4/5 A fine addition to your Winnie the pooh DVD library
  by Gregory Ehrbar (Orlando, FL)
There have been so many Pooh-related feature films, direct-to-video films and television series that it's getting difficult to keep track of them (word is that there is another theatrical feature in the works). To the best of my recollection, "The Tigger Movie" was produced by the television division but was very successful in its theatrical release and was followed up with "Piglet's Big Movie."

This is actually quite a nice film. The amazing thing about these characters is how flexible they are for so many stories. The plot here revolves around Tigger's family background and his search for his "family tree." The animation, apparently done in Japan, is very fluid and suggestive of the earlier films -- and the domestic artists behind it are among the best in the business, including Floyd Norman and Toby Bluth.

John Fiedler, as Piglet, is the one remaining cast member from the original films, with Jim Cummings voicing Pooh and Tigger and none other than John Hurt taking over the narration from Sebastian Cabot.

It sure is nice to see "Songs by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman" in the credits. This was technically their last film for Disney, though its success surely should have resulted in others. My favorite of their songs is "Round My Family Tree," but they all have the delicate charm of their other Pooh songs. They also collaborated with Kenny Loggins on "Your Heart Will Lead You Home," which got a lot of airplay.

The DVD offers a handful of bonus features -- several games, mostly, plus a storybook version read by the great Corey Burton and a digital copy. But it is particularly good to see two short episodes from the Emmy-winning "New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" series. Each episode relates to the plot of the feature. Wouldn't it be great if the series was packaged season-by-season on DVD? Hmm?



4/5 The best Pooh sequel
  by Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.)
"Mostly I'm happy... but now all at once I feel so lonely," sings a uncharacteristically melancholy Tigger in this year-2000 theatrical film, after his Hundred Acre Wood pals finally reject his manic bouncing behavior. Determined to track down "someone like me," the irrepressible stuffed tiger has several adventures. He eventually learns that family members come in all shapes and sizes, and not necessarily from the same family tree.

Compared to most Disney sequels "The Tigger Movie" has a lot to offer. It's sweet, with absolutely no hostility, and no more violence than a few bee stings. The animation is surprisingly good -- a hallucinatory revue of history's greatest Tiggers in references to The Brady Bunch, the "Jackson 5ive" Saturday morning cartoon series, Jerry Springer, The Seven Year Itch, even 1930s Gold Diggers films -- while backgrounds often retain the soft watercolor look of the classic Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. For the most part Tigger's sunny enthusiasm is on full display, as are his absoposilutely twisted takes on the English language. All the other classic Pooh characters appear too, including Winnie the Pooh, Rabbit, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga, Roo, even Christopher Robin.

The voice talent is good, though the only voice from the original film is John Fiedler as Piglet. Both Tigger (originally Paul Winchell) and Pooh (originally Sterling Holloway) are voiced by Jim Cummings, recognizable to Playhouse Disney fans as the voice of Pete on the series "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." The narrator (originally Sebastian Cabot) is voiced here by John Hurt, who portrays Mr. Ollivander in the Harry Potter films as well as Professor Oxley in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

In short, "The Tigger Movie" is the best of Disney's Pooh sequels. Preschoolers will especially love it, and though the oddball story line has some obvious plot holes (stuffed animals have birth parents?), parents can sit through at least one viewing with relative ease.

P.S. Want another good Pooh sequel? Check out Pooh's Heffalump Movie.

P.P.S. Fans of Walt Disney World will want to watch that Tigger revue closely. The band playing at the family reunion is a Tiggerfied version of the Five Bear Rugs, the stars of the Country Bear Jamboree.

2/5 Too intense for young children
  by Mom of two daughters (MA USA)
My 3yr old loves her Winnie the Pooh movie, and so we bought this one in hopes to see more adventures of the good old bear and the gang. What a disappointing experience it was! First of all, the old Pooh movie is in fact a collection of short episodes and your child does not have to watch it all at once. This feature in 77 min long which is a lot for a 3 yr old. The worst thing is, however, the plot. The Tigger is SO overbearing in his efforts to find a "true" family that at times you just cannot help but roll your eyes and sigh. He also tears up several times during the movie, as do other characters, which creates unnecessary emotional tension. And why does the closing sequence have to be so intense? with all the screaming, crying, avalanche descending, etc.? I do not want my daughter be exposed to all this emotional nonsense, which is completely unnecessary. The first Pooh movie is kind, funny, slow-paced, witty and a joy to watch even for us parents. This feature does not come even close. It goes on the shelf to rest until my little one is at least 7-8 years old.