What does Timon do in "The Lion King" to distract the hyenas?

In The Lion King, Timon performs a cross-dressing hula dance to distract the hyenas.

The gag occurs during the climactic battle at Pride Rock. Simba needs a diversion so the lionesses can confront Scar and the hyenas, and Timon volunteers for an intentionally ridiculous performance. He appears in a grass skirt and hula-style costume, dancing and singing while the hyenas stare at the spectacle.

The scene plays on Timon’s comic willingness to turn himself into bait. Pumbaa also joins the distraction, helping make the performance strange enough to hold the hyenas’ attention. The humor comes from the contrast between the silly tropical-style dance and the danger of the battle unfolding around it.

This moment is sometimes shortened to “a hula dance,” but the fuller answer is more precise: Timon dresses in drag and performs a hula dance. The scene is from Disney’s 1994 animated film, not the 2019 remake, which omitted several musical and comic moments from the original.