lørdag 30. april 2022

Winnie the Pooh - The Sweet, Innocent, Honeyloving and Fluffy Disney Trademark That Melted the Hearts of the World

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies. 

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Yes, I know that you technically made it. But I`m a bear, so I was meant to eat it :)
 
 
 
 
Don`t worry, since it`s
in our Universe, it won`t
be too scary :)
Since Disney once were synonymous with their Disneyfication, an interesting question is whether their versions should been perceived as the definite versions of the stories. Regardless how`s it`s a debate that would create havoc, the truth is that Disney versions are often seen as so. Yet another question would`ve been how often Disney`s versions are exposed at the expense of their original predecessors. Which is certainly interesting. Regardless of Disney`s way of overexposing their products, the original versions still manages to live on their own terms. But sometimes, the Disney versions happens to be more well-known than their original sources. And other times, both versions happens to be equally well-known.
I`m doing the "tap
with arms behind my
back"-dance :)
One of the characters that certainly belongs to this category is Winnie the Pooh. A creation from English Author A.A. Milne. Through it`s 58 years of existense under Disney`s umbrella, Pooh has become one of Disney`s most recognizable and exposed franchises and characters. In fact, while Pooh originated from it`s shorts, it has been synonymous with being a franchise on various forms, nonetheless. It`s popularity have been seen as synonymous with Mickey Mouse and even manged to surpass him one time. But regardless of it`s various trademarks, Pooh is among Disney`s most beloved franchises and characters. As despite originating in 1966, it`s first full-length feature happened to have it`s own Anniversary when this entry was written. As it was made as a Full-Length Feature in 1977.











The Origins of the Original Winnie the Pooh Books

A.A. Milne (Alan Alexander Milne) was a successful author (and a friend to Peter Pan`s author, J.M. Barrie). The original Pooh stories came from a stuffed bear given to Milne`s only son, Christopher Robin, to his first birthday (yes, Pooh is truly how art imitates life and vice versa). The bear came from the J.K. Farnell company in London (the first company to make modern plush bears). While the tales were inspired by Robin`s own conversations to his toys, they still were Milne`s own bedtime stories to Robin. Pooh was originally named Edwin, Edward Bear and just Teddy. But was renamed Winnie the Pooh based on Robin`s favorite bear at the London Zoo. Who was a tame Black Bear that Robin was allowed to visit. The rest of Pooh`s named came from Winnipeg and a Swan named Pooh.  
Don`t worry, the punch
happened off-screen :)
The first Pooh story was published in London Evening News in Christmas 1925. But the first book was published in 1926, titled When We Were Very Young (preceeded by Robin`s poem). It was an instant success and the first of four Pooh books during four years. But many readers were adults who bought the books for themselves, believe it or not. Pooh was Milne`s last property for children, as he hated the staple of being just a child author (despite how he learned to love Pooh again). But Robin himself hated the books and the fame with them, despite of times he could identify with the boy.  
At least it`s not from
The Killers :)
The rest of the cast also comes from Robin`s universe. The original Eeyore had his neck losing it`s stiffering, which gave his name. Piglet was a gift from a neighbour in Chelsea. Rabbit and Owl weren`t toys given to Robin from the get-go, but invented to the tales. But when Milne realized he needed more toys to the cast, he added Kanga, Roo and Tigger. The real-life location of 100 Acre-Wood was taken from Ashdown Forest, south of London. And by a Susex farmhouse that Milne bought. Ernest H. Shepard (illustrator of the magazine Punch) supervised the Pooh book (and drew Robin from his real pictures).














How Walt Disney Executed Pooh

I know you`re looking for
honey, Pooh :) But don`t be
fooled by the smell, cause it`s
not nearby :)
As for how Winnie the Pooh came to Walt Disney, the tales happened to be the favorites of his daughters. While he happened to pick well-known stories, he also chose stories that the were unknown to the general audience. But the execution of Pooh is an interesting one. Instead of making it a Full-Length movie right away, Walt decided to depict the stories as three shorts. Because of two reasons: For the lack of melodrama in the books and how the stories weren`t as well-known to an American audience (despite how the books were bigger hits in USA). And blending them into a Full-Length Feature afterwards. Despite how it made the crew skeptical, Walt`s theory worked. 
Quasimodo made me that
bell, so I could remember
my home :) I have a small
brain, after all :)
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree premiered February 4th, 1966 (alongside with The Ugly Dachshund). Based on the first chapters of Pooh and was well received critically and commercially. Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day premiered in December 1968 and gained better reviews than it`s predecessor. The third short, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, was made in 1974. And was based on the Tigger entries in The House at Pooh Corner and Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting from Winnie-the-Pooh.
Soon you`ll be old enough to
stand like this, Pooh :)
Despite it`s Live Action intro and outro, Pooh is mostly an animated movie. Unfortunately, Walt didn`t live to see the last Pooh shorts. Nor to see the final full movie with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, With some new animation within the segments and a new, bittersweet ending of Pooh and Christopher Robin. Where Robin is implying the inevitable end of childhood. An ending that`s understated, yet still emotionally resonant. But it was an ending that was planned from the get-go and taken from Milne`s stories.














