Mufasa: The Lion King tells an original story set in The Lion King universe, with the prequel confirming one potential issue that a live-action remake of The Lion King 1 1/2 would have to face. Despite there being outcry for a remake of The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride after the success of the 2019 remake of The Lion King, Disney decided to go in a different direction, instead telling a different story about the origin of Mufasa. However, Mufasa: The Lion King highlighted how a remake of The Lion King 1 1/2 could work, although not perfectly.

The Lion King 1 1/2 is a 2004 direct-to-video midquel set during the events of 1994’s The Lion King. The film explores what Timon and Pumbaa got up to before the events of the original animated movie, with the film highlighting the duo’s history and fleshing out their storylines. The Lion King 1 1/2 is far more focused on comedy than the original The Lion King, but the film has become a popular successor to the 1994 classic. Becasue of this, many The Lion King fans are holding out hopes for a The Lion King 1 1/2 remake, despite it being difficult to pull off.

Timon & Pumbaa Are Proven Unreliable Narrators In Mufasa: The Lion King

They Lie To Kairi About Their Story

Although Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to the 2019 remake, Timon and Pumbaa are prominently featured throughout the film. Mufasa: The Lion King uses a framing device in which Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki are Simba’s daughter Kairi about how her grandfather became king. While Rafiki’s recounting of events is mostly accurate, due to him being present in the prequel, Timon and Pumbaa’s isn’t. Instead, Timon and Pumbaa are used for comedic relief, with this take on the duo making The Lion King 1 1/2 difficult.

One gag in Mufasa: The Lion King sees Timon and Pumbaa tell Kairi about the events of The Lion King, something that she wasn’t alive for. However, instead of saying that Simba threw Scar off of Pride Rock, Timon and Pumbaa say that they did it. Timon and Pumbaa’s comedic lies prove that they are unreliable narrators, with Rafiki constantly having to get the story of Mufasa back on track after they derail it. While this is funny, it could end up hurting the story of The Lion King 1 1/2.

Timon & Pumbaa’s Storytelling History Would Make A Prequel About Them More Difficult To Believe

Since They Narrate The Film

In the world of the live-action The Lion King universe, audience members have had their expectations set that Timon and Pumbaa are unreliable narrators. Because of this, it will be incredibly hard to believe that the events shown in a The Lion King 1 1/2 remake are actually true, since the story is being told by them. This could be made even more explicit than the original midquel if a The Lion King 1 1/2 remake uses the framing device seen in Mufasa: The Lion King, with the duo telling their story to Kairi.

On top of that, The Lion King 1 1/2 features things like fourth wall breaks, making things even more confusing. Although The Lion King 1 1/2 is meant to be comedic, this unreliable narrator problem could make it near impossible to tell what is canon and what is a comedic bit, confusing fans of the franchise.

How A Live-Action The Lion King 1 1/2 Can Avoid Its Timon & Pumbaa Narrator Problem

There Are Two Great Options

Although the reliability of Timon and Pumbaa is a problem, a live-action remake of The Lion King 1 1/2 could fix this issue in two ways. Firstly, if the remake wants to stick to the framing device of Mufasa: The Lion King, it could simply have Timon and Pumbaa not tell the story. Rafiki could narrate it again, Simba could be involved, or another character from Timon and Pumbaa’s past could appear to recount the story. All of these would fix this issue, as the audience wouldn’t have to question the narrator’s reliability.

Another option is that the The Lion King 1 1/2 remake doesn’t have to utilize this framing device. The film could simply be a regular prequel, with it not using a narration from Timon, Pumbaa, or any of the other characters. Taking this more straightforward approach would be the simplest way to avoid this issue, with it being the best way to remake The Lion King 1 1/2 after Mufasa: The Lion King.