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Yeah, the movies would totally SUCK without Timon and Pumbaa. And ya know, I love all of the TLK movies (the third one WAS, I'll admit, a bit silly and it could have been a million times better.)

But the thing is, w/out T+P, there is no comic relief to the films. Kids would get squirmy and it would just be way to intense to be enjoyable at all. I think that the movies wouldn't have been nearly as successful as they were without Timon and Pumbaa. ^_^

If they never existed:

Then the phrase "Hakuna Matata" would never have been made popular.

The film Lion king 1 1/2 would not have been made.

The films would not be as funny.

If you look at them just in the first movie without thinking about the T.V. series or the movie or the bit of over-marketing then they really are very important characters to the plot of The Lion King. Without them, Simba would've died out there on the savannah.

They're great comic relief characters. The scene where Simba exiled in TLK1 would have been so dark and depressing without them finding him and lightening up the mood.

They're interesting animals too - a meerkat and a warthog! Seemingly unlikely friends, and certainly 2 species I hadn't even heard of until I saw the movie (okay, so I was only 6 years old, but yeah).

As much as I love them (especially Timon!) they did tend to take over the spin-off TLK world (their own TV series, and then their own movie) and I do think it would have been nice if some of the other characters got more attention too.

But overall, if they never existed the movies would have probably felt so much more serious. They gave the films a comical edge.

When adding silly/cartoony characters into a heavy-going film, it can go one way or the other. I think Timon and Pumbaa made their roles within the films work. They are light-hearted and funny without turning the movie into a joke.

I think that they're REALLY important. If they didn't exist, Simba would die and Scar would win.

If Timon and Pumbaa were never there , and Never found Simba , He would of Died.

Pumbaa wouldn't have started his life out as a warthog, he would have been a donkey instead. This change would have affected many things, including the world we live in today. Warthogs are extremely aggressive animals that hunt other creatures to eat. They are known to attack other animals who may not approve of their way of life. Donkeys are much friendlier than warthogs. They do not want to harm other creatures and prefer to help them by taking care of their needs. Thus, there would have been no need for a safari park since donkeys don't need to chase after prey like warthogs.