Pooh`s Trademarks and Character Traits

I wish it was endless :)
Whatever you could say about Disney`s Winnie the Pooh, it`s mostly labeled for something that Disney is known for: Innocence, purity and harmony. Everything in that World is harmless and sanitized. Yet Walt was a fan of harrowing drama and pathos and feared that the shorts would have more charm than substance. So he wanted to strengthen the story and characters. So they could exist on their own, without having read the original book. While it`s not to say that nothing about Pooh appeal to an older audience (it`s verbal wit and meta-interaction from the narrator. Voiced by Sebastian Cabot, The Jungle Book`s Bagheera), it`s true that Pooh is mostly appealing to a younger demographic.
You know what
my Christmas gift
will be :)
Yet the reason why Pooh appeals to kids, is how he shares an Innocence and Curiosity. For adults, Pooh represents the most admirable traits of Childhood: A viewpoint of Simplicity and Beauty. Which frankly is the reason why the appealing cast is not smart. Which their conflicts and misunderstandings is made from their ignorance and their regular, daily issues. As for the rules of Pooh`s world in 100 Acre Woods (one of the most lightest Disney forests ever), it has a peculiar dynamic of having Christopher Robin (played by three actors: Mowgli`s Bruce Reitherman in Honey Tree, John Walmsley in Blustery Day and Timothy Turner in Tigger Too) in the same world with his pets. And interacting with them as they lived on their own (as opposed to Toy Story, where Andy plays with his toys, but never come alive to him). A strange issue. But hey, let`s not scrutinize it, shall we?











Winnie the Pooh Himself
 
The author mispelled
the word honey. Not
me :)
Of course we can`t discuss Winnie the Pooh without mentioning our Pooh-Bear himself. His optimism, kindness and not to mention his naivety. Originally voiced by Disney veteran Sterling Holloway and afterwards Jim Cummings. All in all, Pooh is essentially an epitome of a Disney character: An all good character who embodies purity and who`s endearing (cause let`s face it, Disney characters are mostly labeled for embodying mostly archetypes who have one trait). And of course his everlasting love of honey and food is also his biggest trademark.
Yes, I`m mistaking
you for honey :)
As for his relationship with the other characters, Pooh is beloved by his fellow companions. But there are two pivotal relationships to him: The neurotic Piglet (voiced by John Fiedler) and Christopher Robin. Both are his best friends, but his relationship to Robin is pretty much an owner/pet dynamic. Where Robin lovingly picks on Pooh for his low intelligence and remarkable quirks. And frankly, it`s often Pooh and Robin`s relationship who`s is given most credit by the marketing and Disney themselves. A thing that makes Disney`s Pooh different from Shepard`s is his shrunken T-Shirt. To cover up his fur. Based on Pooh bears by Agnes Brush at the F.A.O. Schwarz store in New York. Animating Pooh was a challenge, for having to remain faithful to him being a stuffed animal.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Rest of the Characters
 
