Review of Timon & Pumbaa

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.