The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Encyclopedia
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is the 22nd full-length animated
film
produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on March 11, 1977.
The film is actually composed of material from three previously released animated featurettes based upon the Winnie-the-Pooh
books by A. A. Milne
: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
(1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
(1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974). This is also the last film in the Disney canon in which Walt Disney had personal involvement, since one of the shorts (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree) was released during his lifetime, and he was involved in the production of Blustery Day. A fourth and final featurette based on the original books, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore
, was released in 1983 and is included as a bonus feature on the VHS and DVD release of the feature film.
Its characters have spawned an industry of sequels, television programs, clothing
, books, and toys
. The film differs from the three individual shorts by having newly-created linking material, and an ending to give closure to the stories (based on the final chapter of The House at Pooh Corner
). It was always Walt Disney
's intention to create a feature film, but he decided to make shorts instead — after production had begun — to familiarize US audiences with the characters. All three shorts as well as future feature films boast classic songs by the Sherman Brothers including "Winnie the Pooh
" and "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers".
The film also inspired an attraction of the same name
at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Hong Kong Disneyland
. A much more elaborate attraction, also based on the film, opened in Tokyo Disneyland
as "Pooh's Hunny Hunt".
Ruth Hill Viguers, however, when writing in A Critical History of Children’s Literature during the 1960s, mentioned Disney’s Winnie the Pooh along with several other Disney adaptations as having “destroyed the integrity of the original books”.
The American Film Institute
nominated The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh for its Top 10 Animated Films list
.
, Betamax
, CED videorecord, and laserdisc
in the early 1980s. In 1996, it was re-released on VHS
as part of the Masterpiece Collection and included video footage of the making which was shown before the movie starts. It was released on DVD
for the first time in 2002 as a 25th Anniversary Edition, with digitally restored picture and sound. The individual shorts had also been released on their own on VHS in the 1990s.
The 25th anniversary edition DVD includes, among other bonus features, "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Story Behind the Masterpiece", which documents the history of the books and their initial film adaptations. It also features interviews with animators Ollie Johnston
, Frank Thomas
, and Burny Mattinson
, as well as the Sherman brothers, Paul Winchell
, and others. Digital Media FX reviewer Shannon Muir stated that the audio and video quality of the film on this DVD was very high.
The "Friendship Edition" DVD was re-released on June 19, 2007. All of the special features from the previous "25th Anniversary Edition" DVD were recycled; the only new addition being an episode of Playhouse Disney's computer-animated series My Friends Tigger & Pooh
. The DVD re-release coincides with the 30th anniversary of the release of the film. http://www.ultimatedisney.com/comingsoon.html
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on March 11, 1977.
The film is actually composed of material from three previously released animated featurettes based upon the Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
books by A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...
: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is a 1966 animated featurette released by The Walt Disney Company. Based on the first two chapters of the book Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, it is the is the only Winnie the Pooh production released under the production of Walt Disney before his death later that...
(1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day is a 1968 animated featurette based on stories from the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The featurette was produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution on December 20, 1968 before The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit. This was...
(1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974). This is also the last film in the Disney canon in which Walt Disney had personal involvement, since one of the shorts (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree) was released during his lifetime, and he was involved in the production of Blustery Day. A fourth and final featurette based on the original books, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore is a Disney Winnie the Pooh animated featurette, based on two chapters from the books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, originally released theatrically on March 11, 1983, before the 1983 re-issue of The Sword in the Stone...
, was released in 1983 and is included as a bonus feature on the VHS and DVD release of the feature film.
Its characters have spawned an industry of sequels, television programs, clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
, books, and toys
Toys
Toys is a 1992 comedy film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robin Williams, Michael Gambon, Joan Cusack, Robin Wright, LL Cool J, and introducing Jamie Foxx as Baker. The film failed at the box office at the time of its release, despite its impressive cast and lavish filmmaking. Levinson was...
. The film differs from the three individual shorts by having newly-created linking material, and an ending to give closure to the stories (based on the final chapter of The House at Pooh Corner
The House at Pooh Corner
The House at Pooh Corner is the second volume of stories about Winnie-the-Pooh, written by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepard. It is notable for the introduction of the character Tigger, who went on to become a prominent figure in the Disney Winnie the Pooh franchise.- Plot :The title...
