Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
Encyclopedia
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 the second of the studio's Winnie the Pooh
shorts. It was later added as a segment to the 1977 film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
. The music was written by Richard M. Sherman
and Robert B. Sherman
. Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day won the 1968 Academy Award for Animated Short Film
. The Academy Award was awarded posthumously to Walt Disney
, who died of lung cancer more than two years before the film's initial release. It is also the only Winnie the Pooh production that won an Academy Award. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, which was released six years later in 1974, was nominated for the same Academy Award, but lost to Closed Mondays
.
It is also the first Disney film to feature the current MPAA logo in the credits, which was unveiled in that year. The short also appears as a bonus short in Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
. The animated featurette also served as the inspiration for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride in Walt Disney World in which the rider experiences several scenes from the cartoon, including Pooh's Heffalump and Woozle dream.
, "In which Piglet does a very grand thing" (Chapter VIII of The House at Pooh Corner), and "In which Piglet is entirely surrounded by water" (Chapter IX of Winnie-the-Pooh), with elements taken from "In which Piglet meets a Heffalump" (Chapter V of Winnie-the-Pooh: Pooh's nightmare). In A. A. Milne's original story, Pooh shows more initiative during the flood, finding his way to Christopher Robin by riding on one of his floating honey pots, which he names The Floating Bear, then having the inspiration of using Christopher Robin's umbrella to carry them both to Piglet's house.
pops out of the ground and tells him that it is "Winds-day" (a play on "Wednesday"), whereupon Pooh decides to wish everybody "Happy Winds-day." He visits his friend Piglet
, who wears a scarf around his neck on this day. Piglet is blown into the air, his scarf unraveling all the while, and Pooh grabs hold of him. As they fly like a kite through the air over the other characters' heads, Pooh wishes Kanga, Roo
, Eeyore
, Rabbit
, and Owl
a happy Winds-day. However, once they arrive at Owl's treehouse, he informs them that the wind is due to "a mild spring zephyr
" rather than to a particular holiday. During the windstorm, Owl's house is knocked down, so Eeyore volunteers to house-hunt for Owl. That night, Pooh hears an unfamiliar noise coming from elsewhere in the Hundred Acre Wood. Someone knocks on Pooh’s door, then Tigger
bounces inside in search of something to eat. He tries some honey but gets disgusted and decides, "Yuck! Tiggers don't like honey!". Before leaving Pooh's house, Tigger tells him that there are Heffalumps and Woozles in the forest that steal honey. After which, he says goodbye and bounces off. Pooh, frightened by Tigger's tale, takes it upon himself to guard his honey, but eventually falls fast asleep. As he is sleeping, he has a nightmare about Heffalumps and Woozles stealing his honey and chasing him around.
Later that night, a storm floods the Hundred Acre Woods, and Piglet becomes trapped in his home. He writes a bottle-note
for help just before the waters carry him away riding a chair. While eating his breakfast, Pooh is trapped in a honey pot and floats away from his home as well. The remaining characters gather at Christopher Robin
's house, due to it being on ground that's too high for the water to reach, and Christopher reads Piglet's message. He then sends Owl to inform Piglet of a rescue plan in the works, but just after he delivers the news, Piglet and Pooh are mixed up in a waterfall
which switches Piglet to the honey pot and Pooh to the chair. When they arrive together at Christopher Robin's house, he mistakenly thinks that Pooh rescued Piglet, and throws a hero party for Pooh. During the party, Eeyore announces that he has found a new home for Owl. When he leads the gang to Piglet's house, the others are shocked and try to tell Eeyore that Piglet already lives there. However, Piglet reluctantly decides to give his home to Owl, and Pooh offers to let Piglet live with him. Pooh suggests to Christopher Robin that the hero party should become a two-hero party because of Piglet's generosity. He agrees, and the characters celebrate both Pooh’s and Piglet's good deeds that day.
Featurette
Featurette is a term used in the American film industry to designate a film whose length is approximately three quarters of a reel, or about 20–44 minutes in running time - thus midway between a short subject and a feature film; thus it is a "small feature"...
based on stories from 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...
