Toon Talk: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 25th Anniversary Edition - May 21, 2002

Toon Talk: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 25th Anniversary Edition
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Sing-Along Song:
An extended version of “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers”, sung by current Tigger Jim Cummings and using recent animation.

Exclusive Sneak Peek at Piglet’s Big Movie:
Due sometime in 2003, the next Pooh theatrical feature will focus on his little pink pal. This ‘sneak peek’ shows mostly pre-existing animation along with interview footage of Academy Award- and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Carly Simon, who composed and will perform five songs for the movie.

Exclusive Sneak Peek at Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year:
Yet another Christmas-themed Pooh video, on sale November 12th. Features newly recorded holiday songs.

Toon Talk Rating: B+

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Toon Talk Trivia:

  • Sebastian Cabot voiced Bagheera in The Jungle Book and Sir Ector in The Sword in the Stone, in addition to the Narrator in the three shorts that comprise The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
  • John Fielder continues his role as Piglet to this day, including the recent The Tigger Movie and The Book of Pooh television series. He also has had bit parts in Robin Hood, The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound and The Emperor’s New Groove.
  • In addition to his starring role as Pooh in the first three shorts, Sterling Holloway had a wide variety of characters in his Disney repertoire, including Mr. Stork in Dumbo, the adult Flower in Bambi, the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland and Kaa the Python in The Jungle Book.
  • Clint Howard, Ron Howard’s ubiquitous brother, voiced Roo in Honey Tree and Blustery Day, as well as the Baby Elephant in The Jungle Book. He also appeared in Splash and The Rocketeer. Dori Whitaker was the voice of Roo in Tigger Too.
  • Barbara Luddy’s Kanga was not her only motherly role for Disney. Her credits include Lady in Lady and the Tramp, Merryweather in Sleeping Beauty and Mother Rabbit in Robin Hood.
  • Junius Matthews (Rabbit) also voiced Archimedes in The Sword in the Stone.
  • Howard Morris (Gopher) supplied additional voices for Duck Tales and Tale Spin and is best known as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.
  • Christopher Robin had three different actors playing him in the feature The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Bruce Reitherman (Wolfgang Reitherman’s son and also the voice of Mowgli in The Jungle Book) in Honey Tree, Jon Walmsley in Blustery Day (who also starred in The One and Only Genuine, Original Family Band and later on TV in The Waltons) and Timothy Turner in Tigger Too.
  • Hal Smith (Owl) also lent his voice to Mickey’s Christmas Carol (as Goofy), Tale Spin, Bonkers and Beauty and the Beast (as Phillipe the horse), acted in Son of Flubber, The Ugly Dachshund and The $1,000,000 Duck, and returned as Owl for The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh television series. Like Morris, Smith had a recurring role on The Andy Griffith Show, as Otis the town drunk.
  • Paul Winchell voiced Tigger from his debut in Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day through the television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. He also voiced the Chinese Cat in The Aristocats, Boomer in The Fox and the Hound and the original Zummi Gummi in The Adventures of the Gummi Bears.
  • Ralph Wright (Eeyore) was a story man at the Disney Studios, whose vast credits includes Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Song of the South, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book and The Aristocats.
  • Highlights of the magical Disney music of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman ranges from their Academy Award-winning work on Mary Poppins to the theme song to The Wonderful World of Color to theme park classics such as “It’s A Small World” and “There’s A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” to the songs for The Tigger Movie. They were named Disney Legends in 1990.
  • Another Disney Legend and one of the famed ‘Nine Old Men’, co-director Wolfgang Reitherman was one of the top animation directors at Disney, including such classics as 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood and The Rescuers. His animation credits include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Fun and Fancy Free, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty.
  • John Lounsbery, yet another Disney Legend and member of the ‘Nine Old Men’, also co-directed The Rescuers. His animation credits include Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Victory Through Air Power, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Song of the South, Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time, So Dear To My Heart, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and Robin Hood.
  • Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day was Walt Disney’s last personal Academy Award win, for Best Animated Short in 1968. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too was nominated for Best Animated Short in 1974.

Final Word:
“Pooh is the essence of childhood adventure, childhood imagination, childhood fantasies… ”

-- Richard M. Sherman, in The Story Behind the Masterpiece featurette.

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Coming Soon in Toon Talk:

  • Join us for a special four part look at the new Vault Disney DVDs, starting with the thrilling adventure tale Swiss Family Robinson.

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-- Kirby C. Holt

Kirby, a former Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member (and Trivia Champ), is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...

Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.

The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted May 21, 2002

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