). It was always Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's intention to create a feature film, but he decided to make shorts instead — after production had begun — to familiarize US audiences with the characters. All three shorts as well as future feature films boast classic songs by the Sherman Brothers including "Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh (song)
"Winnie the Pooh" is the title song for the franchise of the same name. It is musically emblematic of the most successful branding Disney currently owns and has been used in most merchandising models of the brand since the song's first publication in 1966 in the musical film featurette, Winnie the...
" and "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers".
The film also inspired an attraction of the same name
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (attraction)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a dark ride based upon the film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, itself based on the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The attraction exists in slightly different forms at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland, and Hong...
at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
. A much more elaborate attraction, also based on the film, opened in Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland
is a 115 acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and opened on April 15, 1983...
as "Pooh's Hunny Hunt".
Plot
- Winnie the Pooh and the Honey TreeWinnie the Pooh and the Honey TreeWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is a 1966 animated featurette released by The Walt Disney Company. Based on the first two chapters of the book Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, it is the is the only Winnie the Pooh production released under the production of Walt Disney before his death later that...
- Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery DayWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery DayWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day is a 1968 animated featurette based on stories from the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The featurette was produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution on December 20, 1968 before The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit. This was...
- Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too
- We Say Good-bye
Voice cast
- Winnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
, voiced by Sterling HollowaySterling HollowaySterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company... - Piglet, voiced by John FiedlerJohn FiedlerJohn Donald Fiedler was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. He was slight, balding, and bespectacled, with a distinctive, high-pitched voice and a career lasting more than 55 years.He is best remembered for four roles: as the nervous Juror #2 in 12...
- Rabbit, voiced by Junius MatthewsJunius Matthews-Career:He was a private in World War I before becoming an actor, and determined to become a popular radio and television actor, his career began on stage where he got his first role in a silent film called The Silent Witness . He later played the role of the Tin Woodsman on a radio version of The...
- TiggerTiggerTigger is a fictional tiger-like character originally introduced in A. A. Milne's book The House at Pooh Corner. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals...
, voiced by Paul WinchellPaul WinchellPaul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s... - Gopher, voiced by Howard MorrisHoward MorrisHoward Morris was an American comic actor and director who was best known for his role as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.- Life and career :...
- Christopher RobinChristopher RobinChristopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, appearing in his popular books of poetry and stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. He has subsequently appeared in Disney cartoons....
, voiced by Bruce ReithermanBruce ReithermanBruce Reitherman is an American filmmaker and former child actor and singer. He is the son of the late Disney animation director Wolfgang Reitherman.- Life and work :Reitherman was born in Burbank, California...
, later Jon WalmsleyJon WalmsleyJon Walmsley in Blackburn, Lancashire, England) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, actor and producer.Walmsley is a veteran of the stage and studio, having worked with many notable artists including Richard Marx, Brian Setzer, David Pack, David Koz, The Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald,...
and Timothy Turner - EeyoreEeyoreEeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh....
, voiced by Ralph WrightRalph WrightRalph Waldo Wright was a Disney animator and story/storyboard writer who is best known for providing the gloomy, sullen voice of Eeyore from the popular Winnie-the-Pooh franchise... - Owl, voiced by Hal SmithHal Smith (actor)Harold John "Hal" Smith was an American character actor and voice actor. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters on various animated cartoon shorts...
- RooRooRoo is a fictional character created in 1926 by A. A. Milne and first featured in the book Winnie-the-Pooh. He is a young kangaroo and his mother is Kanga...
, voiced by Clint HowardClint HowardClinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
, later Dori Whitaker - Kanga, voiced by Barbara LuddyBarbara LuddyBarbara Luddy was an American actress from Great Falls, Montana. Her film career began with silent pictures in the 1920s, during which time she was also a prolific radio performer....
- Narrated by Sebastian CabotSebastian Cabot (actor)Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot was an English film and television actor, best remembered as the gentleman's gentleman, "Giles French," opposite Brian Keith's character, in the 1960s sitcom Family Affair. He was also known for playing Dr...
Production
For the character Piglet, hand gestures and other movements were used by the animators to create expressiveness, since he (and Pooh) had the appearance of dolls or stuffed animals with relatively simple button eyes. The scene where Rabbit deals with Pooh's being part of the "decor of his home" was not in the original book, but was reportedly contemplated by Disney when he first read the book.Reception
Film critic Leonard Maltin called the original Pooh featurettes "gems"; he also noted that the artwork resembles the book illustrations, and that the particular length of these featurettes meant that the filmmakers didn't have to "compress or protract their script." The film holds a 91% "fresh" rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.Ruth Hill Viguers, however, when writing in A Critical History of Children’s Literature during the 1960s, mentioned Disney’s Winnie the Pooh along with several other Disney adaptations as having “destroyed the integrity of the original books”.