This is how you party,
Pitbull :)
As for the rest of the cast in Winnie the Pooh, they`re an endearing and likable gang who are just as harmless as the world they`re living in. As the well-meaning and faithful Piglet, the stuffy and prissy Rabbit (Junius Matthews, The Sword in the Stone), the gloomy and sage Eeyore (storyguy Ralph Wright), the authoral and regal Owl (Hal Smith), the motherly and resonant Kanga, the casts lone female (Disney veteran Barbara Luddy, who voiced Lady and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty) and her lively and perky son Roo. 
Sorry, wrong yard :)
The most exclusive character is Gopher, who`s an completely original character who`s not from the books. He was deliberately made to target an contemporary, American audience (where he had his meta-comment "I`m not in the book"). While he`s somewhat an departure, he still blends in the world (and yes, a shallow comparison would`ve been Mr. Busy, the Beaver from Lady and the Tramp). And yeah, the animators had a free range with Gopher, as he wasn`t a Milne creation.
Nala learned me to do this
jolt :)
But the character who truly stands out, is the spunky and plucky Tigger (voiced by Paul Winchell. Who recorded together with Holloway and animated by Milt Kahl first. And then by John Smith`s animator John Pomeroy at last). Who`s mischevious nature makes him a departure from his fellow cast (despite how he doesn`t appear before Blustery Day). In fact, there`s no wonder why there`s usually a clash between Rabbit and Tigger. As both of them are opposites. But Tigger also stands out for his sheer boldness. And he also serves as a semi-big brother/buddy for Roo. Who loves Tigger for all that`s worth.
Don`t bend your trunk too
much :) This is what happens
to you :)
The least mentioned characters are the Heffalumps and Woozzles. While they haven`t absorbed much screentime, they`ve pretty much been the closest the 100 Acre Woods has as villains. Despite how Blustery Day only reduces them to one scene, which doesn`t characterize them enough to be truly fleshed out. And yes, their sequence is strikingly reminiscent of the Pink Elephant of Parade in Dumbo. 













Behind the Scenes Information & Music

Yes, mom wouldn`t like me for
dancing in the chair, but she`s
not looking right now :)
Walt planned to do Winnie the Pooh in 1961 and acquired the rights for it then. The shorts were directed by Disney veteran Wolfgang Reitherman (The Jungle Book, The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound), who also was responsible for the Art Direction (John Loundsbery directed Tigger Too). While Wollie wasn`t fond of it, he was chosen because of his way to Disneyfy it. The story team included veterans like Larry Clemmons and Ken Anderson. Eric Larson, John Loundsbery, John Sibley, Hal King and Eric Cleworth did the animation of Honey Tree. Some crew members loved the books. But Walt gave the first Pooh shorts to those who weren`t fans. In order to make them not close to the books and more Disneyesque. But after Walt`s death, Blustery Day was handed over to the fans.
We were payed to imitate
each other :)
Knowing the publics love for Shepard`s designs, Walt wanted the look to be similar to them. While they were considered to use the original designs, they decided to make their own look. Making the expressions on the faces was a challenge, as they were limited by their dot eyes and to turn their heads to look around. But Pooh came out when Disney would recycle their animation. Not only from the movie itself, but from other features (most notably The Jungle Book). But it was a conscious choice from Woolie, who liked it safe.
The failure of
Piglet`s my replacement for a
kite :)
Alice in Wonderland made Walt afraid of adapting another British story. So therefore he Americanized it. Despite that it didn`t pleased Pooh purists and Shepard himself (yet Milne`s wife, Daphne, liked the shorts). But with Blustery Day, he didn`t made any attempts to Americanize it. Which made it more accepted in the UK than Honey Tree. But Blustery was blended from chapter IX from Winnie-the-Pooh and chapters II and and VIII of The House of Pooh. Despite how Blustery takes more liberties with the original text. But Christopher Robin was dubbed British in 1977 (Woolie wanted to cut Robin`s hair, but Walt wanted to keep it). Blustery won the Academy Award for Animated Short Subject.
I wasn`t able to place myself
to the right before the balloon
went off :)
Regarding the songs of Pooh, the most famous songs are on the list of the most beloved in the Disney Pantheon. And the other songs not as much. The songs themselves are cute and endearing enough. But sung by both the Disney chorus and the characters. Made from the regular Disney tunesmiths at the time, The Sherman Brothers. Walt wanted the tunes to be singable, simple, yet original and whimsical. The breakthrough came when they wrote the title song, making it a gentle, sweet homage to childhood`s innocence. The score was made by Buddy Baker.








