Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too is the first special. It originally aired on December 14, 1991.
Plot[]
Two days before Christmas, Christopher Robin writes out a letter to Santa Claus for him and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, asking for the following presents:
- Rabbit wants a new fly swatter to use against the bugs who constantly invade his garden
- Eeyore wants an umbrella to prevent snow from falling on his house
- Tigger wants a snowshoe so he can bounce in the snow
- Christopher Robin wants a sled "big enough for me and maybe a friend or two”
He sends the letter off into the wind—but the next day, Winnie the Pooh realizes, after Piglet informs him, that he didn’t ask for anything himself, so they go find the letter, which hasn’t gotten very far. Afterwards, they, along with Tigger and Eeyore, go to Rabbit’s house and rewrite the letter to include what Pooh wants (a pot of honey, of course). Along the way, each of them upgrades their desires (Rabbit wants a bug sprayer, for instance).
Following this, Tigger, Eeyore, and Rabbit go off to get a tree big enough for "the stuff we’re gettin’”, with help from a reluctant Gopher (he’s supposed to be hibernating; but he is happy to help upon hearing Santa's name). In the meantime, Pooh and Piglet go back to the point where Christopher Robin sent the letter and cast it off into the wind again. But the wind shifts southward, and the letter follows Pooh all the way to his house. Knowing that the rest of the gang won’t get their presents as a result of this, Pooh takes it into his (and Piglet’s) hand to make sure the gifts are delivered.
Disguised as Santa, Pooh sneaks out and delivers Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore a super-bouncer barrel, a bug sprayer, and a mobile home, respectively - or rather, handmade versions of said items that break apart upon use. Demanding to know what’s going on, the three of them corner "Santa”, who insists that he is who he claims to be. But then, Piglet (who is disguised as a reindeer) slips and makes his sled fall downhill, thus loosening Pooh’s disguise.
After explaining what happened, Pooh decides to try and deliver the letter to Santa himself, leaving the rest of the gang behind to wait up for him. But he does not get very far in his journey before the wind suddenly takes the letter, so he gives up and goes back to the gang. By this time, the other animals are sad at missing the bear, especially Piglet, who has then grown a conscience and decided that his best friend is more important than Christmas, and then he offers to give up his present to have Pooh here, to which the others agree. Eventually, Pooh comes home, to their delight. Even after he tells them that he failed in delivering the letter, though, they’re happy to have him back, because now they’ve realized what Christmas is really about. Afterwards, Christopher Robin rides into the scene on his sled and brings them the gifts they had originally asked for to begin with.
Broadcast history and video releases[]
The special was first broadcast on ABC in 1991, and was prefaced with an introductory segment by then-CEO Michael Eisner, accompanied by the walk-around costumed characters of Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore, who bring in a palm tree as a Christmas tree. To fill out the hour the special was scheduled for, it was followed up by the Donald Duck cartoons The Hockey Champ and Bearly Asleep, and ended with a sneak peek at Disney’s most recent animated movie at the time, Beauty and the Beast. This was repeated the following year, but with a sneak peek at the next movie, Aladdin, at the end.
Subsequent broadcasts of the special accompanied the special with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episode "The Magic Earmuffs”. The special left the network after 1999 and would eventually return on ABC Family in 2008, where it was broadcast with some abrupt edits (including two scenes being cut entirely) When it aired on Disney Channel and Freeform, The Opening Theme starts before the episode and the Rare Credits is used.
The special was released to VHS in 1994, with the video also containing "The Magic Earmuffs" and a cartoon starring Spot the Dog. The VHS was re-released in 1997 with the same bonus features, plus a sneak peak at Recess. Currently, the special itself has not had it's own DVD release, but it is integrated as a flashback in the direct-to-DVD film A Very Merry Pooh Year, although it has some slight editing there to match the main story in the film:
- Christopher Robin's lines are redubbed by William Green, with an addition of a British with a British accent, as he lacks one in the special and The New Adventures series.
- Rabbit’s fur, which was oddly colored a light green in this special and The New Adventures series, is recolored yellow.
- The snow that falls as Pooh and Christopher Robin hug in the final scene is removed.
Characters[]
- Winnie the Pooh
- Piglet
- Tigger
- Rabbit
- Eeyore
- Gopher
- Christopher Robin
- Bugs
- Santa Claus (mentioned)
- Holly (indirectly mentioned)
Cast[]
Voice actor | Character |
---|---|
Jim Cummings | Winnie the Pooh |
John Fiedler | Piglet |
Peter Cullen | Eeyore |
Paul Winchell | Tigger (returns) |
Ken Sansom | Rabbit |
Michael Gough | Gopher |
Edan Gross | Christopher Robin (original version) |
Frank Welker | Bugs |
Trailers (Start)[]
- Winnie the Pooh Playtime Series Promo (Featuring Clips From: Cowboy Pooh, Detective Tigger and Pooh Party)
- Winnie the Pooh Learning Series Promo (Featuring Clips From: Making Friends, Sharing and Caring and Helping Others)
Trailers (End)[]
- Rare Credits 1991 Version
- Spot Video Collection Promo
Trailers (Start) (1995 Re-Print)[]
- Winnie the Pooh Video Collection Promo
- Bright Beginnings Promo
Trailers (End) (1995 Re-Print)[]
- Rare Credits 1991 Version
- Spot Video Collection Promo
Trailers (1996 Re-Print)[]
- Winnie the Pooh Video Collection Promo
- Spot Video Collection Promo
- Disney's Sing-Along Songs Video Collection Promo
- Parachute Express: Come Sing with Us!
