delves into characters like Timon and Pumbaa, the iconic meerkat and warthog duo. The movie welcomes in new cast like Old's Aaron Pierre and Elvis' Kelvin Harrison Jr. as young Mufasa and Taka alongside returning players like comedians Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner.

Rogen and Eichner's comedic relief was a highlight of the first film, which largely leaned into the narrative's darker, dramatic aspects. The same remains true in the sequel, with younger versions of Timon and Pumbaa still providing lightheartedness amid more somber plot threads. Eichner is known for a myriad of comedic projects, like the shows Billy on the Street - which was hosted by the comedian - Difficult People, and Parks and Recreation, as well as his recent film Bros.

Screen Rant interviewed Billy Eichner to discuss improvising with Seth Rogen, where Timon and Pumbaa fit into Mufasa and Scar's backstory, and the film's most important themes.

Mufasa’s Director Had Eichner & Seth Rogen “Lean Into Improvising”

Working With Barry Jenkins & Where Pumbaa & Timon Find Themselves In The New Film

Screen Rant: How does it feel to return to Pride Rock as Timon alongside Seth Rogan as Pumbaa?

Billy Eichner: It's a joy and an honor. I am very grateful to be a part of it. It's so fun. Me and Seth work as a team, as Timon and Pumbaa, because they are a team. They're best friends and they're really a comedy duo. They really compliment each other. That's the fun part of it; there's a lot of fun parts of it, but for me as an actor, that's the fun part of it.

Now let's set the stage. Where are Pumbaa and Timon before Simba's kingdom? What have they been up to in the meantime? Where do we find them?

Billy Eichner: We find 'em roaming around like they always do as the outsiders kind of inserting themselves into the situation. I really like their role in Mufasa because they are just more desperate than ever to be part of the story because they're not - they're helping tell the story.

They're kind of functioning as narrators with Rafiki telling Kiara the story of her grandfather Mufasa, who she obviously didn't know because - spoiler alert - he dies in the first movie. So they're trying to get in there and center themselves, and they're not going to be able to do that, and that's a really fun game to play.

I think Barry Jenkins did such a fantastic job with this film.

Billy Eichner: I do too.

I love that all the animals are photorealistic, but emote. Talk to me about working with him and bringing these characters to life.

Billy Eichner: What an honor to work with Barry Jenkins. I mean, I love his work. His previous work is very different than Mufasa, obviously, but I have to say when I saw Mufasa, you can feel Barry's touch, because he allowed it to be for the genre more complex than these movies usually are.

I think Mufasa and Taka Scar are complex characters, and I think that's very Barry Jenkins, and it was an honor to get to work with him. He's such a lovely encouraging guy. He really had Seth and I lean into improvising a lot and ad-libbing - a lot of it's in the movie, which is kind of cool.

Oh, that's interesting. Like the song, "Hakuna Mufasa."

Billy Eichner: That was improvised during a recording session.

Pumbaa & Timon’s Bond Ties Into A “Core Of The Movie”

Recording With Rogen & The Universal Themes Of Family In Mufasa: The Lion King

Incredible. Now, can you talk about the themes of family destiny and resilience? I feel like nobody better than Pumbaa and Timon would be able to understand those themes.

Billy Eichner: Yeah, I mean, that's at the core of the movie. That's what's fun about playing Timon with Seth and Pumbaa is because we get to be the comic relief in a movie that's pretty intense and pretty serious in dealing with real themes about fathers and their children and families and their children, and that's complicated, rich, poignant stuff that we can all relate to.

I've told this story before, but when I watched the movie in a screening room, I watched it alone. I hadn't seen it yet on the Disney lot, and behind me, the only other person in the theater was the security guard they made me watch the movie with so I don't record it, as if I'm going to give Mufasa away on my IG [Laughs]. The security guard, just this older, kind of stoic guy, stands up at the end and looks at me and said, "That movie made me want to call my dad tonight.”

And this was an older man, and I was like, "Your dad's alive?" No, I'm just kidding. But it was very sweet, it was very moving. And I think that speaks to how emotional the movie is and those themes, how relatable they are.

Kids that watch Lion King right after, it's going to rip their hearts right out.

Billy Eichner: Good.

Now talk to me about working with Seth. Did you guys record in a studio together?

Billy Eichner: We record everything together really for these movies. I don't know how we would do it otherwise, because we're bouncing off of each other. We're improvising a lot, and Timon and Pumbaa are a comedy duo.

Fans of Lion Guard have been waiting to see Kiara for a while now, talk to me about what we can expect from Kiara.

Billy Eichner: Kiara's a sweet, young character voiced by Blue Ivy Carter. It's really sweet, because she doesn't know Mufasa, obviously; her grandfather died in the first movie. So we get to tell her the story, and she's learning about how he became the king, as it were - whatever we're calling him now, the leader, the patriarch. It's cool to be able to help tell that story, because he didn't start off that way.

Pumbaa and Timon are like peanut butter and jelly, and if their friendship has lasted the test of time for over 30 years, what makes their friendship so strong and last the test of time?

Billy Eichner: I think it's so clear that they're always the outsiders, always trying to shoehorn their way into the center of the story, but they're never the center of the story. And they're such opposites in certain ways. They're just kind of classic, unlikely best friends, and an unlikely duo. And I hope you can feel that they also really love each other and that they are best friends, even though they make fun of each other a lot.

More About Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

Mufasa: The Lion King explores the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands. Rafiki relays the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.

Check out our other Mufasa: The Lion King interviews here:

• Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., & Tiffany Boone
• Barry Jenkins & Lin-Manuel Miranda

Mufasa: The Lion King arrives in theaters on December 20.

Source: Screen Rant Plus