominated

1997 - Best Individual Achievement: Production Design in a TV Production - Sy Thomas (for "Bumble in the Jungle")

Nominated

1997 - Best Individual Achievement: Character Animation - Bob Baxter (for "Beethoven's Whiff")

Nominated

Humanitas Prize

1997 - Children's Animation Category - Roberts Gannaway (for "Once Upon a Timon")

Nominated

Golden Reel Awards

2000 - Best Sound Editing - Television Animated Series - Sound - Jennifer Martens, Charles Rychwalski, Eric Hertsguaard, Rick Hammel, Kenneth Young, and David Lynch (for "War Hogs / The Big No Sleep")

Nominated

2000 - Best Sound Editing - Television Animation - Music - Fil Brown and Liz Lachman (for "Hot Air Buffoons")

Nominated

2000 - Best Sound Editing - Television Animation - Music - Brian F. Mars and Liz Lachman (for "Steel Hog / Dealer's Choice Cut")

Nominated

Impact and legacy[]

Some of the show's crew returned for The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, The Lion King 1½, and The Lion Guard. Show writer and production secretary, Ford Riley, not only went on to develop the latter, but has since been a series creator, writer and lyricist on many Disney properties.[18] Kevin Schon, who voiced Timon in the series as of its second season, reprised his role as the character in The Lion Guard (as well as its pilot film), along with some other related media, such as House of Mouse. Edward Hibbert continued to voice Zazu in the two direct-to-video follow-ups to The Lion King.

Much of the show's crew (including executive producers Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway) went on to work on House of Mouse and Leroy & Stitch. The Timon and Pumbaa-centric episodes of the former and the duo's cameo in the latter most likely served as tributes to the show.

Trivia[]

SFPW Timon

"Uganda Be an Elephant" as shown in Stepsister From Planet Weird.

  • The show consists of 85 episodes. This makes Timon & Pumbaa one of the few Disney animated series at the time to last for more than 65 episodes.
  • The two half-hour episodes, "Once Upon a Timon" and "Home is Where the Hog Is", explain Timon and Pumbaa's origins and how they came to be wandering loners. The former, however, was contradicted by The Lion King 1½, which may indicate that said episode and exist in two separate timelines.
  • The series is the first (and so far only) Lion King-related media where humans make physical appearances.
    • It is also the first Lion King-related media to feature locations outside of the Serengeti, the second being The Lion Guard.
  • Not counting Mufasa and Scar, Nala is the only major character from the original film to not return in the series.
  • Timon & Pumbaa gets referenced in some other media. A scene from the episode "Uganda Be an Elephant" is shown in the 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie Stepsister From Planet Weird. The title card artwork for the two Zazu-centered episodes is also referenced in the House of Mouse episode "King Larry Swings in".[19]
  • Timon is occasionally described by some characters as a "rat thing" throughout the show. This was Nathan Lane's own description of Timon.[20]
  • Despite the fact that the series takes place after the first film, it does contain a few inconsistencies with said film, though many of them may have explanations:
    • Timon and Pumbaa are shown to live in the jungle, despite the original film (taking place before the series) showing them in the Pride Lands after Scar's death. However, it's possible that they just make frequent visits in the Pride Lands (at least until Kiara's presentation), which is showcased in the series. This is also because, according to several official media, Timon and Pumbaa left the Pride Lands to have their own wacky adventures.[3][4]
    • The episodes "Congo on Like This" and "Shake Your Djibouti" show Simba residing in the jungle with the duo as well, even though in the first film, he is now the king of Pride Rock living in the Pride Lands. However, it is likely that either these two episodes take place during Simba's exile in the jungle, (thus making them whole episode flashbacks as well as midquels to the original film) or Simba merely visits the duo from time to time, which is also implied at the end of the subsequent third film, although the character information page on the book adaptation of "Congo on Like This" implies that it's the former case for at least that episode.[21]
    • In "Never Everglades", Timon argues that they should not raise a kid of a different species, yet they have already raised a child outside of their own kind. Although, this may be because Timon and Pumbaa took Simba in as a new friend and additional member of their Hakuna Matata lifestyle as they believed he was an outcast just like them, whereas Pumbaa Jr. was hatched in an egg Pumbaa believes he laid, thus making them believe they are "mother" and son.
    • In "Zazu's Off-by-One Day" and Around the World with Timon & Pumbaa, Scar makes small, non-speaking cameos despite being killed in the original film. While the latter was likely intentional due to Timon trying to restore Pumbaa's memories, the former remains a mystery (although it is possible that it's his dead body but unlikely considering the hyenas ripped him apart).
    • The rest of Shenzi's clan are absent in the series. It's quite possible the clan disbanded after Scar died in the film, leaving only the trio.

Media[]

References[]

  1. Life is Like a Hurricane: A Brief History of the Disney Afternoon. Oh My Disney. Accessed 22 August 2019.
  2. 2.0 2.1 The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa Debuts in Syndication. D23. Accessed 22 August 2019.
  3. 3.0 3.1 T&P press info
  4. 4.0 4.1 T&P cel back
  5. Disney's `Lion King' Roars Off to Television. SFGate. Accessed 24 January 1995.
  6. 6.0 6.1 'TIMON & PUMBAA' TV SHOW TO FEATURE 'LION KING' PAIR. Orlando Sentinel. Accessed 24 January 1995.
  7. Disney's Little Big Screen: Turning Animated Features Into TV Series. Animation World Magazine. Accessed September 1998.
  8. YouTube favicon Burger King Kids Club Commercial Featuring Timon & Pumbaa Toys on the Weird And Forgotten YouTube channel
  9. YouTube favicon Kentucky Fried Chicken - 1996 -- KFC Kid's Meal & Timone and Pumbaa Promotion Commercial on the Mayor McCheese YouTube channel
  10. YouTube favicon Spaghetti Os - Mouth Mamba with Timon and Pumbaa Tattoos - 1996 on the Commercial Rewind YouTube channel
  11. YouTube favicon La story Disney Channel : Timon & Pumbaa - Samedi 21 janvier à 18h ! on the Disney Channel FR YouTube channel
  12. Watch The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa Full Episodes. Disney+. Accessed 12 November 2019.
  13. What Disney movies and TV shows are available on DisneyLife in the UK?. Vodzilla.co.
  14. Disneys Abenteuer mit Timon und Pumbaa - Prime Video. Amazon.de.
  15. T&P Daytime Emmy ad
  16. T&P Daytime Emmy ad2
  17. YouTube favicon disney Toons Studios Australia 1988 - 2006 on the little shephard YouTube channel
  18. Returning to “The Lion King” Pride Lands with Showrunner Ford Riley. Creative Content Wire.
  19. YouTube favicon Disney's House of Mouse - 2x11 - King Larry Swings In ( 3 / 3 ) [ 1080p HD ] on the Starknight237 YouTube channel
  20. The Birdcage. Robin Williams Fansite. Accessed 1996.
  21. COLT About the Characters
Advertisement