The Tigger Movie is a 2000 American animated family musical comedy-drama film directed by Jun Falkenstein. It is the fourth movie in Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise and the second one to get a theatrical release after The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This film features Pooh's friend Tigger in his search for his family tree and other Tiggers like himself. As such, the story line may be viewed as an allegory about an adoptee's search to understand the meaning of family.
The film was the first feature-length theatrical Pooh film to not be a collection of previously-released shorts, which is the case with 1977's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the first theatrical Winnie the Pooh film produced by DisneyToon Studios. Thanks to its success, three more feature-length Pooh movies were released to theaters: Piglet's Big Movie in 2003, Pooh's Heffalump Movie in 2005 (both by Disneytoon Studios), and the 2011 American film the same name as the bear, from Walt Disney Animation Studios.
The film features original songs from the Sherman Brothers, the long-time Disney songwriting team who are well known for their contributions to other Disney films such as Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and The Jungle Book, as well as the original Winnie the Pooh shorts. The film was originally slated for a direct-to-video release until Disney CEO Michael Eisner heard the Sherman Brothers' score and decided to release the film in theaters worldwide.
The movie was narrated by the late John Hurt, who voiced the Horned King in The Black Cauldron.
Plot
At the beginning of the film, the Narrator is about to start the story about Winnie the Pooh, only for Tigger to suddenly intervene. He complains that every story centers around the bear and says that someone else should be the star for a change. When the narrator asks who should the story be about, Tigger decides he should and then rearranges the title into The Tigger Movie. Afterwards, the story proceeds as normal.
While trying to find somebody to play with, Tigger gleefully bounces around the Hundred Acre Wood, disrupting his friends' attempts to prepare for the winter and accidentally causing a huge rock to fall on Eeyore's house. Rabbit leads the others in trying to remove it with an elaborate pulley system known as his Rock Remover (which collapses as the rock was too heavy) and Tigger intervenes. He activated his most powerful bounce called the Whoopty-Dooper-Loopty-Looper-Alley-Ooper bounce to knock the rock off (which gets tangled with the crumbling Rock Remover along with Tigger's friends) and getting everyone covered in mud (except for Roo and Eeyore instead fell in-between a tree branch and a thorn bush respectively) and Tigger bounces down the hill saying now with that taken care of they can bounce. This causes Rabbit to get annoyed and furious that the rock remover was ruined by Tigger's bouncing and instead feeling distraught that everything is destroyed and all Tigger can think about is bouncing. Tigger insists it's what Tiggers do best, however everyone else (except Rabbit and Roo) sadly explains to Tigger that they can't bounce with him because they aren't Tiggers; this greatly hurts his feelings. Feeling alone, Tigger sulks on a bridge and Roo, trying to cheer him up, asks if there are other Tiggers. Fascinated by the idea, Tigger talks to Owl, who explains about family trees and shows them his family portraits (which Tigger knocks over, but manages to hang them back up without Owl noticing). Tigger, taking this literally, heads out to find a huge stripy tree and, after not finding one, instead writes a letter to his family. After getting back to his house, he and Roo search for clues on who his family was. He says when they do get together they will do the Whoopty-Dooper-Loopty-Looper-Alley-Ooper bounce which is a bounce only the best bouncers can bounce. Roo asks if he could learn it but Tigger says the bounce is complex but Roo tries it out and flies into the closet, but he finds a gold heart locket, Tigger realizes his family picture could be in there, but it is soon revealed to be empty. At Roo's advice, Tigger writes a letter and lets the wind carry it away in hopes that it will reach Tigger's family. The two wait patiently, but no reply comes and Tigger feels more alone than ever.
