Winnie the Pooh (2011 film)

Theatrical release poster

***Winnie the Pooh*** is a 2011 American animated musical adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 51st film produced by the studio, it is based on the book series of the same name written by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepard. The film is a revival of Disney's *Winnie the Pooh* franchise and the fifth theatrical *Winnie the Pooh* film released. It was directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall (in his feature directorial debut), and produced by Peter Del Vecho and Clark Spencer.

Jim Cummings reprises his voice roles as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, and Travis Oates reprises his voice role as Piglet, while newcomers Tom Kenny, Craig Ferguson, Bud Luckey, and Kristen Anderson-Lopez provide the voices of Rabbit, Owl, Eeyore, and Kanga, respectively. In the film, the aforementioned residents of the Hundred Acre Wood embark on a quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit while Pooh deals with a hunger for honey.

Production began in September 2008 with Walt Disney Animation Studios' chief creative officer John Lasseter announcing that Disney wanted to create a film that would "transcend generations". The film features six songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and a score composed by Henry Jackman, as well as a rendition of the Sherman Brothers' "Winnie the Pooh" theme song by actress and musician Zooey Deschanel. With a runtime of 63 minutes, it is Disney's shortest theatrical film to date, surpassing the 64 minutes of *Dumbo* (1941). The film is also the first sequel produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios in twelve years since *Fantasia 2000* (1999).

*Winnie The Pooh* premiered at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California on July 10, 2011, and was released in the United States on July 15. The film grossed over $50 million on a $30 million budget and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its animation, voice acting, script, humor, music, and nostalgic feeling, but criticized its short runtime. Though it is Walt Disney Animation Studios’s most recent traditionally animated theatrical film, producer Peter Del Vecho and *Frozen* directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee confirmed in 2019 that there would be possibilities for hand-drawn features in the future.

## Plot

Christopher Robin and his animal friends live inside a storybook, whose text can be seen around many frames of the film. These letters are sometimes interacted with by the characters.

Winnie the Pooh wakes up one day to find that he is out of honey. While out searching for more, Pooh discovers that Eeyore has lost his tail. Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo come to the rescue, while Tigger prefers having fun bouncing alone. Christopher Robin decides to hold a contest to see who can find a replacement for Eeyore's tail. Pooh gives Christopher Robin the idea to have a fresh pot of honey be the prize. After everyone else's attempts to replace Eeyore's tail fail, Kanga suggests that they use a scarf. This is declared the winner, but it soon unravels.

Later on, Pooh still has not been able to find any honey. He goes to visit Christopher Robin, and finds a handwritten note reading "GoN OUT BIZY BACK SooN c.ʀ.", a misspelling of "Gone Out, Busy, Backson" with Christopher Robin's initials. Pooh is unable to read the note, so he asks for Owl's help. Owl's poor reading comprehension skills lead Pooh and his friends to believe that Christopher Robin has been abducted by a ruthless and mischievous creature they call the "Backson”. Rabbit plans to trap the beast by leaving a trail of items leading to a pit. Meanwhile, Tigger, who wants a sidekick to help him defeat the Backson, recruits a reluctant Eeyore to be a second Tigger. He dresses up like the Backson and tries to teach Eeyore how to fight. Eeyore manages to escape from Tigger and hides underwater, where he discovers an anchor.

Pooh finds a honey pot part of a trap for the Backson, and falls into the pit, and the pot turns out to be empty. Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Owl, and Piglet use Eeyore's anchor "replacement tail" as a rope to try to get Pooh out, but its weight pulls everyone but Piglet into the pit. Piglet tries to help them out, but consistently over-interprets Rabbit's instructions, leading to the destruction of the only rope he has with him. He goes to find more rope, but runs into Tigger. Mistaking Tigger's training costume for the actual monster, Piglet uses a red balloon to fly away from Tigger, inadvertently knocking some of the storybook's letters into the pit.

After the chase, Tigger and Piglet fall into the trap as well. Eeyore reminds Tigger that he, being "the only one", is "the most wonderful thing about Tiggers." Eventually, Pooh figures out how to use the fallen letters to form a ladder, and his friends are able to escape the pit. Christopher Robin, returning from having gone to school, finds his friends, and explains his note's true meaning; Owl flies away, embarrassed. The honey pot prize is given to the red balloon from earlier, much to Pooh's dismay.

Later, Pooh visits Owl for honey, and discovers that Owl, not recognizing what it was, had found Eeyore's tail and was using it as a bell pull. Owl offers Pooh some honey for lunch, but Pooh, ignoring his tummy's loud rumbling, hurries to give Eeyore his tail back. Christopher Robin is proud of Pooh's selflessness; as a reward for his kindness, Pooh is given a pot of honey twice as tall as he is. The story closes with Christopher Robin walking Pooh home into the sunset.

In a post-credits scene, a genuine Backson arrives, but is actually a very nice and gentle creature. He finds the trail of items left for him, including a drawing of himself; not recognizing himself, he calls it a "scary looking fella". Deciding to return the items to Christopher Robin, he starts picking them up, but ends up falling into the pit.

## Cast

*Main article: List of Winnie-the-Pooh characters*

* Jim Cummings as
	+ Winnie the Pooh, a kind-hearted anthropomorphic bear who loves honey. Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Pooh.
	+ Tigger, a hyperactive and brave tiger. Andreas Deja served as the supervising animator for Tigger.
* Travis Oates as Piglet, a small pig who's afraid of everything, and Pooh's best friend. Bruce W. Smith served as the supervising animator for Piglet.
* Bud Luckey as Eeyore, an old grey donkey who is often miserable and who loses his tail. Randy Haycock served as the supervising animator for Eeyore.
* Jack Boulter as Christopher Robin, a young human boy and one of Pooh's best friends. Henn also served as the supervising animator for Christopher Robin.
* Tom Kenny as Rabbit, a rabbit who is pretentious and straight-laced. He loves planting vegetables in his garden. Eric Goldberg served as the supervising animator for Rabbit.
* Kristen Anderson-Lopez as Kanga, a female kangaroo and Roo's mother. Smith also served as the supervising animator for Kanga.
* Wyatt Dean Hall as Roo, Kanga's excitable young kangaroo. Smith again served as the supervising animator for Roo.
* Craig Ferguson as Owl, an elderly owl who is not as wise as he thinks, and tells very long and boring stories about his family. Dale Baer served as the supervising animator for Owl.
* Huell Howser as the Backson, the mysterious creature who was thought to kidnap Christopher Robin. Goldberg also served as the supervising animator for the Backson.
* John Cleese as the Narrator