Revisiting Disney: In Response to Timon and Pumbaa's Alternative Lifestyle Dilemma

Sunday, March 8, 2015

In Response to Timon and Pumbaa's Alternative Lifestyle Dilemma

So, a lot of the articles we've read I've disagreed with, for example the phallus-filled article by Roberta Trite about the innuendo of the Little Mermaid. I don't, however, have much to disagree with regarding this most recent article "Timon and Pumbaa's Alternative Lifestyle Dilemma," by Gael Sweeney. I never registered Timon and Pumbaa as a gay couple, maybe because I was four or so when I first watched the Lion King, until reading Sweeney's article. After reading the article and comparing it to my most recent memories of the Lion King, I could not only see Timon and Pumbaa as a gay couple but they seemed almost akin to Cam and Mitchell from Modern Family (maybe their relationship was an earlier inspiration? -- might be a stretch). While I'd never really considered their relationship to be romantic, their bickering, general relations with one another, and the way they tended to an adopted "child" (Simba) really did remind me of a more familial relationship than just pals kickin' it.

Granted some of her points weren't as strong. Personally I didn't think that Timon calling Pumbaa his "bestest best friend" indicated a gay relationship -- the terminology was too child-like or infantile so instead it reminded me of the way two kindergarteners would refer to a close friend. Similarly, I don't think the hula-dancing scene codes the two as a gay couple because I think it's just a colorful, whimsical dance scene more than anything. Children love bright colors, music, and dancing and we have to keep in mind that Disney is producing movies mostly for children. While there are luau-themed drag shows, I doubt that this is one of them. In fact most of their songs are really more friendship-inspired than insinuating romance.

The reason I still see them as possibly a romantic couple is because a relationship isn't purely sexual or lovey-dovey. When a relationship gets to the point where a couple is ready to raise a child (Simba), the two people are friends as well as romantic partners. They can have moments of being friends that are entirely platonic because Timon and Pumbaa have been together for a long time and so are no longer in the "lovey-dovey" stage that Simba and Nala are when you see the next instance of romantic love in the movie. Mufasa and Sarabi aren't particularly romantic-seeming when you see them as a couple at the beginning of their movie (literally no other couple in the movie is as traditionally couple-y as Simba and Nala). The most convincing evidence of Timon and Pumbaa as a romantic couple is the fact that they raise a child together. They teach Simba how to behave, what's right and wrong, and how to live life after he is totally isolated from his pride.

Also, the fact that Nathan Lane SAID that he tried to portray Timon as a gay, Jewish man means it's probable that Timon could be read as a gay man (and should be). They could be just another set of friends, but also the fact that neither Timon nor Pumbaa ever end up with their respective female meercat and warthog could support the assumption that they're a gay couple.

Personally, I support it and I really hope that Disney included a same-sex couple in their movie even as early as 1994. It'd mean they were super progressive even that far back in Distory. I'd be proud of Disney and proud that Disney's first introduction of a same-sex couple is as a couple that raises not only a successful child, but one who later becomes a successful King with a strong moral compass and a way with the ladies. It would show how even Disney, generally a fairly conservative company, believes that same-sex couples can behave in a way people tend to view as "normal" (not exclusively a hyper-flamboyant way) and can raise a happy, healthy child that doesn't necessarily conform to the same sexuality. I will choose to believe Sweeney's viewpoint and I hope it becomes a more broadly accepted comprehension of the Lion King.

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Disney's as a Boys' Toy Too

I rarely remember that little boys, as well as little girls, watch Disney movies and look up to some of the characters. In many of the earlier films, the men/princes aren't really a significant piece of the story, but more recently males are playing a greater and greater role in Disney and Pixar movies. Males like Chang, Sebastian, and Wasabi serve as role models for young boys just as the princesses do for little girls. Because of this, it's just as important that little boys of all appearances and personality types appear in animated films. The Feminist community has been more outspoken about female representation than the male community, perhaps because women tended to be placed in a subservient position to the men of the stories in earlier Disney movies. However, if you try to closely examine the character of the men or male characters in the early Disney movies, they tend to just be place holders that allow the princess to achieve their happily ever after. In later films they are hyper masculine and tough, even sometimes emotionless, if they want to be attractive to the females in the story. The non-human characters like Sebastion, Timone, and the like can be more sensitive because they aren't the male protagonist trying to win the girl and save the world. If we're going to work to build up strong, independent girls, we should work equally hard to help develop sensitive, thoughtful boys. This begins with providing more complex characters for them to look up to and more representation in the male characters in Disney films.

Identity and Disney

Disney Characters' Race Breakdown

Although Disney is often criticized for its lack of diversity in the characters in its animated and live action films, the statistics are fairly close to those of the US census. Although in Disney, about 75% of the characters are White, and so minorities are somewhat underrepresented, the statistics are fairly close to the true proportions. In America, about 62% of the population identifies as White, while 17% of the population is Hispanic, 13.2% is Black, 5% is Asian, and 3.8% of the population identify as multiracial, Native American, or Native Hawaiian. While more diversity would be nice, especially regarding Latinos considering they are 17% of the US population and only one single Disney character is identified as Latino, the statistic is less drastic that I would have anticipated.