That night, the first night of winter, everybody (excluding Tigger, Gopher, Christopher Robin, and Rabbit) gathers at Owl's house. Feeling sorry for him, Roo announces that they should write a letter to him. Everyone adds a bit of friendly advice (Kanga, "Dress warmly"; Pooh, "Eat well"; Piglet, "Stay safe and sound"; Eeyore, "Keep smiling"; and Roo, "We're always there for you") before signing 'your family' at the bottom of the page. Roo then slips the letter into Tigger's letter box. The next day, everybody is woken by Tigger, who brandishes the letter. He shouts joyfully that his family has written to him and also that they are coming to visit the next evening. They are all surprised, as they had never written down anything that even resembles that; nevertheless, Tigger replies that he always reads between the lines. They all try to tell Tigger the truth, but seeing his excitement makes them realize that it will only break his heart. Later, Roo gathers Pooh, Piglet, Owl and Eeyore over to his home. He and his mother Kanga say they are going to charade as fellow Tiggers to attend the party and make Tigger feel loved. They are halfway through making the costumes when Rabbit bursts through the door, telling them that they should be gathering supplies (or should already have) for the impending snowstorm. At first, everyone thinks Rabbit is right and they should give up, while Roo insists they do it or Tigger will be sad. While also feeling bad they remind Roo they aren't like Tigger, but Kanga and Roo point out they have joy and laughter which is what Tigger has. Realizing this they all decide to go with the plan.
Meanwhile, Tigger is preparing for his party and soon decides to find them when they don't show up. However when somebody rings the doorbell. He opens the door to reveal a large number of Tiggers (actually his friends) who claim to be his family. A party ensues with drinks, dance, and games, and all the while, Tigger believes they are his family. Yet when the smallest (Roo) attempts the Whoopty-Dooper Loopty-Looper Ally-Ooper Bounce, and his mask falls off, the others reveal themselves as Tigger's friends. He discovers that they lied to him but is still certain the family is out there so he takes the locket and the letter. In order to find his family, and deeply hurt by the lie, he leaves the home, stating that he is leaving forever ("T-T-F-E, Ta-Ta, For-Ever!"). The friends, even Roo who is in tears, watch him leave.
Sometime later, Pooh at his house is worried about Tigger and is also out of honey. Seconds later, a crying and humiliated Roo comes over, heartbroken and tearfully claiming that it was his fault Tigger left, for he only wanted the tiger as a big brother. Then, Pooh decides they (Roo, Piglet, and Eeyore) mount an expedition to find Tigger. They ask Rabbit to lead them; he initially refuses but reluctantly agrees after seeing how much they miss the mischievous feline. Meanwhile Tigger continues to hike through the snow. He almost loses the locket and falls down a cliff but he suddenly finds a large tree on the cliffside, which matches the description he gave of his family tree; the white snow on the tree resemble stripes. He bounces across the branches, finding nobody waiting for him there, so he sits there, waiting for his family in tears, the letter slips out of his hand. When they find him, they tell him to return home, with Rabbit saying he should "Forget about all this other Tiggers nonsense". Tigger is greatly offended and enraged by them and angrily lashes out at Rabbit, but when a sudden avalanche caused by his irate shouting occurs, he pulls them all out of trouble to the gigantic tree with his bouncing. Unfortunately, Tigger himself is still caught in the avalanche.
Roo remembers the Whoopty-Dooper Loopty Looper Ally-Ooper bounce and travels down through the rock and snow to Tigger and wakes him from unconsciousness. To get out of the avalanche, they perform the signature bounce together, dodging obstacles before landing back on the tree with everyone else, where they hang onto their lives as the avalanche continues to pass underneath them; Eeyore almost gets blown off, but is saved by Rabbit. When the avalanche settles, Owl, Kanga, and eventually Christopher Robin arrives on the scene and everyone tells him why Tigger left. Christopher tells Tigger he didn't have to leave to find his family. Tigger objects and reaches for his letter that, until recently, he believed to be from his family, but finds it missing and thinks that he lost it in the avalanche (it was actually lost before the avalanche happened). It is not until Owl, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore, Pooh and Piglet recite the letter for him that he realizes that they sent the letter, not his nonexistent family. Hearing this, Tigger finally comes to realize what was true all along, that his family is right here and always has been: his friends. Once they return home, Tigger gives everyone gifts: Eeyore gets a new house (the guest house meant for Tigger's "Family"), Christopher Robin gets a toy plane, Owl gets a yo-yo, Kanga gets a new hat, Pooh gets lots of honey, Piglet gets a stack of firewood, and Rabbit is promised that he will watch where he's going. Lastly, he gives Roo his heart pendant, but it's still empty. Christopher Robin remedies this by taking a picture of Tigger's "family" to close the movie.
