The Tigger Movie (2000)

The Tigger Movie (also known as Winnie the Pooh and the Family Tree in the working title) is a 2000 American animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and animation production by Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc., written and directed by Jun Falkenstein from a story by Eddie Guzelian. It is the second theatrical Winnie the Pooh film after The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and features Pooh's best friend Tigger 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 by Jim Cummings (who also voices Pooh); Tigger's original voice actor Paul Winchell, officially retired from the role in 1999 after A Valentine for You and died in 2005. Winchell was originally cast as Tigger, but he dropped from the project when the studio discovered that his voice was too raspy. Cummings had already played Tigger in the anti-drug television special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue and the final two seasons of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

The film features original songs from the Sherman Brothers. Originally, the film was slated for a direct-to-video release, until then–Disney CEO Michael Eisner heard the Sherman Brothers' songs, and decided to release the film in theaters worldwide. The film was the highest-grossing film in the Winnie the Pooh franchise until it was surpassed by 2018's Christopher Robin.

The film received 3 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 too busy getting ready for the upcoming winter. While he searches for a playmate, Tigger inadvertently destroys Eeyore's house with a boulder. He later damages the complex pulley system that Rabbit has rigged up to remove the boulder, much to the latter's frustration. The rest of Tigger's friends say that they are not quite as bouncy as he is because they are not Tiggers like him. Tigger sadly wanders off in loneliness, wishing there was somebody else like him.

Wanting to play with Tigger, Roo asks if Tigger has a Tigger family he could bounce with. Tigger is fascinated by the idea, and the two go to visit Owl for advice on finding Tigger's family. Owl shows them portraits of his own family and mentions the concept of family trees; Tigger accidentally knocks the portraits over. When he quickly hangs them back up, all of Owl's ancestors appear to be perched on a single tree. Tigger inaccurately concludes that his family tree must be a real tree, and he and Roo go searching for it.

After searching the wood without turning up any giant, Tigger-striped trees, Tigger and Roo go back to Tigger's house to search for clues to his family's whereabouts. Tigger teaches Roo the awesome Whoop-de-Dooper-Loop-de-Looper-Alley-Ooper Bounce. They find a heart-shaped locket that Tigger hopes will contain a picture of his family, but it is empty. Roo suggests Tigger try writing a letter to his family, which Tigger does. Once he finishes, he puts it in the mailbox and lets the wind carry it away, hoping it will take it to his family.

When Tigger's letter gets no response, Roo gathers Tigger's friends together to write him a letter; everyone contributes a bit of friendly advice and signs it "your family". Tigger is overjoyed to receive the letter, however, while "reading between the lines", he misinterprets it and announces that his whole family is coming to visit him tomorrow. Tigger's friends do not have the heart to tell Tigger that the letter is from them, so they disguise themselves as Tiggers and attend his family reunion. Rabbit does not join in, but, rather, berates them for not getting ready for the approaching winter and storms off.

Tigger completely falls for the Tigger disguises until Roo attempts Tigger's complex Whoop-de-Dooper-Loop-de-Looper-Alley-Ooper Bounce, crashes into the closet again, and knocks his mask off. Tigger is struck with astonishment and soon finds out that all of his friends are in on it. Frustrated and thinking that his friends have betrayed him, Tigger goes out in a ferocious snowstorm to search for his family.

Tigger's friends all feel very guilty, humiliated, and worried, including Roo, who becomes heartbroken. He later comes over to Pooh's house, crying and tearfully claiming that it was his fault Tigger had left, for he wanted Tigger as a big brother, and they form an expedition to find him and convince Rabbit to lead them. They find Tigger sitting in a large tree with patches of snow on the trunk that resemble stripes, which Tigger has mistaken for his family tree. Rabbit insists Tigger come home, but Tigger refuses to leave his "family tree" until his (nonexistent) Tigger family returns; upon arguing, Tigger's shouting causes an avalanche. Tigger bounces his friends to safety in the tree branches, but is swept away by the snow himself. Roo performs a perfect Whoop-de-Dooper-Loop-de-Looper-Alley-Ooper Bounce and rescues Tigger. The two then perform the bounce together to escape the avalanche and land back on the tree.

When the avalanche subsides, Tigger realizes that he has lost the letter from his family. All his friends each recite their parts of the letter from memory, and Tigger finally sees that they are his real family. He throws a new family reunion party with presents for everyone. Eeyore gets a new house, Pooh gets a lifetime supply of honey, Piglet gets a year's worth of firewood, Tigger promises Rabbit that he will look where he is bouncing and Roo receives the heart-shaped locket. Christopher Robin then takes a picture of Roo, Tigger, and the rest of their family to go in it. The film ends with the camera backing away from the family photo as the locket closes up.

