Savannah Prides - Timon And Pumbaa

Timon
Meaning: none (proper name)
Species: Meerkat

Adult Voice: Nathan Lane

Once a member of a large and thriving colony of meerkats far from Pride Rock, Timon was never in his element digging and guarding the holes as a unit with his fellow meerkats. One too many incidents in which his daydreaming and misplaced ingenuity brought real danger down upon the colony caused his Uncle Max to kick him out from the clan. Despite protests from his Ma, Timon set out to seek adventure and fulfillment out in the greater world. After a chance meeting with the mystic mandrill Rafiki, who taught him the feel-good philosophy of hakuna matata, Timon met an unlikely partner in the blundering warthog Pumbaa, with whom he sought for the perfect responsibility-free home. They found it in the jungle that lies across the desert from the Pride Lands, and a steady diet of multicolored bugs kept him and Pumbaa well-fed with no need to hunt or forage.

When Simba is exiled from the Pride Lands following his father's murder, he is rescued from near death from exhaustion by the carefree duo, who pass on to him their "put your behind in your past" philosophy (which fits in perfectly with his need to forget about the ghosts of guilt that haunt him). Simba grows into a kingly lion on the same diet of bugs that Timon and Pumbaa eat, but only the unlooked-for arrival of Nala threatens to bring to an end the fellowship of the three outcasts. Timon refuses to believe there's anything more to life than hakuna matata, but eventually his loyalty to his friends wins him over and he plays an instrumental role in the retaking of Pride Rock.

Pumbaa
Meaning: dull-witted, stunned (Swahili)
Species: Warthog

Adult Voice: Ernie Sabella

The amiable warthog Pumbaa is cursed with the ultimate in social stigma: uncontrollable flatulence. His family background is a mystery, but his story from the point when he meets up with the meerkat Timon tells us all there is to know about his sad exile from the company of those who can't abide his smell. Dull-witted but packed with common sense, Pumbaa uncomplainingly shoulders the burdens of Timon's selfish quests, as the most important thing to him—surpassing all else—is loyalty to his friends. He wants to be useful, and he wants to be wanted; and what else, aside from his strength, can he offer a friend?

Pumbaa's steadfastness makes him the partner anyone would wish to have when the time comes for Simba, who had been raised by Timon and himself in the luxurious ease of the jungle, to return home to Pride Rock and challenge his usurping uncle Scar. Pumbaa unhesitatingly follows Simba and Nala into battle—for he knows the value of duty, hakuna matata or not. His loyalty to the needs of his friend Simba eventually overpowers Timon into following Pumbaa's honorable example.