Cast
- Jim Cummings as Tigger and Winnie the Pooh
- Nikita Hopkins as Roo
- John Fiedler as Piglet
- Peter Cullen as Eeyore
- Ken Sansom as Rabbit
- Kath Soucie as Kanga
- Andre Stojka as Owl
- Tom Attenborough as Christopher Robin
- John Hurt as The Narrator
- Frank Welker - Additional Voices
Production
The film was simultaneously animated at the Walt Disney Studios and its Japanese chapter Walt Disney Animation Japan. The animation is traditional (2D), with characters moving across backgrounds painted in soft, warm watercolor hues in the style of book illustrations in children's literature. Each chapter starts off as a static illustration on a printed page, where characters then start moving. The bold ink lines in the foreground and the watercolor washes of the background are reminiscent of the original Pooh illustrator Ernest Shepard. Graphics during end credits are pen and ink line drawings also reminiscent of Shepard.
Reception
The film opened at #4 at the North American box office making $9,427,532 in its opening weekend. The film was a box office success, earning $45,554,533 in the United States alone while making $50,605,267 overseas and $96,159,800 worldwide against a budget of $30 million. However, the film received rather mixed reviews with 62% on Rotten Tomatoes and 53% on Metacritic.
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for numerous awards in 2000 including the following:
- Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production"
- Jun Falkenstein
- Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production"
- Richard M. Sherman (music and lyrics)
- Robert B. Sherman (music and lyrics)
- For the song "Round My Family Tree"
- Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production"
- Nikita Hopkins
- As the voice of "Roo".
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
- The Sierra Award for "Best Family Film"
It was also given an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award.
Home video
- Main article: The Tigger Movie (video)
The film was released on August 22, 2000 on both VHS and DVD. The VHS and DVD included the Kenny Loggins music video "Your Heart Will Lead You Home". The DVD also includes the additional bonus features the original theatrical trailer for the film that was appeared from Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving VHS.
The film was later re-released on 2-disc DVD on August 4, 2009 as a 10th anniversary edition. The 2-disc release includes a DVD and a digital copy. It contains all the 2000 DVD bonus features, but has more language tracks and special features.
The film was also re-released as a Bounce-a-rrrific special edition on Blu-ray on August 21, 2012. It contains the Kenny Loggins music video "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" and "Round My Family Tree" sing-along song, but includes 10 Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh segments.
Soundtrack
The songs for The Tigger Movie were written by Robert and Richard Sherman who had not written a feature for Disney in over 28 years. Their last fully original feature film score was for the Oscar nominated film Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which was released in 1971. Originally slated for video or television release, the score was so well received (in demonstration form) by then Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, that the project's priority level moved up to feature theatrical release. This was due in great part to the perceived caliber of the song score throughout the studio. All the songs were created new for the film except for "The Wonderful Things About Tiggers" which was originally written in 1968 for the landmark Winnie the Pooh featurette, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (released in 1968). That song was also by the Sherman Brothers. The "punch line" of the song: "But the most wonderful Thing About Tiggers is I'm the only one..." provides the basis of The Tigger Movie's storyline. "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" was the last song written for the film and is a collaborative effort between the Sherman Brothers and singer Kenny Loggins. It marks the only time the threesome worked together on a song. Song titles include:
- "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers"
- "Someone Like Me"
- "Whoop-de-Dooper Bounce"
- "Lull-a-Bee"
- "Round My Family Tree"
- "How to Be a Tigger"
- "Your Heart Will Lead You Home"
The film spawned a few albums, the most notable one being The Tigger Movie… & More! These albums had not been officially released on digital or streaming.
