The Lion King 1½

Timon and Pumbaa watch the film’s opening acts in their cozy home theater. Timon fast-forwards to the Hakuna Matata scene, but Pumbaa rewinds to the beginning to avoid confusing the audience. They decide to tell their own story of how they met and learned Hakuna Matata, which Pumbaa agrees to.

Timon, an outcast among meerkats, leaves the colony after a hyena attack and dreams of a better life. He meets Rafiki who teaches him Hakuna Matata and the idea of looking beyond what he sees.

Rafiki presents Timon with the philosophy of Hakuna Matata and points his path toward Pride Rock. Timon sets out across the savannah with new purpose, seeking belonging.

Timon encounters the warthog Pumbaa and forms a lifelong friendship. They travel together toward Pride Rock.

Timon and Pumbaa arrive amid Simba's presentation to the Pride Lands, weaving through the crowd and becoming part of the scene. Pumbaa’s agoraphobia-induced gas causes animals to faint and others to bow to Simba.

The duo witnesses key moments from Simba's life, including the I Just Can't Wait to Be King finale. They also witness the Elephant Graveyard, the Be Prepared march, and the wildebeest stampede that kills Mufasa.

Escaping the stampede, Timon and Pumbaa are swept downriver over a waterfall. Exhausted, Timon considers returning home, while Pumbaa reveals they have no real home, and the two realize they are each other’s only friends. The river deposits them in a lush jungle that will become their home.

In the jungle, Timon and Pumbaa settle into their Hakuna Matata philosophy and start teaching it to others, including Simba. Timon’s mother Ma and Uncle Max leave the meerkat colony to search for him, setting up the wider family’s involvement in the story.

Timon and Pumbaa rescue Simba and raise him under their carefree lifestyle. Years later, Simba’s childhood friend Nala returns and reunites with him, bringing new tension to their dynamic.

Nala explains that Simba has returned to Pride Rock to challenge Scar, prompting Timon to reassess his approach and question his sabotage of the couple. Rafiki nudges him toward recognizing that Hakuna Matata must include cherished friends, not just carefree abandon.

Timon travels to the desert to reconcile with Pumbaa, embracing his true Hakuna Matata as friendship and loyalty. The two friends prepare to support Simba in the coming battle.

Ma and Uncle Max join, building tunnels under the hyenas while Timon and Pumbaa stall for time. The tunnels collapse, the hyenas are ejected, Scar falls into the wreckage, and Simba is crowned king. Timon invites his family and colony to join him in the jungle to celebrate their victory and new life.

In the film’s wrap-up, Pumbaa wants to rewatch the story while Timon declines. Ma rewinds the film and the group is joined by Simba, Rafiki, Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Stitch, and others as the credits roll.