Are Timon & Pumbaa Really Important?

[DGFone]

You mean like this waterhole right next to the desert? Nala doesn't need to go into the jungle to get water. Plus, it's a jungle. Those things have a horizontal visibility range lower than most FPS games. Without actively doing something that would bring Simba to her, Nala would never find him on accident.

And believing him to be dead doesn't help.

As for Simba, you know that Simba would never go back on his own accord. He believes that he killed his own father, was banished by Scar, and is deathly afraid of Sarabi now. Plus, Timon and Pumbaa won't convince him to return because "Hakuna Matata" means that they will never press the issue.

[Regulus]

That doesn't make any sense. I think you misinterpreted what I meant.

[quote="DGFone"]Timon and Pumbaa won't convince him to return because "Hakuna Matata" means that they will never press the issue.[/quote]

which is exactly why:

[quote="DGFone"]Simba would never go back on his own accord. He believes that he killed his own father, was banished by Scar, and is deathly afraid of Sarabi now.[/quote]

So, therefore, without Timon and Pumbaa, Simba may have gone back without Nala convincing him. There's a good chance he would have gone back to the Pridelands, just for the sake of wanting to return home, even if he didn't allow himself to think about the situation and realize that he actually didn't kill Mufasa.

[quote="DGFone"]You mean like this waterhole right next to the desert?[/quote]

Yes, exactly. That waterhole *is* in the jungle, but near the desert. That's why Nala would go there.

[quote="DGFone"]Those things have a horizontal visibility range lower than most FPS games. Without actively doing something that would bring Simba to her, Nala would never find him on accident.[/quote]

I'm not so sure about that. Since when do lions (along with most animals) actually rely on vision? That's a human trait, although, to be fair, the characters are sorta humanized, so I'll give it that.

I don't think it's too far off to say that Nala would recognize Simba's scent, or vice versa. If not, it is just as likely that she could have heard something moving in the jungle.

Besides, come on, you know how lions mark territory.

It is also possible that they would find each other's paw prints, and possibly meet one another that way.

While Simba may have steered away from any other lion he noticed, it is also possible that the opposite could be true. He would be living alone, and want someone to talk to, at the very least. In fact, in human psychology, I once read that the desire to communicate - even on negative terms - is preferable to being alone. Because lions are incredibly social by nature, it isn't hard to believe that the same concept could apply.

And, really, since Nala was looking for another lion, the very moment she would have recognized any sign of Simba, she would have tracked him down.

And, as I said, this is assuming that Simba would have lived in the jungle without Timon and Pumbaa. If I had to guess, I'd say he would live on the outskirts of the Pridelands instead, so that he can stay in or near familiar territory, without being noticed. If any of the Pridelanders came near, he could run outside the border and claim that he wasn't trespassing.

What's interesting about that thought is that as soon as he saw the Pridelands drying up under Scar's rule, he would go back for sure.

[DGFone]

[quote="Regulus"]
[quote="DGFone"]Simba would never go back on his own accord. He believes that he killed his own father, was banished by Scar, and is deathly afraid of Sarabi now.[/quote]

So, therefore, without Timon and Pumbaa, Simba may have gone back without Nala convincing him. There's a good chance he would have gone back to the Pridelands, just for the sake of wanting to return home, even if he didn't allow himself to think about the situation and realize that he actually didn't kill Mufasa.
[/quote]

Uh... what? It's like saying someone with aerophobia will go flying "just to see what it's like". It's not that Simba doesn't want to go home, it's that he's afraid of it. Why do you think he got so defensive about it when Nala urged him to return with her? Or do you not remember his reaction when she asked "what would your mother think?" right after finding him?

In order to go home from his own accord, Simba needed a bump on the head. But before that? He'll only return by getting dragged over, kicking and screaming the entire time.

[Regulus]

^ Only because he was essentially brainwashed by Timon and Pumbaa into forgetting all about it.

Surely something like this isn't far out of question, hypothetically?

[DGFone]

Not really. The circumstances of Kopa's "banishment" are much different than Simba's. Keep in mind that, as a very unofficial character, I am going to use what I saw as the most popular explanation for Kopa's banishment:

For one thing, if I had to point at the most popular fan theory, it's that Kopa lost his memory when Zira tries to kill him. He only returns when he learns about his real family and not whoever found him and took care of him. He might have negative feelings towards Simba and Nala, for "abandoning" him, but nothing compared to the fear that Simba feels with the same consideration.

Another popular theory I come across is that Kopa considers it safer for both him and Simba and Nala if he would continue to stay "dead". He only returns when he feels that it is safe, and it is time for him to return.

Either way, Kopa doesn't necessarily fear returning. Definitely nowhere near as much as Simba fear returning, who expects to be torn apart by Sarabi and Scar for "killing" Mufasa should they see him.

[Regulus]

But don't you think he would have questioned what Scar told him, if Timon and Pumbaa hadn't told him to forget about it?

Don't you think he would have risked his life to go back and see his mother (or Nala) again?

Don't you think it was the hyenas that chased him away, not Scar/Sarabi?

[DGFone]

There's only one major problem with your logic: Remember that Simba was a cub when he ran away.

Sure, he might combine two and two when he is older, but first he needs to survive getting there. And as a cub, I really doubt that he would stick around with anyone who might try and "help" him by telling him to go back. Timon and Pumbaa gave him the best option: one that allowed him to grow up. Unfortunately, it also meant that he learned to only run from his problems and not face them.

[Regulus]

I think you underestimate what spending a few weeks totally alone can do to a mind.

Also, let's not forget that Timon and Pumbaa hardly helped Simba survive in any way whatsoever. In fact, the opposite is mainly true. They only rescued Simba because having a lion around wasn't such a bad idea.

Considering, it is highly unlikely that Simba would have actually died without them.

[Carl]

Considering as he was too small to hunt anything he considered food, I think it would have been difficult for him to survive without being shown an alternative. Does that mean it had to be Timon and Pumbaa showing him that he could eat bugs? No. If he was a real lion would have needed that sort of help anyway? Not necessarily, because he could have found smaller prey animals. However, as a somewhat humanized cub who's not learned to hunt, I think he would have needed someone to help him at least with figuring out how/what he could catch to eat or he would have starved.

[Regulus]

It's debatable, but at some point, I think instincts would take over. You know how cats like to chase mice and such, even when it's just for fun. I can't imagine a lion cub being much different.

Heck, sometimes my cats even eat the plants in my room, when they're food dish is totally full. I don't know why, but it's just what they do.