by Regulus » October 16th, 2013, 4:42 pm
I don't really like Timon. Sorry to all the meerkat fans around here, but I think it's about time that I explain why.
For starters, his voice is rather annoying. He's like Zazu, but without that awesome British accent.
But that's not what really bothers me. The main reason why I don't like him is because of the way he treats Pumbaa. His entire existence, in the first film, is nothing but comic relief. Instead of actually being funny, however, he's just mean.
He takes credit for Pumbaa's good ideas, but otherwise manipulates the warthog into doing whatever he wants. He takes advantage of Pumbaa's stupidity, his lack of family, and his kind, relaxed personality, with the obvious intention of only working to benefit himself.
I've known people like that. I've been in Pumbaa's situation one too many times, and let me tell you: it isn't pleasant.
Timon doesn't look after anyone but himself, and he's not afraid to admit it. He doesn't really care about anyone or anything; that was what allowed him to adopt the philosophy of Hakuna Matata to begin with.
He didn't rescue Simba. He kept Simba away from his home, and prevented the cub from fulfilling his place in life. Timon used Simba for his own protection, and that was it.
In TLK 3 I can almost feel bad for Timon, but I don't. There was a reason why he was kicked out--because he couldn't do his job. He couldn't do any job, and his excuse was that he thought he deserved better. I'm sure his family grew tired of that really quickly.
He didn't even get exiled, so it wasn't like that. He left his family because of the severity of his acute cranial rectitis. He was too absorbed in himself to do any job or contribute to his colony in any way, but he couldn't see it. He was incapable of fathoming the idea that he was wrong to think the way he did.
Oh, but I know what you're going to say. He changed! That's part of character development, and I'm glad the writers allowed a main character to initially exemplify such poor qualities, and change later on. But that doesn't mean I can still like him.
Mostly, that's because part of me wonders why he changed. I have little doubt that he decided to help Simba, simply because he realized what was in it for him. He found that if he helped Simba, he could live in the Pridelands with the protection of multiple lions. I just have to wonder about that, looking back through all those scenes. I know he was far too thick to change his mind for the right reasons.
So there you have it. That's why I don't like Timon. That's why Timon is my least favorite character. In my opinion, he has fewer redeeming qualities than even Scar or Zira, who are supposed to be the real bad guys.