"Bunga the Wise" is the third episode of the Disney Junior animated series, The Lion Guard. It premiered on January 22, 2016.
Plot
Kion and his friends, Beshte, Bunga, Fuli, and Ono, are attempting to keep a family of baboons from falling with a loose tree off a cliff, but when the baboons refuse to see reason, Kion sends Bunga up to scare them down. The plan works, and the baboons scurry down from the tree.
After the rescue, the Lion Guard takes a breather, and Kion goes to talk with his grandfather, Mufasa. The cub asks if he should use the Roar of the Elders to blow the big storms away, but Mufasa explains that rain is part of the Circle of Life and that the Pride Lands need water to survive. He also tells his grandson that the easiest solution is not always the best solution.
Kion accepts his grandfather's words, but as he goes back to rejoin his friends, he sees a wall of floodwater racing across the plains. Thinking fast, the cub orders Ono to take a look, and Ono informs the Guard that a nearby lake is flooding. Bunga proposes they knock a pile of large rocks into the way of the floodwater, and the flood is momentarily stopped.
As the other animals of the Pride Lands gather around, Rafiki approaches and starts to compliment honey badgers on their wisdom, but he is interrupted when he accidentally drops the fruit he's carrying. Bunga doesn't wait for Rafiki to finish and proclaims that he's the smartest animal in the Pride Lands. With everyone trailing behind him, he goes off to tell his adopted uncles, Timon and Pumbaa, just as Rafiki finishes what he had been saying, that honey badgers are only smart when they think before they speak.
As the Lion Guard races after Bunga, they encounter animal after animal who needs their help, and they continually rescue those affected by the floodwaters. Just before they can check on Ushari and the cobras, Ono flies in, proclaiming that they have to see what's going on at Hakuna Matata Falls.
When the Lion Guard arrives at Hakuna Matata Falls, they see animals lined up to meet Bunga, who has proclaimed himself to be a sage. Bunga and his adopted uncles, Timon and Pumbaa, sing about Bunga's wisdom, much to the Lion Guard's dismay. He then doles out bad advice to the lined up animals.
Seeing the disaster for what it is, Kion attempts to talk Bunga out of his idiocy, but the honey badger refuses to rejoin the Lion Guard. Timon ushers the friends out of Bunga's lair, and the Lion Guard reluctantly leaves. As they walk away, Fuli comments bitterly that Bunga is the last animal who should be doling out advice, to which Beshte points out that Bunga had stopped the lake from flooding. Kion agrees, but admits that he has a bad feeling about the situation.
While walking the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard frees an ostrich with her head in the sand, and she explains that she'd been advised to do so by Bunga the Wise. After this, the friends encounter more and more animals taking Bunga's bad advice, and they're forced to rescue the poor beasts. Finally, Kion admits that they need to stop Bunga before it's too late.
Just then, they see Bunga at the head of a parade, celebrating his great wisdom. Kion runs up and once again attempts to make Bunga see reason, but the honey badger points out that everyone loves his advice. Timon adds that Bunga had fixed the dam, but just then, the dam breaks and the animals are forced to flee across the plains.
With Kion in the lead, the animals run into a canyon, where they find themselves at a dead end. Trapped, the animals look to Bunga for wisdom, but the honey badger tells them to listen to Kion, who truly does know how to handle bad situations. Thinking quickly, Kion orders the others to stand behind him, and he uses the Roar of the Elders to send the floodwaters splashing backward.
With the Pride Lands saved, the Lion Guard relaxes at a new water hole created by the floodwaters, where Bunga is warned by Rafiki not to bask in a patch of flowers. Scoffing, Bunga reminds Rafiki that he'd called him the wisest animal in the Pride Lands, and Rafiki corrects him, saying that honey badgers are only smart when they think things through. Sure enough, Bunga's basking spot turns into a puddle of mud, and Bunga sighs contently that he can live with not being the smartest.
Cast
- Max Charles as Kion
- Joshua Rush as Bunga
- Diamond White as Fuli
- Dusan Brown as Beshte
- Atticus Shaffer as Ono
- Kevin Schon as Timon and Thurston
- Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa
- Khary Payton as Rafiki
- Gary Anthony Williams as Mufasa
- Phil LaMarr as Shingo, Male Oryx, Male Mongoose and One of Porcupine Brothers
- Kari Wahlgren as Baboon Mother
- Natalie Coughlin as Mtoto
- Russi Taylor as Mbuni
- Dee Bradley Baker as Big Baboon
- Cam Clarke as One of Porcupine Brothers, Young Hedgehog and Male Turtle
- Nick Watt as Male Bushbuck
Song
Appearances
- Kion
- Beshte
- Bunga
- Ono
- Fuli
- Rafiki
- Timon
- Pumbaa
- Mufasa
- Mtoto
- Gumba
- Mbuni
Trivia
- Moral: the easy soloution isn't always the best soloution.
