Truth or Zaire

Truth or Zaire Transcript Gallery

Truth or Zaire
Attribution information
Director	Jeff DeGrandis
Writer	Kevin Campbell
Production information
Series	The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa
Season	1
Episode	11b
Air date	October 14, 1995
Episode guide
Previous	"Madagascar About You"
Next	"Mojave Desserted"

You see, Timon, honesty is the best policy.Pumbaa

"Truth or Zaire" is the second segment of the eleventh episode of Season 1 of The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa, and the twenty-second episode of the series overall. It premiered on October 14, 1995 on CBS' Saturday morning line-up, alongside "Madagascar About You" and "Yummy Yummy Yummy".

Official synopsis

"Timon and Pumbaa are mistaken for babies and taken in by a kind Mama Gorilla."

Plot summary

Mother Gorilla adopts Timon and Pumbaa, believing them to be actual babies.

Timon and Pumbaa are running away from a hunter named Congo Quint, and they end up in baby clothes a rabbit was hanging up. When Quint gets them, a female gorilla appears, saves Timon and Pumbaa and takes them home. She then decides that they are now her babies and that she's going to take care of them.

Timon has the idea to pretend they are actually babies so the female gorilla protects them from Quint, like a bodyguard. A male gorilla knocks on the doors and asks the female gorilla to marry him, and she accepts. She goes get her dress and the male gorilla goes talk to Timon and Pumbaa. They act like babies, but the male gorilla shows that he's actually Quint in a costume.

A male gorilla (Congo Quint in disguise) proposes to Mother Gorilla.

Timon and Pumbaa get shocked when they see Quint, but there's nothing they can do to stop him. The female gorilla gets back with her wedding dress and starts to talk with the "male gorilla" about the wedding. While they are talking, Timon goes behind Quint and zips down the costume, showing his real face. The female gorilla gets angry and kicks Quint out.

Timon and Pumbaa think they are finally safe, but Pumbaa is not happy with the fact that they are lying to the female gorilla and wants to tell her the truth, but Timon convinces him that they are safer that way and that "nice guys finish last." Later that day, someone knocks on the door and the female gorilla opens it. Three old gorillas come inside to see the "new babies". They cuddle them until the female gorilla shows Timon and Pumbaa her surprise: three baby gorillas that she brought to play with them.

The gorillas get captured by Congo Quint.

Pumbaa is not comfortable with the idea and decides to tell the female gorilla the truth. At the mention of "take advantage of maternal instincts for personal safety and comfort", she gets really mad and chases Timon and Pumbaa, just like Quint at the beginning of the episode. They end up in a dead end and the gorillas surround them. All of a sudden, a net falls down and traps the gorillas and Quint appears with what looks like a gun. He points it to Timon and Pumbaa claiming that he finally got them and when he pulls the trigger, the gun takes a picture, revealing that Congo Quint is actually a wildlife photographer and the gun is actually a camera.

Quint claims that he's going to be famous with that picture and that all magazines will want it in their cover. When Quint is going away, the female gorilla grabs him from the net and starts to hit him on the ground. Timon has the idea to take pictures of that scene so he can sell them to the magazines too.

Voice cast

Starring

• Nathan Lane as Timon
• Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa
• Corey Burton as Congo Quint

Guest Starring

• Jim Cummings as Mother Gorilla and a rabbit

Appearances

Characters Mother Gorilla Mother Gorilla's friends Pumbaa Quint Timon Species Birds Gorillas Humans Meerkats Rabbits Tortoises Warthogs Locations Hakuna Matata Mother Gorilla's cave Organizations and Titles Wildlife Photographer

Trivia

• This episode is a most likely a play on "truth or dare."

• Zaire (on the title) was the name of the state in Africa, currently named Democratic Republic of the Congo, that translates to "river that swallows all rivers."

• This is the second episode to run for less than 11 minutes. The others being "South Sea Sick", "Mojave Desserted", "Don't Break the China", "Going Uruguay", and "Yosemite Remedy".
  • The reason this episode is this short is to make room for the music video segment "Yummy Yummy Yummy".

Media

The full episode of "Truth or Zaire"