The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004)
"The Lion King 1½" (original title)

Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog retell the story of The Lion King, from their own unique perspective.

Director:

Bradley Raymond

Writers:

Tom Rogers (screenplay), Roger Allers (additional screenplay material),

Stars:

Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Julie Kavner

6 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nathan Lane	...	Timon (voice)
Ernie Sabella	...	Pumbaa (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Mom (voice)
Jerry Stiller	...	Uncle Max (voice)
Matthew Broderick	...	Simba (voice)
Robert Guillaume	...	Rafiki (voice)
Moira Kelly	...	Nala (voice)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Shenzi (voice)
Cheech Marin	...	Banzai (voice)
Jim Cummings	...	Ed (voice)
Edward Hibbert	...	Zazu (voice)
Jason Rudofsky	...	Flinchy (voice)
Matt Weinberg	...	Young Simba (voice)
Jeff Bennett	...	(voice)
Corey Burton	...	Grumpy (voice)

Storyline

Timon and Pumbaa start to watch the original Lion King movie, but Timon keeps insisting to fast forward to when they come in, because they weren't seen in the beginning of the story or anywhere until halfway through. Pumbaa suggests telling the audience their story, which begins before Simba's journey begins. Through this, we meet Timon's mother and Uncle Max, discover why he left his meerkat colony, where he learned Hakuna Matata, how he meets Pumbaa, and the perils they encountered while searching for their dream home.

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Plot Keywords:

lion | retelling | prequel to sequel | remake | sequel | 

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Taglines:

The circle of life will never be the same.

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Adventure

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hakuna Matata

Company Credits

Production Co:

DisneyToon Studios, Walt Disney Animation Australia, Walt Disney Television Animation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song Timon sings, "That's All I Need," is a re-worked version of "Warthog Rhapsody", an ancestor of the song "Hakuna Matata".

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Goofs

When Timon is dragged out of the river by Pumba, there is no flower. However, when Pumba turns around Timon has a flower held over him. The flower is gone again shortly after.

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Quotes

Timon: Waaait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second.
Pumbaa: Uh, Timon? What are you doin'?
Timon: Shenzi Marie Predatora Veldetta Jacquelina Hyena... . would you do me the honor of becoming... . my bride?
Shenzi: I don't think so!
Timon: Shenzi Marie, please. I know what you're thinking: "We're too different." "It'll never work." "What will the children look like?"
Shenzi: Ooh, that violates so many laws of nature.
Timon: Listen to me! The problems of a couple of wacky kids like us don't amount to hill of termites in this nutty circle-of-life ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The first few credits "fall apart."

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Connections

References Lilo & Stitch (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Peter Gunn Theme"
Written by Henry Mancini
Arranged by Don Harper

User Reviews

The Lion King 1½ (2004)

Well they tried something different, but it will probably fail to impress fans of The Lion King. Placing Timon and Pumbaa into earlier events and adding plot points later, just tarnishes the original and even contradicts it. It just seemed like a lot of, sometimes inventive, excuses to make a few cheap jokes. At least they managed to get back the majority of the original voice cast, but to imagine Pumbaa's fart caused the bowing at the beginning of the original is actually kind of annoying. By the end it is obvious that the makers were favoring parody, but these two work best as co-stars, and comic relief, rather than the heroes of the movie.