Relationships with Simba.

[Zonofon]

I do not know if there was before such topic.
Feature of TLK 3 movie is that Timon and Pumbaa relationships with Simba are described as parental. But at the same time at the end of the film Simba said to them: "I couldn't have done it without you guys." I see it as relationships of friends.

Do you see parenthood as a humorous moment in the film?

[Haraka]

I don't really see their relationship as parental. IMO they are indeed much more into a friendship. Sure they do teach simba a few thing but that doesn't mean they are their parent. Anyone can teach anyone without being seen as their parents right ? Then they saved him in hope of having a powerful ally , not because they wanted to have a cheerful little cub following them. The parents-like scenes are just here for humor , not because they actually act as parents

[TheLionPrince]

I see their relationship during Simba's upbringing and his early adult years as more of a friendship than parental. They gave Simba some advice on what to do with his life like any friend that really cares about you would give. However, it's shown they saved Simba on numerous occasions from his reckless behavior like Mufasa did, though it remains to be seen whether they scolded him for his actions like any responsible parent would. The only few moments where Timon and Pumbaa can be seen as parents is where Simba wakes them up for water, and wants comfort from them because he had a nightmare.

And yes, I do see the "parental" moments as played for laughs.

[Carl]

Those moments were used for laughs, but I think their relationships with him were a bit of both really. I mean, any good parent will be an authority figure and a friend. Now, to transfer that to the TLK universe--I think that while Simba was still a cub, Timon and Pumbaa took on parental roles. They raised him, after all. They obviously taught him which bugs to eat and which ones not to eat, they passed on their lifestyle to him, and as shown in this film, they took care of him in the ways parents would in the cases of his nightmare and things of this nature. In the earlier days, it would have been hard for him to survive had they not taken on parental roles. However, they would not have been strict "parents," obviously, considering as that wouldn't fit in with the Hakuna Matata lifestyle.

As Simba grew older and needed less and less "parental guidance," shall we say, they would have begun taking less and less responsibility for him, thus losing the parental aspects of themselves and retaining only the friendship. This transition would have been somewhat slow, but would have begun as Simba entered his teen years and became more independent. It would have been a natural transition, easy, and hardly noticeable due to the duo's already laidback lifestyle and lax rules. So, by the time Simba is an adult, Timon and Pumbaa are simply his buddies.

That's how I've always viewed it, at least.

[MeerkatOnTheMoon]

That's how I've always seen it too. Simba was on the verge of becoming a teen in my book when he and Timon and Pumbaa met. During that stage, they had to take on parental roles to raise him but once he has transformed into an adult, they went back to being his buddies and later helpers.