 
 
 
 
Franchise
 
Yes, these are cakes made
for animals :) So humans
can`t eat them :)
The success and episodic nature of Winnie the Pooh made it ready to be a huge franchise. The public yearned for more Pooh. In 1981 an Educational Film named Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons was released. The first of four teaching films with Pooh. In 1982, a show called Winnie the Pooh and Friends with clips from Pooh films with other Disney movies was made. In 1983, Welcome to Pooh Corner aired on Disney Channel. With life-sized costumes and electronics. The featurette Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore was also released in 1983 Theatrically. Made by outside animators and based on chapters of Eeyore of the books. In 1988, the endearing series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was released. A show that won a Emmy Award for Best Animated Program, Daytime, in 1989 and 1990. Pooh and Tigger were in the anti-drug TV special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. 
These are the covers for
conceited people like us :)
There were more movies made of Pooh. First they were TV Specials: Winnnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (1991), Boo To You Too (1996), A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving (1998) and Winnie the Pooh A Valentine For You (1999). 1997 saw the release of the direct-to-video feature Winnie the Pooh and the Search for Christopher Robin. Afterwards, there were more similar features made; Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving (1999), Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002) and Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004). In 2000, The Tigger Movie was released theatrically. And was the first in line of many low budget, Theatrical features. Three years later, Piglet`s Big Movie made by DisneyToon Studios in Japan was released (with material from Milne`s books). In 2005 came Pooh`s Heffalump Movie and Pooh`s Heffalump Halloween Movie. 
I`m Kung Fu Tigger :)
There was a stop motion show was planned in the late 90`s, but was scrapped. Along with Shadow Projects, a puppet show for toddlers named The Book of Pooh aired on Playhouse Disney from 2001 to 2003. In 2007, a TV show named My Friends Tigger & Pooh aired (with it`s movies Super Sleuth Christmas Movie (2007), Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too (2009) and Super Duper Super Sleuths (2010). In 2011, a Theatrical Pooh movie was made, simply titled Winnie the Pooh. Which happens to to be the last hand drawn movie from Disney to date. But the purpose of that movie was made of two reasons: How Pooh`s popularity declined and to make him appeal to an adult demographic. The creators wanted the movie to be akin to Pooh`s glory days. To this date, the latest Pooh movie was the live action property Christopher Robin, released in 2018. And a new musical series is planned for Disney Junior. Pooh even made a cameo in a DreamWorks-property, Bee Movie.

 
 








Epilogue

I`m the Pooh version of
Sleeping Beauty :)
At the end, Winnie the Pooh is a cherished and worthy entry to Disney`s evergrowing and everlasting franchises. And it`s Universe has gained a huge following and deservedly so. Perhaps it`s the innocence of the World that made it gain a huge fanbase. Regardless of the original Pooh book should be compared to Disney`s version is irrelevant. But at least Disney`s adaptations have made the Universe known for belonging to Disney. As for my own exposure with Pooh, I was first and foremost familiar with it through The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh-series and the comics and various merchandise. I happened to like the Pooh universe a lot, despite not being completely gaga for it. 
Yes, I may be gloomy and
have four legs :) But I`m like
Olaf and love warm hugs :)
But as for the original shorts, I remember renting Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too in my childhood and finding it okay. But as for the original 1977 feature, I remember seeing it as a whole on TV in Christmas 1995. And liking it well enough. But I got the VHS on my Birthday when it was released two years later and liking it even more. As an adult, I`m not ashamed to say that The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is among my favorites of Disney. And it appeals to me due to it`s innocence, charm and sheer magic. So at the end, as this entry was written to synergize with it`s 45th Anniversary (at least the Full-Length Feature), there`s nothing else to wish Happy Past Anniversary, Winnie the Pooh, and may you continue to have many more.


 
 

My Balloon matches my T-Shirt, doesn`t it? :)
 
 
 
References: 
Winnie the Pooh: A Celebration of the Silly Old Bear (Christopher Finch). 
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 25th Anniversary Release DVD.
http://www.just-pooh.com/history.html
https://www.amazon.com/Winnie-Pooh-Disney-Editions-Deluxe/dp/1423102525 http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24911&hilit=Winnie+the+Pooh
http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32001
https://www.bustle.com/p/winnie-the-poohs-real-name-discovered-by-artists-estate-manager-80780
http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=23752&hilit=list&start=140 
https://vimeo.com/26539088 
https://vimeo.com/26537971 
https://insidethemagic.net/2018/07/interview-prolific-actor-jim-cummings-on-voicing-winnie-the-pooh-and-tigger-in-christopher-robin-darkwing-duck-and-more/?utm_content=bufferb479e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
https://insidethemagic.net/2018/07/interview-brad-garrett-on-playing-eeyore-in-disneys-christopher-robin-and-the-gift-of-being-typecast/?utm_content=buffer6378f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zc7dxcs790  
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/ewan-mcgregor-talks-star-disneys-christopher-robin-thr-news-998000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE0jysvkTDk
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