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My Friends Tigger & Pooh has been enjoying a successful television run on Playhouse Disney since 2007. The purist in me really prefers the simple pastel-like animation of the hand drawn Winnie the Pooh films, so I admit I have a tough time with the look of My Friends Tigger & Pooh. I think the CGI is handled well but I just don't like the look. That said, my younger kids don't seem to mind. They'll take Pooh and his friends however they can get them. My 10-year-old daughter, however, notices a difference. I'm sure her old man had something to do with it, but she prefers the old school look of the Hundred Acre Wood as well. That said, once you get past the look, Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too exudes the usual charm of all the previous incarnations of the silly old bear and his pals.
This time around, after Rabbit puts together a very well organized picnic, the gang decides to make him the official mayor of the Hundred Acre Wood.
His Honor, Mayor Rabbit. © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.
It seems like a logical choice, until Rabbit starts to turn into the Hundred Acre Woods first dictator. He imposes rule after rule, tells everyone what they should be doing and when, and worst of all bans Tigger from bouncing. The residents of the Wood start to feel depressed living by Rabbit's fastidious rules and fun seems to disappear from the forest.
Mayor Rabbit's new rules. © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.
Things get so bad that they resort to a classic sitcom device, the white line. Surely you remember the white line being painted across various apartments and bedrooms in TV-land. Well, Rabbit decrees that the Hundred Acre Wood be divided in half with a white painted line. On Rabbit's side, you follow his rules. On the other side, Tigger's side, you can do whatever you want.
The Hundred Acre Wood dividing line. © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.
This leads to much sadness as friends are separated and all is just not right in the usually peaceful world of Pooh and his pals. After much soul searching and song singing, Rabbit realizes the error of his ways, un-elects himself mayor and erases the line. All is well once again and happy songs are sung in The Hundred Acre Wood. No surprise here, a happy ending is the best ending when it comes to Winnie the Pooh and friends and of course, they've all learned a valuable lesson.
It should be noted that the title is slightly misleading. I kept waiting for a musical type production to begin. The front cover of the DVD features Tigger and Pooh wearing top hats and even shows Darby, Pooh and Lumpy dancing on a stage. The back cover shows Tigger swinging on a street lamp as if he 's on the set of Singin' in the Rain. I guess the fact that the characters sing a number of songs makes this a "musical". My daughter and I both thought the characters were going to stage some sort of musical, but that never happens.
Given the young audience, there are no behind the scenes type of bonus features. There is an interactive game, a music video and a few rather creative viewing modes.
Once again, playing up the musical theater aspect of the title, you get to create a play on a Hundred Acre Wood style stage. Mildly entertaining at best.
A montage of singer Kenny Loggins performing the song "Underneath the Same Sky" and scenes from the movie. Nice, but just a one time viewing.
There are four ways to watch the DVD.
These features, collectively, greatly increase the amount of different viewing experiences and therefore, in my eyes, increases the value of the DVD.
The movie sound is nice and clear. The music is nice and appealing and doesn't take away from the movie. The picture is crisp. I still prefer a hand drawn Pooh, but as far as a digital presentation goes it's fine. The DVD interface is simple and easy to use, but still plays up the whole musical thing. As the main menu loads, Tigger is bouncing across several fence posts as Broadway style music is playing, leading you to the main menu. Nice, but I'm still waiting for the big musical number to appear.
The 6-year-old twins have watched this over and over since it arrived—they love it. It made them break out there little Pooh figures and put away Buzz and Woody for the time being. So, I guess that's a major selling point, the kids like it. As I stated a few times in this review, I'm not crazy about the CGI Hundred Acre Wood. That aside, Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too has a good story, some nice songs and really nails the whole Pooh heartwarming thing. That's what I expect from a Winnie the Pooh release and in that aspect I was not disappointed.
(Send an email to Chris Barry)
Chris Barry lives on Long Island in New York with his wife and three kids. He has had a lifelong love of cartoons, comics and animation. Those who know him well say he has truly, "earned his Disney PhD." Chris has been involved with Television Production for 20 years and began his career working with The Muppets at Jim Henson Productions in NYC. Currently teaching TV Production to high school students, Chris has been writing about many different facets of The Walt Disney Company for several years now.
