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"New Acquaintances for Timon" is the first episode of the first season of the American animated television series The Lion King Revisited, based on Disney's The Lion King franchise. It serves as an origin story for the meerkat/warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa. The episode was written by Tom Rogers and directed by Bradley Raymond.
This episode stars the voices of Nathan Lane (Timon), Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa), Khary Payton, Cheech Marin, Julie Kavner, Jerry Stiller, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jim Cummings. The series began development by 2019, with many actors expected to reprise their roles from the Lion King films. The episode shows the impact Timon would have throughout his early years, and is dedicated to Stiller who died in May 2020.
"New Acquaintances for Timon" was praised for Lane's performance, the ecology of meerkats, and tribute to Stiller by critics, but were mixed on whether the story was a good introduction to the series or too similar to The Lion King 1½.
Plot[]
Timon is a social outcast in his meerkat colony on the outskirts of the Pride Lands due to frequently messing things up by accident. Though he is unconditionally supported by his mother, Timon dreams of a better life than his colony's bleak existence continuously hiding from predators. One day, he is assigned as a sentry in an attempt by his mother to get him accepted, but his daydreaming leads to the near death of his Uncle Max by the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Now completely shunned and convinced that he will never fit in with the other meerkats, Timon decides to leave to find a better life. He meets the mandrill Rafiki, who teaches him about "Hakuna Matata" and advises him to "look beyond what you see". Timon takes the advice literally and observes Pride Rock in the distance. Believing Pride Rock to be his paradise home, Timon ventures there and encounters Pumbaa on his way. The two quickly form a bond and Pumbaa accompanies Timon.
Cast[]
- Nathan Lane as Timon
- Julie Kavner as Ma
- Jerry Stiller as Uncle Max
- Eric Bauza as Fred
- Kevin Schon as Iron Joe
- Cheech Marin as Banzai
- Jim Cummings as Ed
- Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi
- Khary Payton as Rafiki
- Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa
Billy West, Jeff Bennett, Tress MacNeille, and Quinton Flynn provide the additional voices.