Timon & Pumbaa

THIS SHOW ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Timon and Pumbaa can be described as Looney Tunes Lite. Though some of the episodes are fairly close to screwball comedy they usually end with some kind of lesson to be learned. A prime example is the episode where Pumbaa has trouble catching bugs. Timon gets the idea that it must be because Pumbaa needs glasses because he can't see how many fingers he is holding up from 100 feet away. The episode even starts with Road Runner-like title cards in pig Latin. The end features a vision of the ghost of Pumbaa's uncle who gives the lesson of the day: Believe in yourself. In conclusion I have to say that although I like the sometimes intellectual aspect of the show there are many instances where it's just plain slapstick humor with Timon getting everything dropped on his head that flattens him. I have watched the show about a dozen times and the best episodes are actually not the ones with Timon and Pumbaa as central characters but the side characters the hyenas. They feature one of my favorite voice-over actor Tress Macneille who can imitate everything from a teenage boy (Jimbo and Milhouse on the Simpsons) to a brainless blonde.

Okay yeah, "Timon and Pumbaa" isn't exactly a Disney masterpiece, but personally, I love the show. Yes, the animation is pretty much crap. Yes, a lot of the plot lines are incredibly simple if not stupid (I wanted to shoot myself when I realized I had spent 15 minutes watching T&P trying to hit a golf ball). But for every cliché loony-tunes rip-off, there are a lot of really cute, really funny moments in the show. Episodes such as when Timon's "mom" comes to dinner or that gorilla mistakes T&P for babies or when T&P find Pumbaa Jr. or the episode "Bumble in the Jungle" (aka Fantasia Toon Dinsey Style)...these are the episodes that make me really wish Disney would put this show on DVD. And even in some of the dumber episodes, there are always one or two moments when you find yourself laughing at the crazy banter between T&P (example- in Uganda be an Elephant- check out the "backwards not forgetting" sequence). Face it, these two are the animated version of Abbott and Costello. Personally, I'll latch upon any outlet I can to watch these two.

The thing that Disney has done a billion times in every single one of their movies such as Aladdin, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, etc. Is those annoying sidekicks with one-liners that the kids admire and the adults only like them because they are voiced by people such as Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy. But every time they bring in characters like this, they just have to make spin-offs of the sidekicks, of which I don't know how they get made. Timon and Pumbaa which is a spin-off of Lion King is fairly decent, despite some of the same tiresome Looney Tunes style Cartoony situations with other characters who won't be remembered. The side shows to Timon and Pumbaa, which are the one's with those Hyena's are not so bad. The Rafaki Baboon episodes are very blah. Note to anyone who has kids: Be careful of getting your kid hook on pointless spinoffs, for there have been things worse than this. Timon and Pumbaa in themselves make a great comedy couple.

Wow Toon Disney you are just amazing a long time ago you made the first spin off to the lion king so memorable and cool intro your show is better than the shnookums and meat funny cartoon show.