The Babysitters

[PrincessKiara]

This is something I`ve always wondered about...

In SP, Simba puts his faith in Timon and Pumbaa to watch Kiara and keep her out of danger. It is however a running joke in the movie that they time and time again fail at this task.

So I`ve always wondered why Simba keeps letting these two watch his daughter? Especially considering how protective he acts?

Of course he or Nala can`t watch her all the time, they have a kingdom to run.

I also get the impression that Simba wants Timon and Pumbaa to be sneaky, stay in the background, watching Kiara without her feeling that she`s being watched, you know?

So my question is, why doesn`t Simba ask someone else to babysit Kiara?

[atouchofgrace]

[quote="PrincessKiara"]I also get the impression that Simba wants Timon and Pumbaa to be sneaky, stay in the background, watching Kiara without her feeling that she`s being watched[/quote]

[quote="PrincessKiara"]It is however a running joke in the movie[/quote]

This.

[PrincessKiara]

So you think it`s purely for comic relief?

I honestly feel really sorry for Kiara in all the scenes she has to put up with those two.

[AvrilWonderful]

bec.he believed that if they made him a king,they'll made Kiara A Queen

[atouchofgrace]

[quote="PrincessKiara"]So you think it`s purely for comic relief?[/quote]

Mostly yes. Think about it: what kind of role Timon and Pumbaa would have in this movie if they weren't the babysitters? Zazu could be the babysitter but he's not a funny character, per se, plus Timon and Pumbaa have much of a bigger role in TLK and are far more popular than Zazu. He flies, he could spy on her better.
So Zazu could be the matchmaker ("two little seeds of romance"). But what would be Rafiki's role? Rafiki is more important than Zazu in TLK and he's crazy, plus a trippy montage a la IJCWTB, so Rafiki is the matchmaker. This way Zazu ended up being completly useless.

[PrincessKiara]

I see your point, I just strongly dislike the whole Timon and Pumbaa-concept.

I just find it strange that Simba keeps counting on them to watch Kiara.. I mean, really? Those two? But yeah. I guess it`s just for the sake of comic relief..

And I get Rafikis role in SP. So yeah, everyone has a part to play except T&P. They`re the useless characters in SP in my opinion.

I don`t think Zazu is useless though, he helps Simba in the exact way he helped Mufasa, he has a job in SP too, it`s just that babysitter has been removed from the job description.

[Panda-chan]

There are sooo many potential reasons for this lol. I'm just going to jot down a few here, but I'm fairly certain that I'm missing some fairly important ones:
The main reason I can think of for why he might have chosen Timon and Pumbaa to be Kiara's babysitters is because they're the only friends he can really trust to keep her safe. I guess Zazu's too busy being a majordomo to watch her (he wouldn't be much use as a bodyguard anyway, as seen in the Elephant Graveyard scene from the first movie) and all the other lionesses are either too busy hunting for the pride or don't have the energy to keep up with her. T&P abandoned their jungle home to go live with Simba in the Pridelands, so I figure Simba might have assigned them this task since he didn't exactly want them to sit around and do nothing contributive.
Plus, clumsy and dimwitted as they are, the two proved to be excellent babysitters while he was growing up. They also proved to be loyal and good, when both of them left their comforable "Hakuna Matata" lifestyle to fight alongside Simba and Nala for the kingdom. Alternatively, Simba might have wanted Kiara to adopt the "no worries" approach to life that had kept him happy and safe as a cub, since his own life had been full of such terrible tragedies.
I also don't think any other babysitters would have been as "cub-friendly" as Timon and Pumbaa were. Something tells me that a huge rhino or cheetah guarding the young princess wouldn't have much tolerance for her silly antics. xD Timon and Pumbaa were the best choice since they were both fun, hilarious, and energetic. Furthermore, they were small and lightweight, so there wasn't much of a chance that they might accidently trample Kiara or scratch her. Since they only ate bugs, they were also completely harmless cuddly "toys"
Kiara had no other cubs to play with as a cub, so Simba might of decided that Timon and Pumbaa were a good replacement. He might have even hoped that being influenced by these two at a young age would cause her grow up acting and thinking just like him lol.

Long post is long.

[Timba]

idk but for me T&P are important part of the movie(s), I like them and thats my opinion

[PrincessKiara]

Amanda: I understand that Simba trusts Timon and Pumbaa, seeing as they practicly raised him.. So why does he keep letting them watch Kiara, when they obviously aren`t up to the task? I mean, they lose her time and time again, yet Simba keeps giving them new chances. I guess he doesn`t have a choice.. If Kiara needs to be watched, T&P are the only ones who can do it, because everyone else is busy making contributions to the pride. It just surprises me that Simba allows this to go on, considering his extreme over-protective nature in SP.

..So in the end I suppose it boils down to comic relief. T&P failing at watching Kiara is their purpose in SP, their way of being "useful."

Timba: Of course, I don`t mean to bash Timon and Pumbaa, I mean, they`re kinda funny sometimes, they just really bug me in SP, that`s all. In my opinion they`re the worst characters Simba could have chosen to take care of his daughter. Again, just my opinion.

[Timba]

yea I agree with you, everyone has their own opinions