Trailers (Start) (1997 Re-Print)[]
- Ready to Read with Pooh CD-ROM Promo
- Winnie the Pooh Video Collection Promo
- How the Toys Saved Christmas
- Recess on ABC Saturday Morning Promo
Trailers (End) (1997 Re-Print)[]
- Rare Credits 1991 Version
- Spot the Dog Video Collection Promo
Trailers (1998 Re-Print)[]
- Doug: The Movie
- How the Toys Saved Christmas
- Disney's Sing-Along Songs Video Collection Promo
- Spot Video Collection Promo
- Winnie the Pooh Video Collection Promo
Trailers (1999 Re-Print)[]
- Winnie the Pooh: The Seasons of Giving
- Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
- Winnie the Pooh Video Collection Promo
Trailers (Start) (2000 Re-Print)[]
- The Tigger Movie
- Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas/Winnie the Pooh: The Seasons of Giving/Rolie Polie Olie: A Rolie Polie Christmas
- Spot Video Collection Promo
- Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection Promo (Featuring Clips From: The Rescuers Down Under, Robin Hood, Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland)
Trailers (End) (2000 Re-Print)[]
- Rare Credits 1991 Version
- Playhouse Disney Promo
Trivia[]
- While many people consider this as a finale for The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, it is uncertain if the episode is officially part of its canon.
- Paul Winchell returned as the voice of Tigger in this Christmas special.
Credits[]
Produced by
WALT DISNEY
TELEVISION ANIMATION
Producer/Supervising Director
KEN KESSEL
Producer
JAMIE MITCHELL
Director
JAMIE MITCHELL
Written by
KARL GEURS
MARK ZASLOVE
With the Voice Talents of
PETER CULLEN
JOHN FIEDLER
MICHAEL GOUGH
EDAN GROSS
FRANK WELKER
KEN SANSOM
JIM CUMMINGS
as Winnie the Pooh
and
PAUL WINCHELL
as
Tigger
Assistant Producers
DONNA ALCOCK SMITH
TRACI TOLMAN
Storyboard Designers
HOLLY FORSYTH
GEORGE GOODE
HANK TUCKER
Storyboard Designers
ROY SHISHIDO
PHIL WEINSTEIN
Key Layout Designers
DENNIS GRECO
ED GHERTNER
Character Designers
KENNY THOMPKINS
LEN SMITH
Prop Design
DENNIS GRECO
Background Stylists
GARY EGGLESTON
BILL LORENCZ
Color Stylists
ROBIN DRAPER
YOLANDA REARICK
Supervising Timing Director
MARLENE ROBINSON MAY
Timing Director
BRIAN RAY
Script Coordinator
LEONA JERNIGAN
Archives Supervisor
KRISTA BUNN
Art Coordinators
KAREN SILVA
WILLIAM WAGGONER
Talent Coordinators
LYNNE BATCHELOR
JAMIE THOMASON
Post Production Manager
SARA DURAN
Post Production Supervisor
JOSEPH HATHAWAY
Sound Dubbing Supervisor
CHRISTOPHER KEITH
Post Production Coordinators
JEFFREY ARTHUR
JOHN ROYER
Track Reader
SKIP CRAIG
Post Production Assistant
NANCI BATTELLE
Production Assistants
MICHELLE ROBINSON
PAUL FABELA
JOHANNE BEAUDOIN
Shipping Coordinator
CRAIG SIMPSON
Managing Film Editor
RICH HARRISON
Supervising Editor
CHARLIE KING, M.P.S.E.
Sound Editors
RICK HINSON, M.P.S.E.
DAVID LYNCH
JERRY WINICKI
Dialogue Editors
JENNY HARRISON
ANDY ROSE
ADR Editor
TALLY PAULOS
Assistant Editors
JAMES N. HARRISON
ROBB S. PAULSEN
Theme By
STEVE NELSON
&
THOM SHARP
Animation Production by
WALT DISNEY ANIMATION
(FRANCE) S.A.
Producers
PAUL BRIZZI
GAETAN BRIZZI
VHS and DVD Releases[]
- The VHS Release features this special and "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" episode "The Magic Earmuffs”. Plus after the show, features a bonus short of Spot called "Spot's Winter Sports”. The Rare VHS Release has the Rare Credits.
- Christopher Robin's lines are re-dubbed by William Green except for "Hi Guys!”. And instead of "What kind of presents are you gonna ask for?”, the change was "What kind of presents would you like to ask for?”.
- Rabbit's fur has been recolored to yellow, as opposed to green in the original version.
- This special was included as a flashback in the 2002 direct-to-video movie Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year.
- When Pooh and Piglet fell onto the ground, a splat noise was added.