Winnie the Pooh and Tigger

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger is a 1968 animated featurette from Disney based on the second and fourth chapters from The House at Pooh Corner. The featurette was produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company on November 24, 1968.

Sources[]

The films plot is primarily based on two A. A. Milne stories: "In which Tigger comes to the forest and has breakfast" (Chapter II from The House at Pooh Corner), and "In which it is shown that Tiggers don't climb trees" (Chapter IV from The House at Pooh Corner).

Plot[]

The story begins with Pooh being awake in the middle of the night by a noise, so he gets up just to check on his honey, and all is fine, so he goes back to bed again. But there's the noise again, so Pooh asks the noise if it is Piglet or Christopher Robin or Eeyore, but there is no answer, so Pooh tries to get back to sleep. But there it is again! It's a kind of Worraworraworraworraworra noise, which doesn't sound like something Piglet or Christopher Robin or Eeyore would say, but Pooh is sleepy so that probably explains his confusion. And now he has heard the noise again he realises that it is not a usual noise, and in fact it is something he has never heard in the forest before, which must mean that there is a Strange Animal outside his house! So Pooh rather bravely gets up and opens his front door so that he can tell the Strange Animal to pipe down please. And the Strange Animal is sitting right there, so Pooh says "Hallo!", and the animal says "Hallo!" back. Pooh is so startled that all he can think of to say is "Hallo!" again, and then the animal says "Hallo!" again too, and then Pooh is still rather stunned, so he says "Hallo!" for a third time, and the animal says "Hallo!" back for a third time, while wondering how long they are going to "Hallo!" for.

Pooh decides that a fourth "Hallo!" would not advance the conversation any further, so instead he says "Who is it?", which is what we are really wanting to know. Unfortunately the Strange Animal just says "Me", which doesn't help us very much, but then Pooh tells him to come here, and he does, and then Pooh can see him in the candlelight. And he is a Tigger!

Pooh has never seen a Tigger before, so he wisely checks that Christopher Robin knows about him and approves, which he does, according to Tigger. Even with Christopher Robin's approval though it's still the middle of the night, so Pooh asks Tigger to come back for some breakfast honey tomorrow morning, and asks Tigger if he likes honey. Tigger says Tiggers like everything, so that is fine, and Pooh offers his floor for Tigger to sleep on (rather generously, seeing as how he has only known Tigger for a very short while), and goes back to bed.

In the morning Pooh wakes up to find Tigger sitting in front of the mirror and being very excited at the fact that he has found someone who is just like him, because he thought that he was the only one! I guess that suggests that Tigger has not met any other Tiggers before, just like Pooh, although we are not sure how Tigger could exist with a mother and a father Tigger, but nevermind. Pooh is just explaining how a mirror works when Tigger gets distracted.

Pooh tells Tigger that he has been fighting a tablecloth, and helpfully unravels him. Pooh explains what tablecloths are for, but Tigger says that it had tried to bite him, although Pooh is unconvinced.

When the tablecloth is back in its rightful place Pooh takes out some honey and puts it on the table ready for breakfast. Tigger tries the honey, and considers it very carefully, but then decides that Tiggers don't like honey. Pooh tries to sound Sad and Regretful but is secretly relieved, because of course if Tigger had liked the honey then that would have meant less honey for Pooh.

Tigger had said that Tiggers liked everything, but he now decides that Tiggers like everything except honey, so Pooh tells him that they will go round to Piglet's house, where he can try eating haycorns. Tigger is pleased to hear this, for he feels that haycorns are just what Tiggers like best.

So, once Pooh has finished his honey, they set off to visit Piglet and try some haycorns. On the way Pooh explains that Piglet is a Very Small Animal and therefore Tigger should try to restrain himself and not bounce too much. We are not quite sure how Pooh knows that Tiggers are bouncy, as apart from the incident with the tablecloth there has not really been any bouncing behaviour to speak of, although as they are walking Tigger is bouncing on Pooh's shadow, so perhaps that has been the big giveaway.

Tigger insists that he won't be bouncy after breakfast, because once Tiggers have eaten some haycorns they become Quite and Refined. So hopefully Piglet will be safe.

Piglet is a little scared, but he manages to remember his manners when Pooh says that Tigger would like some haycorns, and he offers Tigger his bowl of haycorns and tells him to help himself, and then goes and stands quite close to Pooh for Protection.