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

Production
The Tigger Movie was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation's WDTVA division and/or arm of Disney MovieToons, Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Tandem Films, Cornerstone Animation Inc., Studios Basara, Tama Productions, Creative Capers Entertainment, Telecom Animation Film Co., Ltd., Studio Fuga, Studio Moonflower, Buena Vista Imaging, and SimEx Digital Studios, and the Executive in Charge of Production at WDTVA was Sharon Morrill Robinov.

Paul Winchell, the original voice of Tigger, was originally cast to voice Tigger for the film, which was then titled Winnie the Pooh and the Family Tree. During Spring 1998, Winchell participated in a single recording session for the film. However, Winchell dropped from the project after the studio found his voice too raspy. The role was given to Jim Cummings, who was already voicing Winnie the Pooh for the film, and doing Tigger's voice on various Disney television shows and for Disney consumer products. Devastated by Winchell's dismissal, the Disney Imagineers hired him to perform the voice for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction at Walt Disney World, which opened a year before The Tigger Movie's release; it was Winchell's final performance before his retirement from acting in 1999 and his death in 2005.

Music and soundtrack
The songs for The Tigger Movie were written by Robert and Richard Sherman who had not written a feature for Disney in over 28 years. Their last fully original feature film score was for the Oscar nominated film, Bedknobs and Broomsticks which was released in 1971. Originally slated for video or television release, the score was so well received (in demonstration form) by then Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, that the project's priority level moved up to feature theatrical release. The score of the film is composed and conducted by Harry Gregson-Williams.

This was due in great part to the perceived caliber of the song score throughout the studio. All the songs were created new for the film except for "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" which was originally written in 1968 for the featurette, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (released in 1968). That song was also by the Sherman Brothers. The "punch line" of the song: "But the most wonderful Thing About Tiggers is I'm the only one..." provides the basis of The Tigger Movie's storyline. "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" was the last song written for the film and is a collaborative effort between the Sherman Brothers and singer Kenny Loggins. Richard Sherman described the song as "a song about the picture, as opposed to songs of the picture."

It marks the only time the trio worked together on a song.

Song titles include:
 * "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" – Jim Cummings (Tigger)
 * "Someone Like Me" – Jim Cummings (Tigger) and forest animals
 * "Whoop-de-Dooper Bounce" – Paul Winchell (Tigger) and Nikita Hopkins (Roo)
 * "Pooh's Lullabee" – Jim Cummings (Pooh)
 * "Round My Family Tree" – Jim Cummings (Tigger)
 * "How to Be a Tigger" – Nikita Hopkins (Roo), Andre Stojka (Owl), John Fiedler (Piglet), Peter Cullen (Eeyore), Jim Cummings (Pooh) and Kath Soucie (Kanga)
 * "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" – Kenny Loggins

The original theatrical trailer for the film featured the song "Semi-Charmed Life" by alternative band Third Eye Blind. A Disney spokeswoman said that she was not aware of the sexual content within the song's lyrics.

Release
After a Hollywood red carpet premiere on February 6, 2000 at El Capitan Theatre, the film was released theatrically on February 11, 2000. The movie was on screens for 23 weeks.

Home media
The Tigger Movie was originally released on August 22, 2000, on both VHS and DVD. The VHS and DVD included the Kenny Loggins music video "Your Heart Will Lead You Home." The DVD included additional special features. The film was later re-released on a 2-disc DVD on August 4, 2009 to coincide with its 10th anniversary. The 2-disc release includes a DVD and a digital copy. It contains all the 2000 DVD bonus features, but has more language tracks and special features. The film was also re-released as a Bounce-a-rrrific special edition on Blu-ray on August 21, 2012. It contains the Kenny Loggins music video "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" and "Round My Family Tree" sing-along song video but includes the 10 Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh segments.

Box office
The film opened at #4 at the North American box office making $9.4 million in its opening weekend. The film was a box office success, earning $45,554,533 in the United States and a further $50,605,267 overseas, resulting in a worldwide gross of $96,159,800. Its budget is estimated at between $15 million and $30 million.

Critical reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 62% of critics gave the film positive reviews on 71 reviews with a 5.9 rating. The site's consensus states, "The Tigger Movie may lack the technological flash and underlying adult sophistication of other recent animated movies, but it's fun and charming." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "Mixed or average reviews". William Thomas of Empire Magazine gave the film a three out of four stars, saying: "And while the one-dimensional nature of the plot is unlikely to entertain anyone over the age of 11, the end result certainly includes enough pre-pubescent prerequisites to ensure that the furry fella will never bounce alone." Common Sense Media gave the film a three out of five stars and said: "Tigger's bouncy quest will appeal to younger viewers."

Sequels
Disney released various theatrical and direct-to-videos in the years that followed. There were two theatrical animated films: Piglet's Big Movie in 2003 and Pooh's Heffalump Movie in 2005. Two direct-to-video animated films also followed, Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo in 2004 and Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie in 2005.