Does anyone but me feel sorry that Timon and Pumbaa...

[Animal of the Wild]

...had to be, well, parents?

The unfortunate part is they didn't really have the choice. There wasn't really anything else they could do. Saving Simba's life was the good part, but raising him, even though Mufasa and Sarabi had already raised him...?

Well, it's just that's not who they come across as being. They are hardly Mufasa and Sarabi. They are guys who enjoy the freedom of life without kids to look after, like the three hyenas. But whereas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed never had to be confronted with such a situation, Timon and Pumbaa did. And I'm sorry, but it's just not their thing. If it had just been Timon, Simba might not be alive. If it was just Pumbaa...well, I'm sure he would get sick of it. Sure, he likes things that are "cute and all alone", but does he realizes what he's being forced to sign up for?

That's part of the reason I don't like this movie. It softened the already babyish duo by making them into Mufasa-Sarabi replacements (which, let's face it---they couldn't possibly be, never wanted to be, and really shouldn't have had to be.)

[ScarLoyal]

Hm.. I don't really think that it was 'terrible' for them to raise Simba. I mean.. they actually saw him as their 'son'. They also never regretted such a thing.
To be honest, i think the hyenas would of just 'ate' Simba.

[EdtheHyena]

[quote="ScarLoyal"]Hm.. I don't really think that it was 'terrible' for them to raise Simba. I mean.. they actually saw him as their 'son'. They also never regretted such a thing.
To be honest, i think the hyenas would of just 'ate' Simba. [/quote]

1. Well, they probably wouldn't have at first, since they were sort of forced by the circumstances into thinking of him that way.

2. Well the hyenas are at least better at thinking up ways to get someone off their backs...I'm sorry, I know they're supposed to be evil, but I just like it that they're not as soft.

[ILoveShenziMarie]

[quote="ScarLoyal"]Hm.. I don't really think that it was 'terrible' for them to raise Simba. I mean.. they actually saw him as their 'son'. They also never regretted such a thing. [/quote]

But that's what I think OP was pointing out made no sense. It completely goes against their beliefs and personalities, and while they wouldn't do something they'd regret, they also wouldn't do something out of character.


[quote]


To be honest, i think the hyenas would of just 'ate' Simba. [/quote]

Again, I think that what OP was trying to say Timon and Pumbaa are more like them and would logically have found a simple answer to their problem.

[ILoveShenziMarie]

[quote="ScarLoyal"]Hm.. I don't really think that it was 'terrible' for them to raise Simba. I mean.. they actually saw him as their 'son'. They also never regretted such a thing. [/quote]

Well, not at first, actually. And they didn't regret it because they didn't have a choice in the matter.

As for the "terrible" part, like I said, it's going against what they believe is all.


[quote]To be honest, i think the hyenas would of just 'ate' Simba. [/quote]

Well, sure. But they're still awesome, though!

[KiovuLove]

It is kind of against their nature. But have we forgotten that their motives were kind of selfish? They wanted to raise him to be "on their side", their bodyguard.

[Elton John]

[quote="KiovuLove"]It is kind of against their nature. But have we forgotten that their motives were kind of selfish? They wanted to raise him to be "on their side", their bodyguard.[/quote]

I didn't see the 'on their side' remark as a bodyguard thing, but that he would be their friend and not eat them.

[KiovuLove]

Well then nala came and timon said "see I told you he would come in handy". Just saying. I think that's what they meant. Maybe not completely but at least partially

[SimbasGuard]

Timon and Pumbaa genuinely came to care for Simba. However Timon and Pumbaa did want Simba around as a protector. If you will remember after Pumbaa said:

" Maybe he'll be on our side."

Timon (Eventually) says:

"Having a lion around might not be such a bad idea."

Timon and Pumbaa did not take Simba in out of the kindness of there hearts. They definitely had an ulterior motive.

[Amadi_the_Guard]

The first movie made it look like Timon, Pumbaa and Simba were just friends, despite the age difference.
Probably referenced from Kimba who, for example, has a lot of animal friends, some of which are much older then him, but who still hold him in high regard and don't treat him too much like a child, despite looking out for him and teaching him about life from time to time.
Besides, I believe that, in the period when TLK was made, Disney tried their best to make it look like adults can easily become friends with children, rather then giving the realistic picture: Oliver from Oliver & Company sorta made friends with a much older crew, Patch befriended Thunderbolt, Scamp was treated as an equal by Buster, Melody befriended the the penguin and... whatever, who also appear to be adults... And Simba never really referred to the duo as his parents in the original, instead calling them his friends when he introduced them to Nala. He doesn't seem to show them much direct respect, either, like he probably would for Mufasa and Sarabi... or any parental figure, but still looks out for them like a friend would.

That would even make Timon and Pumbaa's motives more reasonable and less... creepy.
It's not so much of a:
-Hey, lets take in this lion cub and raise him to be our body guard.
as it was:
-Hey, lets make friends with this lion cub. He could help us when we get in trouble once he grows up.
Speaking of which, this is more like Timon's motive, rather then Pumbaa's. If you pay attention to the dialogue, after Timon said Simba could eat them, Pumbaa said that he could be on their side - as in, probably not eating them. Then it clicked to Timon that they could have a lion on their side, who could also protect them. And we all know Timon, despite really having the heart of gold, is a bit on the selfish side. That's my interpretation.

In TLK 1 1/2, the producers probably thought it would be kinda cute to show the pair raising Simba, and that it would make Timon even more likable when we see him actually look out for Simba like a father would. So why not? Here's the first time we see him call Timon 'pops'...

As for the original post, no matter how one looks at their relationship with the cub, I disagree. If they have left Simba behind, he would have died from dehydration. Simply because they wanted to live care-free lives, that doesn't make them cruel, so as protagonists they made a better choice and later got an awesome, powerful lion king looking out for them. Besides, it's not like Simba didn't grow into their care-free life himself. I don't believe we should feel sorry for people who make brave choices - that only means they are great and will be rewarded later on.
Alright, I'm not sure if Timon would have been brave enough to pick the lion cub if he was alone, but if he did, he would have looked out for him as he obviously does care for him. As for Pumbaa - if he's not sick of Timon, he wouldn't have grown sick of Simba either. Pumbaa is one of the most tolerant, kind, and patient characters on the show, and I don't think I ever saw him even doing something selfish or cruel to others. How long does it take him to forgive the lioness who tried to eat him, again? The care-free life was mostly TImon's idea, anyway... Pumbaa just choose to rolle with it.