The American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
nominated The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh for its Top 10 Animated Films list
AFI's 10 Top 10
AFI's 10 Top 10 honors the ten greatest American films in ten classic film genres. Presented by the American Film Institute , the lists were unveiled on a television special broadcast by CBS on June 17, 2008....
.
Home video
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was first released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
, Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
, CED videorecord, and laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
in the early 1980s. In 1996, it was re-released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
as part of the Masterpiece Collection and included video footage of the making which was shown before the movie starts. It was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
for the first time in 2002 as a 25th Anniversary Edition, with digitally restored picture and sound. The individual shorts had also been released on their own on VHS in the 1990s.
The 25th anniversary edition DVD includes, among other bonus features, "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Story Behind the Masterpiece", which documents the history of the books and their initial film adaptations. It also features interviews with animators Ollie Johnston
Ollie Johnston
Oliver Martin Johnston, Jr. was an American motion picture animator. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, and the last surviving at the time of his death. He was recognized by The Walt Disney Company with its Disney Legend Award in 1989...
, Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas (animator)
Franklin M. "Frank" Thomas was an American animator. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as the Nine Old Men....
, and Burny Mattinson
Burny Mattinson
Burnett "Burny" Mattinson is an American story-boarder for the Disney Feature Animation studio. Starting work in 1953, Burny has been, and still is part of Disney today....
, as well as the Sherman brothers, Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...
, and others. Digital Media FX reviewer Shannon Muir stated that the audio and video quality of the film on this DVD was very high.
The "Friendship Edition" DVD was re-released on June 19, 2007. All of the special features from the previous "25th Anniversary Edition" DVD were recycled; the only new addition being an episode of Playhouse Disney's computer-animated series My Friends Tigger & Pooh
My Friends Tigger & Pooh
My Friends Tigger & Pooh is a computer animated television series, inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. The television series features Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends, including two new characters: a brave 6-year-old red-headed girl named Darby and her dog Buster...
. The DVD re-release coincides with the 30th anniversary of the release of the film. http://www.ultimatedisney.com/comingsoon.html
Songs
- "Winnie the PoohWinnie the Pooh (song)"Winnie the Pooh" is the title song for the franchise of the same name. It is musically emblematic of the most successful branding Disney currently owns and has been used in most merchandising models of the brand since the song's first publication in 1966 in the musical film featurette, Winnie the...
" - "Up, Down and Touch the GroundUp, Down and Touch the Ground"Up, Down and Touch the Ground" is a song from the 1966 musical film featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. The song was also subsequently incorporated into the 1977 musical film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which is an amalgamation of the three previous Winnie-the-Pooh...
" - "Rumbly in My TumblyRumbly in My Tumbly"Rumbly in My Tumbly" is a song from the 1966 musical film featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. The song is also incorporated into the 1977 musical film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which is an amalgamation of three Winnie-the-Pooh featurettes including "Honey Tree"...
" - "Little Black Rain CloudLittle Black Rain Cloud"Little Black Rain Cloud" is a song from the 1966 musical film featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. An instrumental version is played in the next featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day...
" - "Mind Over MatterMind Over Matter (song)"Mind Over Matter" is a song from the 1966 musical film featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. The song was also subsequently incorporated into the 1977 musical film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which is an amalgamation of the three previous Winnie-the-Pooh featurettes including...
" - "A Rather Blustery DayA Rather Blustery Day"A Rather Blustery Day" is a whimsical song from the Walt Disney musical film featurette, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. It was written by Robert & Richard Sherman and sung by Sterling Holloway as "Pooh"....
" - "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers"
- "Heffalumps and WoozlesHeffalumps and Woozles"Heffalumps and Woozles" is a song from the 1968 Walt Disney musical film featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. It was written by the Sherman Brothers....
" - "When the Rain Rain Rain Came DownWhen the Rain Rain Rain Came Down"When the Rain Rain Rain Came Down" is a narrative song from the 1968 musical film featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. The song is also incorporated into the 1977 musical film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which is an amalgamation of three Winnie-the-Pooh featurettes...
" - "Hip Hip Pooh-Ray!Hip Hip Pooh-Ray!"Hip Hip Pooh-Ray!" is a song from the 1968 musical film featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. It is sung by the cast as a release from the dramatic tension of the story. The song is also incorporated into the 1977 musical film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which is an...
"