Gallery
.jpg "The Tigger Movie (Ladybird).jpg (101 KB)")
Trivia
- Morals:
- Friends can be family too. Also, family is made of people who love and care for you, not just those who are related by blood.
- Hiding or lying about a situation for a good reason could lead to more harm than good.
- Don't always take what someone says literally.
- If you want to help someone, don't be so reckless.
- Theatrical showings of this film were accompanied by the "Disney Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" music video,[1] making this film one of the two theatrical feature-length Winnie the Pooh films to be theatrically accompanied by a special added attraction; the next one would be 2011's Winnie the Pooh, which was theatrically accompanied by a Walt Disney Animation Studios short film called The Ballad of Nessie.
- This is the first Winnie the Pooh film to have a character other than Pooh as the main protagonist.
- Original voice actor Paul Winchell was planned to reprise his role as Tigger for the film, though the crew found his voice sounding too weak from old age during his recording sessions. Jim Cummings who had previously voiced Tigger since 1989 in some episodes of the television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and other Winnie the Pooh projects occasionally had taken over the role entirely. Winchell eventually passed away from natural causes in 2005.
- Coincidentally, John Fiedler, the voice of Piglet, had passed away only a day after Winchell.
- All of the characters from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh would appear in this film except for Gopher (not counting the singing honey pots as they were only part of a musical dream sequence).
- The first Winnie the Pooh movie with a book opening and setting where the characters do not interact with the narrator, nor are aware of them being in a book with the exception of Tigger in the opening scene.
- This is the first Winnie the Pooh feature film to not include the Winnie the Pooh theme song in the intro, though the opening score would recreate a snippet of the theme right before Tigger interrupts the narrator.
- The first and only theatrically released Winnie the Pooh film to be directed by a woman.
- This however was Jun Falkenstein's second time directing a Winnie the Pooh project, the first being the 1998 television special A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving.
- This would be the first time Winnie the Pooh voice actors Jim Cummings, Peter Cullen, Ken Sansom, and Andre Stojka perform their respective roles in a theatrical Winnie the Pooh film.
- This is the last time both of the Sherman Brothers had worked together.
- When the trailer and television spots of this film were shown, it used the song "Semi-Charmed Life". This was changed due to not knowing the song had inappropriate lyrics beforehand.
- Speaking of the trailer, one scene featuring Piglet covered in a blanket next to a table with a candle stick was also not included in the final film.
- The sequence of the song "Round My Family Tree" features the imaginary Tiggers in various parodies of The Brady Bunch, The Jerry Springer Show, The Seven Year Itch, and Gold Diggers of Broadway which were all showing them in the animated style of the human characters.
- The film was originally going to be titled "Winnie the Pooh and the Family Tree", although this title wouldn't be used as the film would not focus on Winnie the Pooh. Another working title was "Tigger's Family Tree".
- When Tigger is searching through his barrel, he throws out a ship's life preserver with the name "R.M.S. MILNE" clearly visible on it, referring to original Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne.
- In Rabbit's house, a magician's hat is seen in the background. This is because of the tradition of magicians pulling a rabbit out of their hats.
- It was apparently rumored in October of 2008 by Kenny Loggins that he's working on a new album that will tie with a new Tigger film hinting a sequel, however no news has been made since then and the film's production company DisneyToon Studios shut down in 2018.
- In 2009 however, he did compose a song in the direct to video film Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too from the television series My Friends Tigger & Pooh. The song is titled "Underneath the Same Sky" and was released as part of the soundtrack album of the same name.
- When Owl said "Where did it say that... exactly?", Jim Cummings' scratch vocal recording of the line was added in the film by mistake.
See also
References
External links
The Tigger Movie on Wikipedia- The Tigger Movie on Disney.com
- The Tigger Movie at the Big Cartoon DataBase
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