Tigger has a good old munch on the haycorns, and then tries to speak through the haycorns, but can't, and then goes outside very briefly, and then comes back inside with an empty mouth and states authoritatively that Tiggers do not like haycorns. Pooh reminds him that it was not very long ago that he had decided that Tiggers like everything except honey, but Tigger has now amended that to say that Tiggers like everything except honey and haycorns.

Piglet is secretly relieved that his haycorn supply will not have to be shared, and he helpfully suggests that perhaps Tiggers like thistles instead. Tigger says that thistles are indeed what Tiggers like best, and although more Suspicious Animals might be having doubts about Tigger's judgement at this point, Pooh and Piglet put their trust in him and decide to take him over to see Eeyore and his thistles.

So off they go to the other side of the forest, and Pooh introduces Eeyore to Tigger. Tigger smiles widely at Eeyore, but Eeyore, being Eeyore, is not hugely impressed.

Pooh told Eeyore that Tigger is a very good friend to Christopher Robin and Tigger has come to stay in the forest. However, this time it is really only Eeyore who is being his usual gloomy self, whereas Pooh and Piglet have been remarkably friendly (if a little scared).

Indeed, Piglet helpfully explains to Tigger that he shouldn't take Eeyore's attitude personally, because he is always like that, although Eeyore says that in fact he is feeling rather cheerful this morning, although I am not sure how we would have known that if he hadn't mentioned it specifically.

Tigger reminds the animals that he still hasn't had breakfast, which reminds Pooh what they have come for - thistles. Eeyore is a little offended that they have come to see his thistles rather than him, but all the same he leads Tigger over to a patch of thistles, which he says he was keeping for his birthday, although I am not sure that we quite believe him. And he offers the thistles to Tigger.

Tigger seems a little unsure and anxious, but he goes ahead and has a good munch on the thistles, and then says "Ow!" and puts his paw in his mouth. He complains that the thistles are too hot, which must mean that he has found them rather more prickly and thistly than he was expecting, and then runs round in circles for a while with his tongue out.

What this means is that they have another food item to add to the list of breakfasts that Tiggers don't eat - honey, haycorns, and thistles. The animals have run out of ideas at this point, so Pooh decides to ask for help from the usual quarter - Christopher Robin will know what to do. Eeyore says that Christopher Robin is with Kanga.

On the way Pooh composes a poem about poor Tigger and the fact that they are having a difficult time finding him something to eat. Pooh recites his poem to Piglet, who says that he likes it very much, except for the lines that go: "But whatever his weight in pounds, shillings, and ounces, He always seems bigger because of his bounces". Piglet thinks that the shillings don't quite fit in there, but Pooh explains that they wanted to come after the pounds, and that you should just let things come when you write poetry, and Piglet says that he didn't realize that.

By this time they have arrived at Kanga's house. Christopher Robin greets them, and Tigger says that he has found a Pooh and a Piglet and an Eeyore but he hasn't been able to find any breakfast. Pooh asks Christopher Robin if he knows what Tiggers like to eat, and Christopher Robin says that he thought very hard Tigger knew that. Tigger says that he does know and that he likes everything except for honey and haycorns and thistles, and although we have heard this before from Tigger and so do not completely believe him, Christopher Robin hasn't heard it before, so he just says that Kanga can give him some of her food.

They go inside Kanga's house and tell Kanga what they are looking for, and Kanga says that Tigger should have a look in her cupboard for something that he would like. Pooh gallantly offers to look too, and he happens to come across some condensed milk, which he is sure that Tigger wouldn't like anyway, so he helpfully takes it into a corner and has a nibble.

Tigger has a good root around in the cupboard, but he keeps finding things that Tiggers don't like. He actually goes through every final item in the cupboard and rules all of them out, and then doesn't know what to do next.

The others are all looking at Roo, who is having his Extract of Malt, which is his Strengthening Medicine. Roo isn't very enthusiastic about this, but Kanga says that he has promised to take it. Before Roo can swallow it, however, Tigger comes over and swipes it from the spoon!

Roo is exceedingly excited by this turn of events, and so is Tigger, because he finds that he really likes the Extract of Malt - he has found out what Tiggers like to eat!

And so Tigger goes to live with Kanga so that he can have Extract of Malt for every meal of the day (even though Piglet thinks that he has quite enough strength already.)

The second story begins when Pooh has decided to go and Eeyore because he hasn't seen him since yesterday. He sets off, but he is obviously in a rather indecisive frame of mind because he then decides to see Owl instead, because he hasn't seen Owl since the day before yesterday, which is longer.

