When Disney announced The Tigger Movie was in the works over a decade ago, my immediate question was “Didn’t they already make a Tigger movie?” Back in 1974, Disney created Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, which I maintain is the best animated rendition of A.A. Milne’s characters to this day. Along with being made first, it had a storyline that actually made sense and which is used to some extent in the 1999 The Tigger Movie: the denizens of the 100 Acre Wood are tired of Tigger’s bounciness. That film had Tigger giving up his bouncy ways only to have his friends decide they prefer Tigger when he’s springing to and fro.
So what did Disney create The Tigger Movie around to entertain children for 77 minutes while cashing in on the most bankable character of Milne’s lot? Identity issues. If it’s accepted that tiggers must bounce, where are the other tiggers to prove that rule? So Tigger sets out to discover his true family – a quest only egged on by his friends writing a fake letter from his fictional same-species family. Championing an empty golden locket as his lone family heirloom, Tigger explodes from his home with the new letter announcing the arrival of his family within a matter of days – something his friends know just can’t be true. His family, nonexistent as they are, never show and his friends decide to don tigger costumes – but their ruse is discovered and tigger marches off in a huff determined to discover his all-too-literal family tree.
The fool’s errand of The Tigger Movie creates a very despondent Tigger (an unusual turn for the character) and obviously ends in an important life lesson. You’d swear The Tigger Movie was an epistle to adopted children everywhere with a message of “Your family isn’t always the people who look like you, but those who love you unconditionally”. It’s a sweet message and certainly valuable for children everywhere – but as a movie it isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. The relationship between Roo and Tigger is really the deepest element of the film despite the aforementioned moral which would almost blot out any other message. As Tigger’s obsession with tracking down the other tiggers becomes his sole concern, his time with Roo becomes increasingly distant and short. It’s the same message as that presented by the adventure’s conclusion, but it’s dealt much more delicately and without nearly as much boldfaced lettering to make its point.
Personally, I’ve always sided with Rabbit on the issue of Tigger: he’s obnoxious, destructive and should be killed, gutted, and restuffed to be mounted in the hunter’s lodge of the 100 Acres Wood. However, it’s his off-the-wall behavior and rambunctious spirit which attract the little ones and make him the prime character for a Winnie the Pooh movie [read that with a slight amount of resentment]. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too is easily the more balanced and well-written of the two, but chances are children will be more attracted to the Tigger-centric nature of this one and its upbeat musical numbers.
The animation is an odd mix of updated quality and slightly less-polished style. On one hand the colors are richer than the old cartoon’s ever were, but instead of well-rounded shapes and fully shaded solids, you’ll notice a lot of surfaces in The Tigger Movie have gradients which almost look like they’ve been sketched in with pencil instead of filled in with a solid dab of paint. It’s not a bad change, but was it really necessary. I mean, if it ain’t broke… Meanwhile, on the voice side of things, Jim Cummings resumes his role as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, while similar vets Ken Sansom, Peter Cullen, John Fiedler, Nikita Hopkins, Andre Stojka, Kath Soucie reprise their roles in the Pooh-bear voice legacy. John Hurt chimes in to narrate, and – because I love mentioning him in every review possible – Frank Welker, the man of voices, provides additional support.
DVD Bonus Features
There’s lots of stuff for your tykes to enjoy on the disc and a half of extra features (as well as a digital copy for on the go viewing). On the main disc is the main film and two episodes of the classic The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – but each is only about 11 minutes long. The second disc, filled with extras, has a Tigger trivia game and a matching game, both of which require the mouse or remote control to play. The other activity on the disc involves instructions so your children can create a family tree for your own ancestors – genealogy is fun for everyone! Yay! Finally, there’s a Kenny Loggins (yes, he’s still making music) music video and a sing-along version of “Round My Family Tree” from the movie.
"The Tigger Movie: 10th Anniversary Edition" is on sale August 4, 2009 and is rated G. Animation, Children & Family. Directed by Jun Falkenstein. Written by A.A. Milne and Eddie Guzelian. Starring Frank Welker, Jim Cummings, John Fiedler, John Hurt, Ken Sansom, Nikita Hopkins, Peter Cullen.
