Mufasa: The Lion King takes viewers back in time, before the events of the 2019 remake, to explore the roots of some of the franchise's most iconic characters. While it largely explores the backstory of the titular Mufasa and Scar – who goes by Taka in his early days – the film also delves into characters like Timon and Pumbaa, the iconic meerkat and warthog duo. The film welcomes new cast members such as OldAaron Pierre and Elvis'Kelvin Harrison Jr. as young Mufasa and Taka alongside returning players like comedians Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner.
Rogen and Eichner's comic relief was a highlight of the first film, which largely leaned into the darker, more dramatic aspects of the narrative. The same remains true in the sequel, with younger versions of Timon and Pumbaa still providing levity amid darker plots. Eichner is known for a multitude of comedic projects, such as the shows Billy on the street – presented by the comedian – Difficult peopleand Parks and Recreationas well as his recent film Brothers.
Screen speech interviewed Billy Eichner to discuss improv with Seth Rogen, where Timon and Pumbaa fit into Mufasa and Scar's story and the film's most important themes.
Mufasa Director Made Eichner and Seth Rogen “Lean Into Improvisation”
Working with Barry Jenkins and where Pumbaa and Timon meet in the new film
Screen Speech: How does it feel to return to Pride Rock as Timon alongside Seth Rogan as Pumbaa?
Billy Eichner: It's a joy and an honor. I'm so grateful to be a part of this. It's so fun. Seth and I work as a team, just like Timão and Pumbaa, because we are a team. They are best friends and are truly a comedy duo. They really complement each other. That's the fun part; There are a lot of fun parts to it, but for me, as an actor, that's the fun part.
Now let's set the stage. Where are Pumbaa and Timon in front of Simba's kingdom? What have they been doing in the meantime? Where do we find them?
Billy Eichner: We find them wandering around like they always do, while strangers insert themselves into the situation. I really like their role in Mufasa because they're more desperate than ever to be part of the story, because they're not – they're helping to tell the story.
They function as narrators, with Rafiki telling Kiara the story of her grandfather Mufasa, who she obviously didn't know because – spoiler alert – he dies in the first film. So they're trying to get out there and focus, but they're not going to be able to do that, and that's a really fun game to play.
I think Barry Jenkins did a fantastic job with this film.
Billy Eichner: Me too.
I love that all the animals are photorealistic but emotional. Talk to me about working with him and bringing these characters to life.
Billy Eichner: What an honor to work with Barry Jenkins. I mean, I love his work. His previous work is very different from Mufasa, obviously, but I have to say that when I saw Mufasa, you could feel Barry's touch, because he allowed it to be a more complex genre than those films tend to be.
I think Mufasa and Taka Scar are complex characters, and I think that's very Barry Jenkins, and it was an honor to work with him. He's a lovely, encouraging guy. He really made Seth and I lean into improvising and improvising a lot – a lot of that is in the film, which is pretty cool.
Oh, that's interesting. Like the song “Hakuna Mufasa”.
Billy Eichner: That was improvised during a recording session.
Pumbaa and Timon’s bond ties into the “core of the film”
Recording with Rogen and the universal themes of family in Mufasa: The Lion King
Incredible. Now, can you talk about the themes of family destiny and resilience? I feel like no one better than Pumbaa and Timon would be able to understand these themes.
Billy Eichner: Yeah, I mean, that's the heart of the movie. What's fun about playing Timon with Seth and Pumbaa is because we get to be the comic relief in a movie that is quite intense and very serious in dealing with real themes about fathers and their children and families and their children, and that's complicated, rich , touching things we can all relate to.
I've told this story before, but when I watched the film in a screening room, I watched it alone. I hadn't seen it at the Disney studio yet and behind me the only person in the cinema was the security guard with whom they made me watch the film so as not to record it, as if I was going to show Mufasa on my IG [Laughs]. The security guard, just a stoic older guy, stands up at the end, looks at me and says, “That movie made me want to call my dad tonight.”
And this was an older man, and I thought, “Is your father alive?” No, I'm just kidding. But it was very sweet, it was very moving. And I think that shows how moving the film is and these themes, how relatable they are.
Children watching Lion King soon after, it will rip out their hearts.
Billy Eichner: Good.
Now talk to me about working with Seth. Did you record together in the studio?
Billy Eichner: We shot everything together for these movies. I don't know how we would have done it any other way, because we are bouncing off each other. We're improvising a lot, and Timon and Pumbaa are a comedy duo.
Fans of Lion Guard I've been waiting to see Kiara for a while now, talk to me about what we can expect from Kiara.
Billy Eichner: Kiara is a young and sweet character voiced by Blue Ivy Carter. It's really cute, because she doesn't know Mufasa, obviously; his grandfather died in the first film. So we tell her the story, and she's learning how he became the king, so to speak – as we call him now, the leader, the patriarch. It's cool to be able to help tell this story, because it didn't start out that way.
Pumbaa and Timon are like peanut butter and jelly, and if their friendship has lasted over 30 years, what makes their friendship so strong and lasting?
Billy Eichner: I think it's very clear that they're always the outsiders, always trying to force their way into the center of the story, but they're never the center of the story. And they are opposites in certain ways. They're just classic, unlikely best friends and an unlikely duo. And I hope you can feel that they also really love each other and that they are best friends, even though they make fun of each other a lot.
More about Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)
Mufasa: The Lion King explores the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands. Rafiki tells the legend of Mufasa to the young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature style. Told in flashbacks, the story presents Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a friendly lion named Taka – the heir to a royal lineage. The chance encounter begins an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits in search of their destiny – their bonds will be tested as they work together to escape a threatening and deadly enemy.
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Source: Rant Plus Screen