And then he remembers that he hasn't seen Roo for a long time, and so another possibility is thrown into the equation. And Pooh is now a little overwhelmed by all the variables, so he has a little sit down and a big sing for a while. After his sing he remembers Rabbit, so there is yet another possibility for him to ponder.

Pooh invents another verse of his song, all about Rabbit, and then he makes up his mind and sets off to Rabbit's house. Unfortunately for Pooh he is still having trouble with the decision-making process, and on his way to Rabbit's house he starts worrying that Rabbit might be Out, or that he, Pooh, could get stuck in Rabbit's front door all over again (especially if Rabbit's front door has shrunk, which it might have done), so he is back in his Confused Place.

And in fact, not only is he back in his Confused Place, he also finds himself back at his own front door again, because he has been wandering around while wondering, and has come right back to his house. And, rather fortuitously, it just so happens that it is 11 o'clock, which is a good time to have a little something to eat...

Half an hour later Pooh has finally made his decision, and he heads off to Piglet's house, which is of course what he really meant to do all along, he just hadn't quite realised it. As he goes along he makes up another verse of his song, this time about Piglet.

When he arrives at Piglet's house he finds that Piglet is outside already, and he is digging a small hole in the ground. Pooh says hello, and Piglet says hello too, and says that he knew it was Pooh (and Pooh knew that too). Pooh asks Piglet what he is doing, and Piglet explains that he is going to grow an oak tree by planting haycorns in the ground, and then when the oak tree is old enough to grow its own haycorns he won't have to walk such a long way to find his favourite food.

Pooh is worried that the haycorn might not grow into an oak tree, but Piglet says that has received reassurance from Christopher Robin that it will, so that is fine. Pooh says that, that being the case, he could plant a honeycomb near his house which will then grow into a beehive. Piglet is unsure of the veracity of this statement, and Pooh says that he could just bury a piece of honeycomb rather than the whole thing, but then he might just get a piece of the beehive, and maybe the piece where the bees are buzzing and not hunnying, which would be irksome. Piglet agrees that this would be a bother.

Piglet also points out that planting can be a tricky thing to do, and he demonstrates by putting the haycorn in the hole, covering it with earth, and jumping up and down on it. Pooh says that he was already aware of the difficulty of planting, because Christopher Robin once gave him a mastershalum seed which he planted near his front door. Piglet thinks that it might have been a nasturtium, but Pooh says that these ones were called mastershalums.

Anyway, Piglet has now finished planting his haycorn, so he asks what they are going to do now.

Over at Kanga's house, Kanga is in a Wanting To Count Things type of mood, so she has sent Tigger and Roo out into the forest with some sandwiches for Roo and some extract of malt (his favourite) for Tigger. So Tigger and Roo are playing in the forest, and Roo is trying to find out what exciting special skills Tiggers might have. Roo asks if they can fly, and Tigger says that indeed, Tiggers are extraordinarily good flyers, they can even fly as well as Owl, only they don't really like flying, so they don't.

Roo also wants to know whether Tiggers can jump as far as Kangas, and Tigger says that they can when they want to. Roo says that they should have a jumping contest right now, but Tigger says that they should keep going otherwise they will be late for whatever it is they want to be in time for.

When they reach the Six Pine Trees Roo tells Tigger about the time he fell into the stream on the Expotition and swam, and Tigger says that Tiggers can swim too, because they can do everything. Roo asks if they can climb trees better than Pooh can, and Tigger says that climbing trees is what Tiggers do best, and they do it much better than Poohs.

Roo is so excited by this news that Tigger offers to climb a nearby tree with Roo on his back so he can watch. So off they go up the tree, with Roo making excitable squeaking noises, and Tigger saying "Up we go!" in a proactive, happy sort of voice. As they get higher and higher, Tigger begins to sounds slightly less sure of himself though, and he starts to talk about the probability that they will need to climb down the tree after they have climbed up it, which is a whole different thing altogether, and could be tricky, unless they fell down the tree, which would be easy...

And just as Tigger is saying this the tree branch breaks, and Tigger has to cling on tight to another branch before he falls, and he just about manages to pull his whole body onto the branch so that he is sitting on it and wishing he had gone swimming instead.

Roo suggests that they eat their sandwiches, but the sandwiches are still at the bottom of the tree, so Tigger says that maybe they won't eat them right now.

