Ursinho Puff e o Tigre Saltador

This was the third 'act' of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which is how I first saw this as a very young child (probably a baby, now that I think about it). Though the whole feature was kind of ingrained into my system at an early age, I think this final section always left an impression on me. It was because of Tigger being this main subject here - in later years he'd get his own movie, The Tigger Movie as it was pretty obviously called - though really moreso about how he was perceived, that made it so funny and captivating and even a couple of times scary and almost-borderline sad.

The two things that happen in Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too involve Rabbit in a big way, and it's little wonder from a storytelling perspective; they're diametrically opposed, with Tigger and his, to put it lightly, carefree attitude, and Rabbit being, to also put it mildly, fastidious. He likes his garden and Tiggers bouncy ways mess it up. Can the bounce go away for a while? A personality adjustment could do it, so he, Pooh and Piglet go out into the woods with the plan to abandon him (just for the night, as Rabbit proposes to a hilariously sleepy Pooh by the way), but it backfires as Rabbit is the one who gets stuck (not unlike, say, Snow White in her feature).

The other thing is that Tigger does get some emotional shock when he is stuck up high on a tree - he even talks to the Narrator Sebastian Cabot, which I found both young and today absolutely hysterical - and maybe does, just for a moment question or lose his bounce (by, you know, 'request' of a sort). This second part may not be completely as masterful as the first segment, but the two compliment each other and work together as two stories in one whole: what does it mean for other people around Tigger? Or just Rabbit, for that matter? If all you do is bounce around and have fun, is it fun for everyone else around you, or will some people not 'get' it, or completely match up to that fun (ala Roo, if memory serves).

Ultimately, as it's shown, being 'bouncy' is a good thing, certainly if one is a Tigger. But what I've always liked about these stories here is that it's actually not Pooh challenging the springy fella, it's the character who we probably shouldn't stand really, the 'grown up' curmudgeon guy. Maybe some day kids will have to stop bouncing, but for now, it's alright, and certainly for comedy sake, that is.

Disney has been criticized (often justifiably) for the sometimes very loose adaptations of other works to animation. But they generally have done quite well by the Winnie-the-Pooh adaptations. This short, nominated for an Academy Award in the excellent year of 1974, is a first-class adaptation of the denizens of the 100-Acre Wood. Personally, Tigger is my second favorite character (after Eeyore) so I particularly like this one. Disney used animation to actually create the feel of the A.A. Milne books and did very well by the stories. Highly Recommended.

This is the third short of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. In my opinion, it's the funniest of all and just as good as the earlier 2 shorts. This one isn't simply the funniest, it is also the bounciest. This is full of classic humor and great fun! Yes, our friend Tigger bounces a lot here. He's full of surprises and he bounces to his friends when they less expect. He bounces to Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Rabbit. He surprises Pooh, scares Piglet, angers Rabbit and amuses little Roo and Kanga. However, he does a special "small bouncing" for Piglet because he is so tiny and he doesn't really bounce to Roo or Kanga, perhaps in respect for Kanga.

And oh, it's so delightful to hear Tigger amusingly saying «Hi hi! She called me dear!» - there's also some vanity in the way he says it. It's equally delightful to hear Tigger calling Pooh «the one who's stuffed with fluff» and «very comfy, too», as well as to hear him call "Long ears" to Rabbit.

Rabbit, of course, likes Tigger as much as the others, but he doesn't accept very well Tigger's bounces. In fact, he decides to have a meeting of protest with Pooh and Piglet because he has a plan to "unbounce" Tigger. The plan consists in taking Tigger to the forest and leave him alone in a far place, so that he gets lost and stops bouncing.

But the plan doesn't work the way they expect. Ironically, Rabbit, Pooh and Piglet are the ones who get lost and Tigger ends up finding them and bounces them, one by one. However, Rabbit is the one who feels humiliated after Tigger assures that «Tiggers never get lost» and keeps wondering «Why oh why oh why?». Tigger is just too smart to get lost.

Later, Tigger decides to take Roo with him to teach him all about bouncing. Tigger gets overexcited, bounces until the top of a tree and that's when something hilarious happens: Tigger is too afraid of heights, so much that he doesn't have courage to even try to get out of that sticky situation. He even promises not to bounce anymore (without really meaning it, of course). It's so hilarious to see our friend Tigger scared of heights.

These Winnie the Pooh's old shorts are real classics. Timeless and very charming. They also give us that "nostalgia" feeling about childhood and classic Disney. In Tigger's words, instead of a goodbye, I'll just say «Halloo!» :)

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974)

*** (out of 4)

Charming Disney short has everyone growing tired of Tigger bouncing around and especially annoyed at him bouncing on people. Owl, Pooh and Piglet come up with a plan to finally teach Tigger a lesson. WINNIE THE POOH AND TIGGER TOO certainly has its charming moments and these here are enough to make it worth viewing even to a somewhat non-fan such as myself. There were some very good moments scattered throughout this film but the highlight from me was a very funny sequence where Rabbit is trying to ice skate when Tigger comes along, bouncing, and makes a mess of everything. While all of the supporting players are on hand here, there's no question that the film belongs to Tigger whose bouncing ways make for many great scenes. This includes the ending, which I won't spoil but it's quite funny to see the trouble that Tigger gets himself in.

This is the third of the four Winnie the Pooh featurettes. I should find this as satisfying as Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. But it really focuses on Tigger. The voice cast is great as the other 2 films, and the music is great as well. And the plot? Well, let's say that it satisfies me. I am disappointed on one thing however. It was nominated for an Academy Award, but it lost to Closed Mondays. (I haven't heard of or seen that one yet, but it's not a Pooh film.) But still, I recommend this film as well as the other three. You should see them all. They can really satisfy you.