~ Pumbaa's catchphrase when being called a pig; also his most famous quote, referencing Virgil Tibbs.noicon
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♫When I was a young WARTHOG!!!♫
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~ Pumbaa singing about his early life.noicon
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Slimy yet satisfying.
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~ Pumbaa when eating bugs.
Pumbaa is one of the two tritagonists (alongside Timon) of Disney's The Lion King franchise. He is a warthog who serves as one of Simba's sidekicks and childhood guardians in The Lion King alongside Timon. He treats Timon like a brother and partner.
He is voiced by Ernie Sabella in almost all of his appearances. In Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, he was voiced by Leslie Hedger.
A silhouette version of Pumbaa is seen in the theater where he watches with Timon. In this midquel, Pumbaa appears as a mysterious figure, which turns out to be him after Timon says, "Goodbye" to Ma. When he and Timon have a misunderstanding, they decide to be best friends. He and Timon also made all the animals faint when they are about to see Simba. When they want to go to a home, they hear Simba and Nala singing, "I Just Can't Wait To Be King", getting humiliated. Pumbaa, along with Timon, tries to find a new home in the Elephant Graveyard (where Mufasa is attacking the hyenas), in the Gorge (where a herd of wildebeests stampedes), and a new location ("Hakuna Matata").
This is where they let Simba stay after rescuing him from buzzards and heat and raising him after Mufasa's death. Pumbaa also hates when Timon and Simba drink snails at morning, meaning that they will feel stuffed. Outside the midquel, Pumbaa (also with Timon) teach Simba how to say, "Hakuna Matata" ("No Worries"). Pumbaa also feels jealous about Simba falling in love with Nala, so Timon and Pumbaa decide to break them up. Although they failed, Simba and Nala argued in the recycled original movie. Timon convinces Pumbaa that they won and walk away from Mufasa's spirit (thinking that he is a storm cloud). Nala also convinces him and Timon that they must return to Pride Rock where Simba is confronting his uncle Scar.
In the midquel, Pumbaa also becomes friends again with Timon in the desert. He, Timon, Simba, Rafiki, Nala, and her lionesses are seen confronting Scar and the hyenas. His last appearance (along with Timon) was when they see Simba become the king and standing up with Timon on Pride Rock watching the birth of Simba's cub. In the midquel, he also appears singing the final song in Hakuna Matata.
The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa[]
Pumbaa, along with Timon, is one of the main characters appearing in multiple episodes. He is currently voiced by Ernie Sabella. In the series, it is revealed that Pumbaa's surname is Smith and his known relatives are his uncles Boaris (who is a Russian ballet dancer) and Ernie and that he has a cousin called Mildred. Pumbaa also briefly adopted an alligator and named him Pumbaa Jr..
In "Sense & Senegambia", Pumbaa believes he lost his bug-hunting skills after failing to catch and eat a cricket. Timon thinks this is because there is something wrong with the warthog's senses and so he purchases expensive aids for his friend. Pumbaa later learns from his dream of talking to Uncle Ernie that he needs to believe in himself and therefore, he regains his confidences and succeeds in catching bugs. In another episode "New Guinea Pig", it is shown that Pumbaa's tusks can get in his way of doing some activities or passing through some things. As a result, Pumbaa starts to get tired of them and considers trading them to the three natives. The warthog later realizes how useful his tusks are, as he uses them to free Timon and create an ice replica of himself. Pumbaa learns from Timon that his tusks are the most important parts of what makes Pumbaa who he is.
In "Animal Barn", Pumbaa competes against a domestic pig for the right to be called "Mr. Pig". In another episode "Uganda Be an Elephant", upon seeing the respect elephants (particularly Ned) earn, Pumbaa decides to become an elephant himself, with the help of Timon, so that he can become just as popular. He soon learns that he is perfectly happy being a warthog. Also, in the episode "Big Jungle Game", Pumbaa joins an Olympic jungle game in order to live out his dream.
In the episode "Home is Where the Hog Is", it is revealed that Pumbaa was a member of a group of warthogs, but by the time he was fully grown, he was banished because of his smell, which was apparently appalling even by warthog standards. Also, years before the episode "Madagascar About You", an arranged marriage has been set up for Pumbaa before he was even born.
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride[]
Pumbaa later appears alongside Timon during the presentation of Simba and Nala's cub Kiara. He and Timon faint when Rafiki says the cub is the girl after they assumed that the cub was male.
A few months later, after being sent by Simba to keep an eye on her, Pumbaa and Timon try to give Kiara shade and offer her grubs which she rejects. He and Timon argue after eating the grubs, describing what is crunchy or slimy giving Kiara the chance to sneak away into the Outlands. At some point offscreen, Pumbaa and Timon notice that Kiara has left and report this to Simba. Later, Pumbaa is seen with Timon, Nala and two Pridelander lionesses in joining Simba in trying to drive out Scar's loyal follower and leader of the Outsiders, Zira and her son Kovu (who Kiara had befriended). After Zira and Kovu go back to the Outlands, Pumbaa returns to Pride Rock with Timon, Nala and the two lionesses whilst Simba stays behind to talk to Kiara.
A few years later, Pumbaa and Timon are sent by Simba to watch over a now adolescent Kiara on her first hunt but she catches them and and is angered that her father broke his promise to let her do the hunt alone and leaves.
