The Tigger Movie is a 2000 animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation with animation production by Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc., written and directed by Jun Falkenstein from a story by Eddie Guzelian, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on February 11, 2000. It is the second theatrical Winnie the Pooh film after The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and features Pooh's sidekick Tigger as the main protagonist searching for his family tree and other Tiggers like himself. The film was the first feature-length theatrical Pooh film that was not a collection of previously released shorts.
It is also the first in the original films in which Tigger is voiced entirely by Jim Cummings (in addition to Pooh) following the retirement of Tigger's original voice actor Paul Winchell in 1999. Winchell was originally cast as Tigger but was dropped after the studio considered his voice to be too raspy. Cummings had previously shared the role with Winchell since 1989 and provided his singing voice in most later projects with Winchell as the character's speaking voice.
The film features original songs from the Sherman Brothers. Originally, the film was slated for a direct-to-video release in 2001, until then–Disney CEO Michael Eisner heard the Sherman Brothers' songs and decided to release the film in theaters worldwide a year early. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was the highest-grossing film in the Winnie the Pooh franchise until it was surpassed by 2018's Christopher Robin.
The film received three nominations on the Annie Awards, including the Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production, the Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production, and the Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production.
Plot[]
In the Hundred Acre Wood, Tigger searches for someone to bounce with him, but all of his friends are busy preparing for the upcoming winter. While searching for a playmate, Tigger inadvertently destroys Eeyore's house with a boulder. Tigger attempts to help his friends remove the boulder, but accidentally destroys Rabbit's mechanical pulley system. Frustrated, Rabbit and the rest of Tigger's friends reprimand him for his recklessness, hurting his feelings. Tigger's closest friend Roo, seeing Tigger's sadness and alienation, asks him if he has any family members of his own. Tigger is fascinated by the concept and decides to search for his family, hoping to finally be within a similar company.
Misunderstanding Owl's advice, Tigger and Roo begin searching for his family tree, mistakenly believing it to be a centuries-old tree covered in stripes and with many Tiggers upon it. Meanwhile, Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore mount their own search for Tigger's family after overhearing Tigger's plan, only to be chased away by bees after Pooh angers them. After his search fails, Roo suggests that he write a letter to his family and he does so. He lets the wind carry it away with hopes that it will reach his family, but receives no response after days of waiting and begins to lose hope. Tigger's friends sympathetically decide to write him a letter; everyone contributes a bit of friendly advice and signs it "your family". Tigger misinterprets the content of the letter and comes to believe that his family exists and is intending to visit him, with the others unable to tell him the truth. He organizes a large and absurd party in preparation for a family reunion. Roo, wishing to uphold Tigger's spirits, encourages his friends to disguise themselves as Tiggers and attend his party. Rabbit refuses to join, and berates them for not preparing for the harsh conditions ahead before storming off, but Roo convinces everyone to continue with the plan.
After a great effort in disguising themselves and learning to behave like Tiggers, Tigger's friends arrive at his party. He completely falls for the disguises until Roo's mask is inadvertently falls off after an attempt to imitate a complex bounce that Tigger had taught him earlier. Tigger, furious, heartbroken and betrayed by his friends' deception, sets out into a blizzard in search of his real family. He eventually finds an immense tree that the snow has whitened with stripes, convincing him that it is the family tree he had sought, but is saddened when he finds no one waiting for him there. Tigger's friends set out on an expedition in search of him, but they fail to persuade him to come home. Their argument causes an avalanche, which drives Tigger to rescue his friends. When Tigger is swept away himself, Roo successfully performs Tigger's bounce and saves him. When the avalanche subsides, Tigger's friends reveal their authorship of the letter by reciting their contributions. Tigger finally realizes that his friends are his true family, and he throws a new party in honor of them.
Cast[]
- Jim Cummings as Tigger and Winnie the Pooh
- Nikita Hopkins as Roo
- Ken Sansom as Rabbit
- John Fiedler as Piglet
- Peter Cullen as Eeyore
- Andre Stojka as Owl
- Kath Soucie as Kanga
- Tom Attenborough as Christopher Robin
- John Hurt as The Narrator