The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)


Our final Dark Age film is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

The Movie:

 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is the 22nd film in the Disney Animated Canon.  In essence, this movie is a variation of a package film, in that it took three previously released Winnie the Pooh shorts, one of them an Oscar winner and another an Oscar nominee, and placed them together with new material to connect them and a new ending.  Today the movie is almost universally praised and held up as the definitive adaption of the books.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is based on the book Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne.  As it is a compilation of three shorts, there are three distinct stories, although as presented here they aren't labeled as such.  The first section is Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, in which Pooh attempts to get some honey from a tree.  The second section is Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, in which a strong wind and rain causes problems for the characters.  The third section is Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, in which Rabbit tries to keep Tigger from bouncing and destroying his garden.

Given the way this movie was created, it naturally feels very episodic.  And while each segment is a nice story, the three segments probably work better as short films than as one long production.  That said, the transitions do work well, utilizing the narrator framework to help.  And that's one of the most unique things about this movie, the characters interacting with the narrator and the book environment itself.  And speaking of the characters, they are iconic - Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Owl, Rabbit, Gopher (who was not in the original book), and of course Christopher Robin.  The biggest problem with this movie, and Winnie the Pooh in general, is that it appeals more to a younger audience.  While most Disney movies aim for both kids and adults, Winnie the Pooh is really more for kids.  And while I know I enjoyed this movie just fine as a kid, it was never a top favorite of mine, so seeing it as an adult really doesn't do too much for me.  It's not bad, and it is very charming, but it's not my cup of tea at the moment.

The movie is full of songs by the Sherman Brothers, but the two that really stand out are the iconic title song, "Winnie the Pooh," and "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers."  The score was composed by Buddy Baker, making good use of the themes from the Sherman Brothers' songs.

Presence in the Parks:

 Winnie the Pooh is one of the most popular, and profitable, characters in all of Disney, so you better believe he's in the parks.  The characters have long been meetable characters in the parks.  In fact, one of my first character experiences was with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.



Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Magic Kingdom, July 1983

The characters can be found at various spots in the different parks.  At WDW, they are found in the Magic Kingdom in Fantasyland (near the ride), and at times in Epcot at the UK Pavilion.  On the west coast, they are found in Critter Country at Disneyland.



Eeyore and Tigger meets during Mickey's 60th Birthday, Disneyland, July 1988

Now to the ride.  The Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, Hong Kong, and Shanghai all have a ride with the same name as the movie.  This ride is based on the middle segment of the film (Blustery Day) and is a classic dark ride.  However, for fans of the American parks, the ride is a bit contentious.  Why?  Because of what it replaced in each park.  The east coast ride opened in 1999, and it replaced the beloved Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.  The ride made its way to the west coast in 2003, where it replaced the Country Bear Jamboree.  That said, the ride is a fine ride and good for families.



The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom, May 2015

The Winnie the Pooh characters are also common in some of the character meals.  Winnie the Pooh and the Woozles get cards in the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

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