is one of Disney’s most popular and successful franchises, recently expanding with a prequel movie, but 29 years before it, the franchise’s best spinoff was released. Between 1989 and 1999, Disney went through the Disney Renaissance, the period in which the studio produced commercially and critically successful animated movies again, starting with The Little Mermaid.
Among the Disney Renaissance movies is The Lion King, considered the first Disney original animated movie. Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, The Lion King tells the story of King Mufasa and his young son, Simba. When Mufasa is murdered by his ambitious brother, Scar, he forces Simba to leave the kingdom, and the young lion grows up in exile.
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Years later, Simba returns to reclaim the throne, but has to confront Scar and his followers. The success of The Lion King led to a franchise with sequels, short films, and even stage musicals, but one of its best spinoffs was a TV show, and it wasn’t centered on Simba.

Just one year after the theatrical release of The Lion King, the franchise expanded to TV with a spinoff animated show – the big difference is that it wasn’t centered on Simba or any other lion. Instead, , with the show simply titled Timon & Pumbaa.
Ernie Sabella returned to voice Pumbaa, while Nathan Lane voiced Timon for 10 episodes and was replaced by Quinton Flynn and Kevin Schon.
, always living according to their “hakuna matata” lifestyle. Throughout three seasons (and a total of 85 episodes), Timon and Pumbaa faced different predators and enemies, but also met various allies and made new friends. The pair’s adventures took them from the jungles of Africa to Costa Rica, Saskatchewan, France, Yukon, and more.
The tone of Timon & Pumbaa was different from that of The Lion King, being and leaving drama and tension completely out, which fits the title characters. Timon & Pumbaa succeeded thanks to this and the charm of its title characters, as well as the creativity of the adventures and conflicts they got into.

With movies like The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride and The Lion King ½, the Lion King timeline can be messy – luckily, Timon & Pumbaa has a clear place in it. , so Timon and Pumbaa were free to come and go as they pleased, as Simba was finally king by then.
Timon & Pumbaa is the best Lion King spinoff and animated TV show, but it’s not the only TV show in the franchise. , with the first two seasons set within the time gap in Simba’s Pride, with the rest of the third (and final) season happening parallel to the movie’s second act.
. The guard is traditionally led by the king and queen’s second-born, and so Simba and Nala’s son, Kion, has to take the role. The Lion Guard received mixed reactions and ended in 2019.

The Lion King
- Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff, Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton
- The Lion King
- The Lion King
- Mufasa: The Lion King
- Timon and Pumbaa
- The Lion Guard