The Lion Guard: Timon and Pumbaa’s Christmas

[JackStover]

I can't get through this without cringing every few minutes. I'm skipping it.

[zerodix]

I watched. Horror. Pure horror. The pandas or snow leopard didn't appear and even though Tiifu and Zuri were there, they didn't say a word. Huge dissapointment.

[Ninclow]

I know I shouldn't be surprised seen as the kid voicing Bunga's like - what, fifteen, but... This is the first song where Bunga don't sound like himself singing. It actually sounds like there's a girl stepping in most of the time.

[zerodix]

Same with Kion, his singing voice is another person. What horror. eeeeek.

[Ninclow]

[quote="zerodix"]Same with Kion, his singing voice is another person. What horror. eeeeek.[/quote]

Actually, Max Charles just going though puberty. He's voice already has changed, if you look up interviews with the actor from five months ago, but producers of the show somehow edits his voice pre- airing the show to make it sound more akin to how it sounded prior to him entering voice change.

Which is why I wonder if it's about time to a) get a new Kion before Max's voice gets so deep the program editing his voice just can't make his voice sound like it did anymore and seem like a misfit, or age up the character a bit to suite Max's maturing voice.

[Elton John]

i predict that next season there’s going to be a timeskip or replacement actors for the main cast.

The producers of the show had to know that kid voice actor voices don’t stay young sounding forever, most kid characters in tv series aren’t voiced by kids for that reason.

[Simba_Lion]

Before this episode, Kupatana celebration meant Christmas to me in TLK verse. When I started watching the episode and heard Rafiki talking about Kupatana, I thought I was right... But then I had to see that I was not and it seems I have to give my thoughts up.

[AnonLion]

Just watched the episode and I cringed a lot.. there were a few cute parts mainly with Simba seeming reluctant to participate and Bunga reminding Simba how much Timon and Pumbaa had done for them both, but I won't be seeing this one again until it's dubbed in my country. My main dissapointment is that I too thought of Kupatana as the Pride Lands' Christmas, but there goes that I guess. At least Nala and Kiara got some lines though.

[SimbasGuard]

I honestly liked this episode, it was done in such a way that it could fit into continuity. The actual Santa Claus was not directly mentioned and since he never showed up I think that there is still no danger of Humans being introduced into The Lion King Universe. The episode also established that Christmas came to The Pride Lands long after Kupatana, so The the Pride Lands also celebrating Christmas doesn't take anything away from Kupatana. If fact it pointed out that The Pride Lands still celebrates Kupatana.

As for Kion's changing voice, to me this is not a problem. Kion is at the right age where his voice could be changing. As long as Max Charles doesn't get a voice as deep as James Earl Jones overnight it shouldn't be a problem.

[quote="Elton John"]i predict that next season there’s going to be a timeskip or replacement actors for the main cast[/quote]

That being said I would not be surprised if Kion and Bunga were recast for next season.

Seeing Kion (and the others) aged up in any way would be great, it would indicate that the show actually could be going in the direction I had hoped it would from the beginning. Although it has been mentioned elsewhere on this forum that ageing up the characters might not be an option, due to the merchandising conflict. it would cause. New looks for the characters would also mean new merchandising options. It is hard for me to gauge what Disney will do.

Not to derail this thread, but there was no Red Panda or Snow Leopard in this episode, so those storyboards that were seen in Ford Riley's tweet have to be from another episode.

[Squeely]

Watched this a couple weeks or so ago. It was... okay. Weird that we have an episode about Christmas when Kupatana fit the bill as their version of Christmas perfectly. Gonna echo others in that this was likely a corporate mandate, and probably one where the suits said "You have to include Christmas!", otherwise, another wintery episode could've fit just fine (might have been out-of-season vs the dry season, but still). The writing in this ep felt especially fillery and not quite as good as most other episodes. Particularly, the inclusion of the entirety of the 12 Days of Christmas clone, seemed like it was included to fill up time. I don't dislike the original song per se, but I'm definitely not a huge fan of going through the whole thing in an episode that's only 20 minutes and change.

Sad to say, I'd probably call this one of the weaker episodes of TLG. Still, I do enjoy Christmas specials, and it was pretty cute and heartfelt at least.