. The featurette was produced by Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
and released by Buena Vista Distribution
Buena Vista Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is a motion picture and television feature distribution company owned by Disney Enterprises, Inc. Buena Vista International was the international distribution arm, Buena Vista Home Entertainment was the firm's video and DVD distribution arm, and Buena Vista...
on December 20, 1968 before The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit is a 1968 film directed by Norman Tokar....
. This was the second of the studio's Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh (Disney)
Winnie the Pooh is an American Walt Disney Company franchise, based on animated fictional characters who have been featured as part of the Disney character line-up. The Winnie the Pooh franchise is based on A. A...
shorts. It was later added as a segment to the 1977 film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
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 music was written by Richard M. Sherman
Richard M. Sherman
Richard Morton Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical film with his brother Robert Bernard Sherman....
and Robert B. Sherman
Robert B. Sherman
Robert Bernard Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman...
. Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day won the 1968 Academy Award for Animated Short Film
Academy Award for Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
. The Academy Award was awarded posthumously to 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...
, who died of lung cancer more than two years before the film's initial release. It is also the only Winnie the Pooh production that won an Academy Award. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, which was released six years later in 1974, was nominated for the same Academy Award, but lost to Closed Mondays
Closed Mondays
Closed Mondays is an 11-minute animated film using animated three-dimensional clay figures, cocreated by Will Vinton and Bob Gardiner in 1974...
.
It is also the first Disney film to feature the current MPAA logo in the credits, which was unveiled in that year. The short also appears as a bonus short in Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin is a 1997 direct-to-video film from Walt Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh. The film follows Pooh and his friends on a journey to find and rescue their friend Christopher Robin from the "Skull"...
. The animated featurette also served as the inspiration for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride in Walt Disney World in which the rider experiences several scenes from the cartoon, including Pooh's Heffalump and Woozle dream.
Sources
The film's plot is based primarily on three A. A. Milne stories: "In which Tigger comes to the forest and has breakfast" (Chapter II of The House at Pooh CornerThe 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...
, "In which Piglet does a very grand thing" (Chapter VIII of The House at Pooh Corner), and "In which Piglet is entirely surrounded by water" (Chapter IX of Winnie-the-Pooh), with elements taken from "In which Piglet meets a Heffalump" (Chapter V of Winnie-the-Pooh: Pooh's nightmare). In A. A. Milne's original story, Pooh shows more initiative during the flood, finding his way to Christopher Robin by riding on one of his floating honey pots, which he names The Floating Bear, then having the inspiration of using Christopher Robin's umbrella to carry them both to Piglet's house.
Film Plot
The story takes place when the east wind trades places with the west wind, stirring things up a bit all through the Hundred Acre Woods. At the beginning of this story, while Winnie-the-Pooh is at his "thoughtful spot" trying to think of something, GopherGopher (Winnie the Pooh)
Gopher is a fictional grey anthropomorphic gopher character who first appeared in the 1966 Disney animated film Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, introducing himself as Samuel J. Gopher. He has a habit of whistling out his sibilant consonants, one of various traits he has in common with the...
pops out of the ground and tells him that it is "Winds-day" (a play on "Wednesday"), whereupon Pooh decides to wish everybody "Happy Winds-day." He visits his friend Piglet
Piglet (Winnie the Pooh)
Piglet is a fictional character from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books. Piglet is Winnie-the-Pooh's closest friend amongst all the toys/animals featured in the stories...
, who wears a scarf around his neck on this day. Piglet is blown into the air, his scarf unraveling all the while, and Pooh grabs hold of him. As they fly like a kite through the air over the other characters' heads, Pooh wishes Kanga, Roo
Roo
Roo 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...
, Eeyore
Eeyore
Eeyore 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....
