An Ode to Pooh Bear
Every Disney lover has their own favorite Disney character, but their are certain special characters seen so frequently in film/television and in Disney Store/Parks merchandise that they could almost be categorized as a “mascot.” Mickey Mouse and all of his friends, Jiminy Cricket, and Tinker Bell, fit the bill, but one other character who would fall underneath that category easily would be Winnie the Pooh. And in honor of the soon-to-open Disney film, Christopher Robin (2018), I thought in this blog we could explore the history of Winnie the Pooh in books by A.A. Milne…and how he ultimately became a huge part of the Disney legacy.
Winnie the Pooh was developed by Alan Alexander “A.A.” Milne after his son, Christopher Robin Milne’s stuffed bear, Edward. The Milne’s renamed the bear Winnie the Pooh after a black bear named Winnie and a swan whose named happened to be Pooh. The character Winnie the Pooh made his first appearance in a book of poetry by A.A. Milne called When We Were Very Young published in 1924. He was in the 38th poem in the book, titled “Teddy Bear.” His illustration was done by Milne’s illustrator, Ernest Howard “E.H.” Shepard. Later Milne and Shepard collaborated on the original “Winnie the Pooh” books Winnie-the-Pooh (published in 1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (published in 1928).
Walt Disney was interested as early as 1938 in the idea of making a film of “Winnie the Pooh,” having consistently overheard his daughter, Diane, laughing, over them when she was alone in her bedroom. However, it wasn’t until 1961 that he officially acquired the rights. Not long after, Disney changed his mind and decided to make a short film that would be attached to a live-action film. The first Winnie the Pooh short, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, was released on February 4th, 1966. It played in front of The Ugly Dachshund (1966) which starred Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette. “Honey Tree,” would unfortunately be the only short Walt would see in the final form, as he passed away 10 months later (on December 15th, 1966).
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) was released next NS It garnered the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons. Wolfgang “Woolie” Reitherman, who directed the short, accepted the award on behalf of Walt Disney. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too followed in 1974. It “too,” received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Short Film, Animated. Those three shorts were combined for a feature length film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, in 1977. The 4th and final Winnie the Pooh short, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, was released in 1983. All of the original “Winnie the Pooh,” shorts feature the music of legendary composer/lyricist team of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.
Dan Ferguson and Richard Moore created a “Winnie the Pooh,” comic strip which lasted from 1978-1988. Pooh also made his debut on television in Welcome to Pooh Corner (1983-1986), followed by The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988-1991), and returned to the Silver Screen in Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997). In 1986, he got his first video game: Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh ultimately even has his own theme park attractions in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which opened at Walt Disney World in 1999 (and can be found at all the Disney Parks) and Pooh’s Hunny Hunt which opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 2003.
Disney Studios later gave both Tigger and Piglet their own movies with The Tigger Movie (2000) and Piglet’s Big Movie (2003). Pooh and his friends were re-adapted in the animatronic format for television in The Book of Pooh (2001-2003), and they also received two additional films with Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005) and Winnie the Pooh (2011). There has also been a huge number of “Winnie the Pooh” shorts and films that have been directly released for Blu-Ray and DVD, including Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004) and Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too (2009). And “Christopher Robin,” will officially be coming to theaters on Friday, August 3rd, featuring a screenplay by Allison Schroeder, writer of Hidden Figures (2016) and Tom McCarthy, writer of Disney/Pixar’s Up (2009) and Alex Ross Perry. It is under the direction of Marc Forster, director of Finding Neverland (2004) and Stranger than Fiction (2006).
Winnie the Pooh has a quite remarkable history throughout the Disney studios. His “Best friend” demeanor and his ability to seemingly overcome whatever obstacle or problem his friends are facing makes him a favorite for many. He often manages to help a friend without even realizing that he has. We hear him say he is “a bear of very little brain,” but he is actually smarter than he thinks. He humbles himself without even knowing it, and that is what makes him so lovable, and his popularity helps the Disney legacy stay alive.
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