“We were doingGuys and Dolls,” remembers Lane.
“So, we would record in the mornings sometimes, and we’d be a little sleepy.
And Ernie, to entertain me during the recording, would make flatulent noises.
Pumbaa and Timon in ‘The Lion King’.Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection
While he was doing his dialogue, he would make fart sounds to make me laugh.
And they eventually incorporated that into the character and the song.”
Sabella remembers the gag happening one day after a long run of Broadway performances.
Nathan Lane (L) and Ernie Sabella.Monica Schipper/WireImageTHE; Image Group LA/Disney Channel via Getty
He kept laughing, going, ‘Don’t do that, don’t do that.’
I said, ‘I’ll stop.’
And then I kept doing it.
Pumbaa and Timon in ‘The Lion King’.Disney
That’s the story of how Pumbaa became the first and only Disney character with flatulence."
“He came out from his audition, and I said, ‘Could we read together?'”
“‘It’ll be easier to do since it’s three different characters, and we know each other.
Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon in ‘The Lion King’.Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett
So, we went in and we improvised a bit and had a lot of fun.”
He was just staring at us."
“They’re Damon Runyon-esque characters.
(L-R) Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa in ‘The Lion King’.Everett Collection
So, Timon became a Brooklyn Jewish meerkat.
But in animation, you’re able to get away with it.”
Disney
Sabella also looked to another iconic screen duo for inspiration.
“We just knew that we were two funny guys and that warthogs and meerkats are small animals.
I was doing a buddy movie.
I said, ‘Alright, you’ll be Robert Redford, and I’ll be Paul Newman.'”
“Apparently, I ad-libbed this line, ‘What do you want me to do?
Dress in drag and do the hula?'”
“Which then led into this song.
I don’t really remember, but I said it.”
Jeremy Irons, Billy Eichner, and Jennifer Hudson will also participate in the event.
“I initially thought it would be, we came out and sang songs,” says Lane.
“But it’s a whole extravaganza they’re putting together.
There’s costumes and scenery.”
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“As a kid, I always loved Disney animated films,” says Lane.
“And so to have become a part of that history, it’s very gratifying.