, Rabbit
Rabbit (Winnie the Pooh)
In the fictional world of the book series and cartoons Winnie-the-Pooh, Rabbit is a responsible rabbit who happens to be a good friend of Winnie-the-Pooh. He is always practical and keeps his friends on their toes, although they sometimes raise his ire unintentionally.-Role in the books:The first...
, and Owl
Owl (Winnie the Pooh)
Owl is a fictional character in A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books and in Disney's Winnie the Pooh cartoons. Owl's character is based on the archetype of the "wise old owl", although in the books, the quality of Owl's "wisdom" is sometimes questionable....
a happy Winds-day. However, once they arrive at Owl's treehouse, he informs them that the wind is due to "a mild spring zephyr
Zephyr
Zephyr may refer to:* A light or west wind* Zephyrus, one of the Anemoi and the Greek god of the west wind* Zephyranthes, a plant genus whose species include the zephyr lily* Zephyr , a well-known graffiti artist from New York City...
" rather than to a particular holiday. During the windstorm, Owl's house is knocked down, so Eeyore volunteers to house-hunt for Owl. That night, Pooh hears an unfamiliar noise coming from elsewhere in the Hundred Acre Wood. Someone knocks on Pooh’s door, then Tigger
Tigger
Tigger 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...
bounces inside in search of something to eat. He tries some honey but gets disgusted and decides, "Yuck! Tiggers don't like honey!". Before leaving Pooh's house, Tigger tells him that there are Heffalumps and Woozles in the forest that steal honey. After which, he says goodbye and bounces off. Pooh, frightened by Tigger's tale, takes it upon himself to guard his honey, but eventually falls fast asleep. As he is sleeping, he has a nightmare about Heffalumps and Woozles stealing his honey and chasing him around.
Later that night, a storm floods the Hundred Acre Woods, and Piglet becomes trapped in his home. He writes a bottle-note
Message in a bottle
A message in a bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container and released into the sea or ocean...
for help just before the waters carry him away riding a chair. While eating his breakfast, Pooh is trapped in a honey pot and floats away from his home as well. The remaining characters gather at Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin
Christopher 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....
's house, due to it being on ground that's too high for the water to reach, and Christopher reads Piglet's message. He then sends Owl to inform Piglet of a rescue plan in the works, but just after he delivers the news, Piglet and Pooh are mixed up in a waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
which switches Piglet to the honey pot and Pooh to the chair. When they arrive together at Christopher Robin's house, he mistakenly thinks that Pooh rescued Piglet, and throws a hero party for Pooh. During the party, Eeyore announces that he has found a new home for Owl. When he leads the gang to Piglet's house, the others are shocked and try to tell Eeyore that Piglet already lives there. However, Piglet reluctantly decides to give his home to Owl, and Pooh offers to let Piglet live with him. Pooh suggests to Christopher Robin that the hero party should become a two-hero party because of Piglet's generosity. He agrees, and the characters celebrate both Pooh’s and Piglet's good deeds that day.
Voice cast
- 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...
as Winnie the Pooh - Paul WinchellPaul WinchellPaul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...
as Tigger - 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...
as Piglet - 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...
as Roo - 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....
as Kanga - 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...
as Eeyore - 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...
as Owl - 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...
as Rabbit - 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,...
as Christopher Robin - 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 :...
as Gopher - 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...
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...
" by Richard & Robert Sherman - "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"....
" by Richard & Robert Sherman - "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" by Richard & Robert Sherman
- "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....
" by Richard & Robert Sherman - "The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down DownThe Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down"The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down" is a narrative song from the Walt Disney musical film featurette, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh...
" by Richard & Robert Sherman - "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...
" by Richard & Robert Sherman
Winnie the Pooh featurettes
- 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...
(1966) - Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
- Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974)
- Winnie the Pooh and a Day for EeyoreWinnie the Pooh and a Day for EeyoreWinnie 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...
(1983)
See also
- 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...
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the PoohThe Many Adventures of Winnie the PoohThe 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 New Adventures of Winnie the PoohThe New Adventures of Winnie the PoohThe New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television that ran from 1988 to 1991, inspired by A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories.-Overview:...