After Roo and Tigger have been in the tree for a while, Pooh and Piglet happen to come along. Pooh is having a little singalong, and Piglet is thinking about the haycorn that he planted and wondering how long it will take to grow.

Piglet suddenly spots something up in the tree - an Animal! He tells Pooh about it, while also taking hold of Pooh's arm, just in case Pooh is frightened (this is very considerate of Piglet). Piglet asks Pooh if he thinks the Animal is one of the Fiercer Animals, and Pooh says yes, and in actual fact he has already recognized the Animal - it is a Jagular! Pooh says that Jagulars hide in trees and then wait for other animals to walk underneath the tree before dropping on their heads.

Piglet says in that case they probably shouldn't walk underneath the tree, because the Jagular might drop down and hurt himself (further consideration shown by Piglet, who is clearly a Sensitive and Caring Friend). Pooh says that Jagulars don't really hurt themselves because they are so good at dropping, but Piglet is still unsure, and he is just about to head home when the Jagular yells out "Help! Help!".

Pooh thinks that this is a very interesting development, and explains to Piglet that Jagulars always call out "Help! Help!" and make you look up before they drop on you. Piglet states quite categorically that he is looking down, to avoid an Unfortunate Misunderstanding.

Roo hears Piglet's statement and yells out to let Pooh and Piglet know he is there, and Piglet immediately realizes that it's only Tigger and Roo in the tree rather than a Jagular (or a Jagular and another Jagular).

Roo says that they are in the tree because they can't get down and expresses his excitement at the situation, especially the bit where they will live in the tree for ever and ever and the fact that they can see all the way to Piglet's house, unless they go higher, although Tigger interrupts here to say they probably won't go higher as they wouldn't be able to see Piglet's house if they did.

Roo also tells Piglet how he got up there in the first place - on Tigger's back - and explains that he can't get down the same way because Tiggers can only climb upwards, as their tails prevent them from climbing downwards.

Hearing all of this, Pooh and Piglet try to formulate a plan to Help, and Pooh starts by eating Tigger and Roo's sandwiches and telling Piglet that he could climb up the tree himself and carry Roo down, but he wouldn't be able to carry Tigger, so they will need to come up with something cunning.

Just as Pooh and Piglet are trying to think of something, Christopher Robin and Eeyore happen to arrive. Eeyore is just telling Christopher Robin that he is expecting it to hail tomorrow, possibly as part of a blizzard, when Christopher Robin spots Pooh and says hello. Pooh is of course relieved to see him, as Christopher Robin always knows what to do in tricky situations such as this.

Pooh lets Christopher Robin know exactly what the problem is, what with Tigger and Roo stuck up the tree, and Christopher Robin tries to think of a solution.

Obviously nobody wants to break Eeyore, so they start thinking again, and Christopher Robin manages to come up with a new plan - he will stretch out his coat, and each animal will hold a corner, and then Tigger and Roo can jump down and land on it without hurting themselves (Eeyore asks Piglet to pay close attention to the part about not hurting anyone).

Piglet, though, is far too distracted to listen to Eeyore's mutterings, because he has been completely floored by the fact that he will be seeing Christopher Robin's blue braces again...He had seen them once before, and got rather over-excited, and ever since that day he had wondered about them...

And Christopher Robin takes off his coat and there they are! And Piglet is so thrilled that he doesn't even mind Eeyore's mutterings (Eeyore is now saying that there might still be an Accident, despite the Cunning Plan, because Accidents are the type of thing that arrive Without Warning).

The animals outline the plan to Roo, who is extremely excited by the thought of jumping out of a tree, and he is so excited he jumps right away, and lands right in the middle of the coat, and bounces up and down for quite a long time, and then settles down.

So Roo is finally safe, and that just leaves Tigger in the tree. Tigger is slightly more reluctant to jump however, and is holding onto his branch quite carefully. Christopher Robin tries to encourage him, but Tigger is a little nervous, and thinks he might have a little bit of bark in his eye.

As Tigger shuffles slowly along his branch, there is a sudden SNAP, and Tigger's branch breaks and he is plummeting down to the ground, and everyone ends up in a Confused Heap.

Christopher Robin and Pooh and Piglet manage to work out which way is up and recover themselves, and then they help Tigger up as well, and then they find Eeyore squashed underneath everyone else.

The animals anxiously check that Eeyore is all right, and help him onto his feet. Eeyore is silent for rather a long time, and he asks for Tigger, who has recovered nicely from his ordeal and is already feeling quite Bouncy. Eeyore thanks Tigger.