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Timon & Pumbaa (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa is an American animated television series made by the Walt Disney Company. It centers on Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog
from the Disney film franchise The Lion King
, without most of the other characters in the franchise. The show ran for three seasons from September 16, 1995 to 1999.
, and Pumbaa, a warthog
, both characters from the Disney animated film The Lion King
and its sequels. The characters are normally seen having misadventures in the jungle
, but sometimes find themselves across the globe in various settings.
and Nathan Lane
reprised their roles as Pumbaa and Timon, respectively, in The Lion King
, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
, and The Lion King 1½
. Both actors were featured early in the television show; however, Lane is not the only voice actor who played his respective role. The role was also played by Quinton Flynn
, in some episodes, and Kevin Schon
, in most episodes. Music underscore by Stephen James Taylor featuring frequent use of a microtonal xylophone and pan pipes based on an African tribal tuning.
During the final season (1999), there was also a change in writer
s, and a new director
meant the show became aimed more towards child
ren than the whole family
. As a result of this, ratings
declined and the show was cancelled
by Disney in 1999
.
As of February 8, 2009 (after its final airing on the now-defunct Toon Disney
), this show is no longer on the air.
Timon and Pumbaa
Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney's popular 1994 animated film The Lion King. Timon was portrayed through his many appearances by Nathan Lane , Max Casella , Kevin Schon , Quinton Flynn Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced...
from the Disney film franchise The Lion King
The Lion King (franchise)
The Lion King is a world-wide, multimillion-dollar Walt Disney franchise. The success of the original 1994 American animated feature, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to two direct-to-video sequel films, a spin-off television series, several video games, merchandise, and...
, without most of the other characters in the franchise. The show ran for three seasons from September 16, 1995 to 1999.
Premise
The show stars Timon, a meerkatMeerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
, and Pumbaa, a warthog
Warthog
The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...
, both characters from the Disney animated film The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
and its sequels. The characters are normally seen having misadventures in the jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
, but sometimes find themselves across the globe in various settings.
Production
Ernie SabellaErnie Sabella
Ernest "Ernie" Sabella is an American actor, who is best known for his role as the official voice of Pumbaa from the The Lion King.-Life and career:...
and Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
reprised their roles as Pumbaa and Timon, respectively, in The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated film released by Walt Disney Home Video on October 27, 1998. The film is the sequel to the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King...
, and The Lion King 1½
The Lion King 1½
The Lion King 1½ is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated film released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on February 10, 2004. The film is the third installment in the Lion King series. The DVD went to the Disney Vault in January 2005...
. Both actors were featured early in the television show; however, Lane is not the only voice actor who played his respective role. The role was also played by Quinton Flynn
Quinton Flynn
Quinton Joseph Flynn , is an American voice actor, actor and writer....
, in some episodes, and Kevin Schon
Kevin Schon
Kevin Schon is an American voice actor, producer, and energy entrepreur with extensive credits in nearly every area of voice work. Voiceover was his second career, begun in 1992 in Los Angeles, after 10 years as a Senior Advisory Systems Engineer for IBM, where he developed and taught Design...
, in most episodes. Music underscore by Stephen James Taylor featuring frequent use of a microtonal xylophone and pan pipes based on an African tribal tuning.
During the final season (1999), there was also a change in writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s, and a new director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
meant the show became aimed more towards child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren than the whole family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
. As a result of this, ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
declined and the show was cancelled
Cancellation (television)
In television, cancellation refers to the termination of a program by a network, typically because of low viewership and/or unfavourable critical reviews. Another reason why television programs can be cancelled is to make room for new television programs...
by Disney in 1999
1999 in television
The year 1999 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1999.For the American TV schedule, see: 1999-00 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
.
As of February 8, 2009 (after its final airing on the now-defunct Toon Disney
Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
), this show is no longer on the air.
Characters
- TimonTimon and PumbaaTimon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney's popular 1994 animated film The Lion King. Timon was portrayed through his many appearances by Nathan Lane , Max Casella , Kevin Schon , Quinton Flynn Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced...
(voiced in early episodes by Nathan LaneNathan LaneNathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
, then by Kevin SchonKevin SchonKevin Schon is an American voice actor, producer, and energy entrepreur with extensive credits in nearly every area of voice work. Voiceover was his second career, begun in 1992 in Los Angeles, after 10 years as a Senior Advisory Systems Engineer for IBM, where he developed and taught Design...
and Quinton FlynnQuinton FlynnQuinton Joseph Flynn , is an American voice actor, actor and writer....