The next day, Pumbaa and Timon, with help from Kiara and Kovu, chase away birds that were eating the grubs they wanted. The quartet end up running into a herd of rhinoceroses, who chase after them. Fortunately, they are able to escape the rhinoceroses by hiding in a gap in a rock.
A few days later after Zira and the Outsiders' ambush, Pumbaa carries an injured Simba back to Pride Rock. Pumbaa and Timon later see Kovu return to Pride Rock and like Simba and the pride (with exception to Kiara), believe him to have been part of the ambush. Pumbaa along with Timon are not present when Kiara argues with Simba over banishing Kovu before going into Pride Rock in sadness. Later that night, Pumbaa and Timon go inside Pride Rock (perhaps having been sent by Simba to check on Kiara) find Kiara gone (who had left to look for Kovu) and panic over this before getting into an argument over it. Just then, Simba comes in and asks what is going on, to which Pumbaa and Timon tell him that Kiara is gone. Before Simba can assess the situation, Zazu arrives to inform him that the Outsiders are coming. Simba sends Zazu to find Kiara whilst he, Pumbaa and Timon go to rally the lionesses.
Pumbaa and Timon aide Simba and the pride against the Outsiders. The battle is soon stopped when Kiara and Kovu arrive and convince the two prides to become one, with the exception of Zira who falls to her death in a ravine after a failed attempt to kill Simba. Pumbaa and Timon join Nala, Kovu, the Pridelanders and Outsiders in joining Simba after he helps Kiara up a cliff after she fell down it with Zira.
Afterwards, everyone returns to Pride Rock where Kiara and Kovu are married. Zazu isn't amused when Pumbaa and Timon burst into tears of joy until they stop. Pumbaa, along with Timon, is rejoiced when Mufasa's ghost says "We are one".
The Lion Guard[]
Pumbaa along with Timon, appears in the 2015 TV film The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar and it's follow up 2016 series The Lion Guard. It is set in the middle of the second film and is centered around Simba and Nala's second child Kion. In this series Pumbaa and Timon serve as uncles to Kion's honey badger friend Bunga.
In the season 3 finale "Return to the Pride Lands" (which takes place sometime after the end of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride), Pumbaa along with Timon, Simba, Nala, Kiara, Kovu, Bunga, Fuli, Beshte, Ono and several other animals witnesses a now adolescent Kion marry Queen Rani and become King of The Tree of Life.
Family[]
Uncles: Boaris and Ernie
Cousin - Mildred
Adoptive Sons - Simba and Pumbaa Jr.
Adoptive Nephew - Bunga
Songs sung by Pumbaa[]
Hakuna Matata - He and Timon sing this song about a new name in paradise. Outside the midquel, he and Timon use these words to let Simba know for no worries. In a deleted version, his role is the same after Timon sings. However, he says, "When he was a young meerkat!".
Warthog Rhapsody - Another silly song which features Timon and Pumbaa singing the song about Simba as a new visitor. This is deleted though it was later recycled as That's All I Need for The Lion King 1 ½.
Can You Feel the Love Tonight - This song revolves why he and Timon are jealous about Simba and Nala falling in love. Pumbaa's lines are removed after Timon sings. This happens on Timon too.
Alone Together - This song revolves who Timon and Pumbaa met each other in a different way. This song is a mix of "Mexican Hat Dance" and "La Cucaracha".
Quotes[]
When being called a pig
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Pumbaa: Are you talking about me? Timon: You called him a pig.
Pumbaa: Are you talking about me?! Timon: Shouldn't have done that. Pumbaa:ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ME?!?! Timon:Now you're in for it. Pumbaa:THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!!!!
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~ Pumbaa charging against the cheetahs.
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Pumbaa: Are you talking to me? Timon: Uh-oh, they called him a pig.
Pumbaa: Are you talking to me?! Timon: Shouldn't have done that. Pumbaa:ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?!?! Timon:Now they're in for it. Pumbaa:THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
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~ Pumbaa charging against the hyenas.
Audio Samples[]
Trivia[]
Pumbaa's flatulence is actually Ernie Sabella zerberting on his hand (pressing his mouth on his hand and creating the sound). Sabella states that he is proud to be "the first Disney character--who...actually had gas."
In an earlier draft to The Lion King, Pumbaa, along with Timon, was originally going to be a childhood friend of Simba and Nala's and would have played with them and their other playmates; Mheetu (who was going to be Nala's younger brother) and a bat-eared fox named Bhati. He and Timon would also have fled the Pride Lands with Simba after Mufasa's death and Scar's takeover.
Pumbaa was originally going to be called Hoggy Harold.
The only Timon and Pumbaa episode where he serves as the main antagonist was The Running of the Bullies, when he downright becomes crossed with Timon and El Toro ruining his vacation in Spain during the running of the bulls tradition in which they enjoyed the chase. He later has enough with the fight between Timon and El Toro, who both somehow resolve their conflict and become friends. However, Pumbaa can't take it anymore, so he chases the two all the way to the gate where the three met earlier. El Toro gives Pumbaa an advice of him having a nice rest at the beach. At the beach, Timon and El Toro are relaxing in sun chairs, chatting casually, while Pumbaa is going berserk and then rushes at the viewers.
It was previously unknown if after the events of The Lion King if Pumbaa and Timon lived in Pride Rock with Simba and his pride or if they visit. It was confirmed in The Lion Guard to be the latter as they are shown to live in an area of The Pride Lands called Hakuna Matata Falls.
Heroes
