by atouchofgrace » January 8th, 2011, 5:35 pm
I agree. I've never thought of Timon and Pumbaa as Simba's parents. They were friends, pals but Timon and Pumbaa never raised Simba like a son. TLK 1 1/2 got it wrong ("Parenthood", "What's the matter, pops?", "Our Simba is growing up."). I think it's clear that Timon and Pumbaa see Simba as an equal ("You're an outcast! That's great, so are we." and a friend ("In short, our pal is doomed"). That's why Timon feels so threatened by Nala. They are a trio of bachelor friends not "mommy" and "daddy" raising a lost kid.