My Lion King Forum

So the YouTube channel The Film Theorists just released their latest theory in which they examine whether and how Simba could've survived and grown up on a bug-based diet. They overestimated Simba's actual dietary requirements (all estimates are based on the daily food requirement for captive adult male lions, even though Simba was barely into adulthood towards the end of his time with Timon and Pumbaa), but it still works out fairly well as a result.

Long story short: he could, with some potential health problems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmRs8HaMRUA

I got a minute into it before closing it. So many ways that video almost gave me an aneurysm.

^ Agreed, that was pretty hard to watch. The actual analysis part of the video is between 1:30 and 14:28 for anyone who wants to skip to that. You're welcome.

Cringe aside, it is an interesting theory. I hadn't imagined it was actually possible for Simba to have survived solely on a diet of bugs for the three years he was in exile. I still believe instinct would have compelled him to hunt and eat meat periodically; the jungle would have been home to a lot of small mammals and birds for him to eat. This would also explain why he doesn't appear to have health problems as an adult which would have been the case if he'd been eating nothing but bugs for three years.

^ Yeah, I'd always assumed that Simba at least 'snuck' some meat during his time in exile, even if he didn't really learn to hunt under the tutelage of another lion. Like you said, instinct would probably take over at some point and compel him to chase and tackle small critters. He already played with Timon kind of like a cat chew toy of sorts...

Now I'm really wondering why Disney didn't make a show about Simba growing up with Timon and Pumbaa. I feel like that could've been appropriate for The Lion Guard's demographic, and you'd have more room for goof off storylines and inconsequential songs.

Disney did think of a lot of scenes in the original lion king showing Simba growing up with Timon and Pumbaa. Then the producers shot down every single line with a simple "but how do they advance the plot?". As fun as many of the scenes were, they had no plot progression.

I highly doubt we will see anything similar for this reason as well, even with a TV show.

Simba could have at least scavenged meat, being close to the desert and all. Lions scavenge nearly as much as vultures do. Combine that with the occasional prey he likely snuck, like I dunno, a mouse or something, and he could easily help supplement his diet.

MatPat is annoying and cringey for sure, but I suppose kudos are due for how in-depth he looked at this. Most people usually go "lol a lion can't live off bugs" but Mat at least did a lot of reasearch here.

I was thinking about this earlier, and talking with Simba_Lion.

If we go by how "bright" Simba's fur is, as a young adult, I somehow came up with the diet being: Bugs, Fish, and Eggs. (Of course, besides the perhaps scavenged or snuck meat, there could be other seafood added such as Clam or type of Crab...)

^Kinda doubt seafood since there doesn't seem to be any indication that any of the locales are near the ocean. Freshwater fish and other river creatures, though, I agree.