) - One of the show's main protagonists. - PumbaaTimon and PumbaaTimon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney's popular 1994 animated film The Lion King. Timon was portrayed through his many appearances by Nathan Lane , Max Casella , Kevin Schon , Quinton Flynn Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced...
(voiced by Ernie SabellaErnie SabellaErnest "Ernie" Sabella is an American actor, who is best known for his role as the official voice of Pumbaa from the The Lion King.-Life and career:...
) - The show's other protagonist. - SimbaSimbaSimba is a lion character and the protagonist of Disney's most successful animated feature film, The Lion King. He is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi, nephew of Scar, mate of Nala, and father of Kiara. He has golden fur and when he grows into an adult, he has an auburn mane...
(voiced by Cam ClarkeCam ClarkeCameron Arthur "Cam" Clarke is a prolific American voice actor and singer, well known for his work in animation and video games. Clarke is well known for providing the voices of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 original English-dub of Akira. He often voices...
) - Friend of Timon and Pumbaa and king of the Pride Lands. - Zazu (voiced by Michael GoughMichael Gough (voice actor)Michael Gough is an American voice actor and singer.-Television roles:*Dog from WordWorld* Don Diego de la Vega and The lead role in The New Adventures of Zorro* "Goof Troop" - Fester Swollen...
) - A pompous hornbill who works for Simba. - Banzai, Shenzi and Ed (voiced by Rob PaulsenRob PaulsenRobert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III , sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr...
, Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
and Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
) - Three hyenas who pick on Timon and Pumbaa. They used to work for Scar. - Rafiki (voiced by Robert GuillaumeRobert GuillaumeRobert "Bob" Guillaume is an American stage and television actor, best known for his role as Benson Du Bois on the TV-series Soap and the spin-off Benson, voicing the mandrill Rafiki in The Lion King and as Isaac Jaffe on Sports Night...
) - A wise baboon who gives good advice and is occasionally the butt of jokes. - Quint (voiced by Corey BurtonCorey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
) – The archenemy of Timon and Pumbaa. He is a man of many disguises, and his role varies from episode to episode, from mildly bothersome antagonist to full villain. - Speedy the Snail (voiced by Corey Burton also) – An easygoing blue snail who can talk and sing too. Timon and Pumbaa were planning to eat him, but ended up becoming friends with him instead. They often find themselves rushing to have to save Speedy from dangerous situations.
- Boss Beaver (voiced by Brad GarrettBrad GarrettBradley "Brad" Garrett is an American actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, and professional poker player. Throughout he has appeared in numerous television and film roles....
) – A stereotypical beaver whose life philosophy is the exact opposite of Hakuna Matata. He values hard work and is sometimes too harsh on his employees. He also emphasizes the importance of safe work conditions. - Erwin (voiced by Charlie Adler) – A dimwitted, accident-prone penguin whose bad luck seems to be terribly contagious. He's got no friends other than Timon and Pumbaa (who became his friends after they were stranded in Antarctica and Erwin had two extra tickets to a cruise ship). They will try to avoid him at all costs.
- Toucan Dan (voiced by Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
) – A criminal toucan, wanted by the police. He is known for being a convincing liar and impersonator and always manages to trick Timon and Pumbaa (or just Timon) into helping him - Smolder the Bear (voiced by Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
) – A large bear with a very short temperament who Timon and Pumbaa often run into. He can be quite menacing, but at least one episode shows that deep inside he is a nice guy. - The Three Natives (voiced by Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
) – Three natives who are really university students.
Awards and Nominations
- Daytime Emmy Awards
- 199623rd Daytime Emmy AwardsThe 23rd Daytime Emmy Awards were held on May 22, 1996 on CBS to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year . At this ceremony, Erika Slezak set a then record with five Emmy Awards for Lead Actress. She would beat her own record in 2005. The telecast aired two-hours...
- Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - Nathan LaneNathan LaneNathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
For playing "Timon". (Won) - 199724th Daytime Emmy AwardsThe 24th Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 1997 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year . The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Fred Rogers The 24th Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 1997 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year...
- Outstanding Sound Mixing - Special Class - Deb Adair, Jim Hodson, Melissa Ellis, Michael Beiriger, Dan Hiland, Joseph D. Citarella, Allen L. Stone, and Michael Jiron (Won) - 199724th Daytime Emmy AwardsThe 24th Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 1997 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year . The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Fred Rogers The 24th Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 1997 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year...
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation - Kexx Singleton for ("Beethoven's Whiff") (Won)