Are Timon & Pumbaa Really Important?

[pounce]

I couldn't stop laughing while reading this thread.
Very interesting debate!

Are Timon and Pumbaa really important? I would enjoy TLK less if I didn't have Hakunamatata. Having such characters that are outgoing and are able to create a careless atmosphere is super important to the movie. Simba seemingly forgets about his past and troubles because of these two. They left him no room to ponder. But even though he was having a fun time with Timon and Pumbaa, his troubled past stayed with him. This makes the good message that simply ignoring fears doesn't fix them; And what better way to ignore troubles than with Timon and Pumbaa.

I would have to agree that it didn't have to be Timon and Pumbaa specifically. They could have been some other characters but had to fill in their roles. Nonetheless, I think having Timon and Pumbaa was a very creative decision. I feel like they add variety to the movie meant for family watching.

[KentuckyWildcat]

I think they're important. Sure, I could have done without some of the juvenile humor, but they did save Simba from certain death. Also, the contrast between their Hakuna Matata lifetsyle and Simba's rightful responsibilities as king serves as one of the major crises in the movie. Without Simba's struggle to face the demons of his past rather than ignore them, the plot becomes considerably weaker in my opinion.

[Ananda]

YES!!! They are important to me. The movie wouldn't be as much exciting without them.

[TheBlackCatCrossing]

Personally, I am fed up with Timon and Pumbaa due to overexposure. Their importance was to give Simba a break/breather from the stress he induced after seeing his dad died but judging by Mufasa's reaction when he said 'You are more than what you have become' says a lot about what HE thinks of them. From an angle, they played a role but to me the rob TLK of the majesty that it is. The hyenas were better for comedy relief IMNSHO.

I just looked at the poll results. Apologists.

[Regulus]

[quote="TheBlackCatCrossing"]Personally, I am fed up with Timon and Pumbaa due to overexposure. Their importance was to give Simba a break/breather from the stress he induced after seeing his dad died but judging by Mufasa's reaction when he said 'You are more than what you have become' says a lot about what HE thinks of them. From an angle, they played a role but to me the rob TLK of the majesty that it is. The hyenas were better for comedy relief IMNSHO.

I just looked at the poll results. Apologists. [/quote]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[DGFone]

Maybe I haven't been to the same places that you have, or maybe I have a higher tolerance, but not only can I still stand the duo (as well as enjoy them as well at times), but I still think that they are important.

In other words: Just because you are over-exposed to their (often bad) comedy, it doesn't make them any less important as characters.

Watch the movie less if that is the case, and stay well clear of the TV show.

[KentuckyWildcat]

I can see validity in the overexposure angle. I think they're important to the original film (minus the fart jokes) as I already explained. However, I can't for the life of me figure out why Disney latched onto them so much in the following years.

[DGFone]

[quote="KentuckyWildcat"]However, I can't for the life of me figure out why Disney latched onto them so much in the following years.[/quote]

Money, dear boy.

The only defense against the over-exposure is to avoid things like the TV show right away, and not only when you start getting sick of them.

[cleargreenwater]

[quote="KentuckyWildcat"]I can see validity in the overexposure angle. I think they're important to the original film (minus the fart jokes) as I already explained. However, I can't for the life of me figure out why Disney latched onto them so much in the following years.[/quote]

That's actually a really neat thing to trace further.

I think they zeroed in on Timon & Pumbaa specifically because The Lion King did turn out to be such an unexpected huge phenomenon--remember, TLK was the "B" movie to Pocahontas, and because it was the B movie, I think it got away with being a way more mature themed and tightly scripted/wrapped up film than most other more formulaic traditional Disney fare.

So because of that unexpected popularity and resounding response to the movie, they were then faced with the curious problem of having to decide on how to market a Disney movie as a Disney movie when most of that movie went a little heavier than their norm.

I don't necessarily think Disney latched on to Timon & Pumbaa JUST on account of dollars, (although that surely kept them going and running on them,) I think they latched on to Timon & Pumbaa because Timon & Pumbaa were the only safely and iconically ***Disney*** element they could extract from a movie people had responded to so much that lacked almost all of the other known hallmarks of Disney.

There really is no magic fairies, no princesses, even Elton John was horrified when they didn't let him do a more classic/conventional Disney love ballad. Timon & Pumbaa were sort of the only things they safely *could* market from it that stuck with their brand enough to be comfortable with.

Really, could you see Sarabi working in an appropriately innocuous standard after-school TV show week after week?

Timon & Pumbaa sort of HAD to be their flagship from TLK.

[Ninaroja]

[quote="cleargreenwater"]

Really, could you see Sarabi working in an appropriately innocuous standard after-school TV show week after week?

Timon & Pumbaa sort of HAD to be their flagship from TLK.[/quote]

Finally found someone to agree with me Having watched quite a few Timon and Pumbaa episodes over years, I think a TV show about the lions of pride rock would have been insanely cheesy. It made sense to do a comedy cartoon about Timon and Pumbaa since they were the comedy relief of the film anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBK0i83ip78
Take this clip and try to imagine Simba/Mufasa etc. in the place of Timon and Pumbaa. I don't think I'd be able to cope with that