| The Tigger Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jun Falkenstein |
| Screenplay by | Jun Falkenstein |
| Story by | Eddie Guzelian |
| Based on | Characters created byA. A. Milne |
| Produced by | Cheryl Abood |
| Starring | |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Harry Gregson-Williams |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States[2] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15–$30 million[3][4][5][6] |
| Box office | $96.2 million[6] |
The Tigger Movie is a 2000 American animatedmusicalcomedy-drama film produced byWalt Disney Television Animation with animation production byWalt Disney Animation Japan.[7] The film was written and directed byJun Falkenstein. It is the second theatricalWinnie the Pooh feature film, afterThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). It features Pooh's sidekickTigger searching for his family tree and other Tiggers like himself.
The film was the first feature-length theatricalWinnie the Pooh film that was not a collection of previously released shorts. It is also the first in the original films in which Tigger's is voiced entirely byJim Cummings (in addition to Pooh) following the retirement of Tigger's originalvoice actorPaul Winchell in 1999. Since 1989, Cummings' had shared the role with Winchell and provided his singing voice in most projects, with Winchell as the character's speaking voice. The film features original songs from theSherman Brothers.
The Tigger Movie was originally planned as adirect-to-video release in 2001, until then–Disney CEOMichael Eisner heard the songs and decided to release the film in theaters a year early. It was released in the United States on February 11, 2000, byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $96 million.
The film received three nominations at theAnnie Awards, includingBest Direction,Best Voice Acting, andBest Music.
In theHundred Acre Wood,Tigger looks for someone to bounce with but finds his friends busy preparing for winter. While searching for a playmate, he accidentally destroysEeyore's house with a boulder. Although he helps remove it, Tigger then unintentionally breaksRabbit's pulley system, leading the group to admonish for his recklessness. Hurt by their words, Tigger confides in his closest friend,Roo, who asks whether Tigger has a family of his own. Inspired by the idea, Tigger resolves to find his relatives.
Misinterpreting advice fromOwl, Tigger and Roo search for his "family tree", believing it to be a literal striped tree full of Tiggers, but they come up empty-handed. Following Roo's suggestion, Tigger writes a letter to his family and lets the wind carry it away, but after several days without a reply, he loses hope. Wanting to cheer him up, Tigger's friends compose a letter signed "your family". Believing his relatives are coming to visit, Tigger throws a party in their honor. Unable to tell him the truth, Roo convinces the others to disguise themselves as Tiggers and attend.
Despite their efforts, the ruse collapses when Roo's mask falls off during a difficult bounce that Tigger had taught him. Feeling betrayed, Tigger storms off into a blizzard to continue his search. He eventually comes across a massive tree covered in stripes of snow and mistakes it for his family tree, only to find it empty. When his friends arrive to retrieve him, their quarrel accidentally triggers an avalanche. Tigger rescues the group by bringing them to safety but is himself swept away. Roo recalls Tigger's special bounce, uses it successfully, and saves him. Afterward, Tigger learns that his friends wrote the letter, realizes they are his true family, and hosts a new party in their honor.
Jun Falkenstein directed the film, in her own feature length debut, following her work onA Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving.[8] The film began production in April 1998.[8] Many scenes, totaling up to 60% of the film, were completed by Walt Disney Animation Japan.[8] Drawing inspiration from the end ofWinnie the Pooh and Tigger Too when Tigger agrees to not bounce anymore, the film crafted a fuller character arc that "[showed] a range of emotions" for Tigger.[8]
Paul Winchell, the original voice of Tigger, was originally cast to voice Tigger for the film, which was then titledWinnie the Pooh and the Family Tree.[9] During Spring 1998, Winchell participated in a single recording session for the film. However, he was dropped from the project after the studio found his voice too raspy.[9][10] The role was given toJim Cummings, who was already voicing Winnie the Pooh for the film, and had voiced Tigger on various Disney television shows and for Disney consumer products.[9] When theDisney Imagineers heard about Winchell's dismissal, they hired him to perform the voice of Tigger forThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction at theMagic Kingdom, which opened a year beforeThe Tigger Movie's release; it was Winchell's final performance before his retirement from acting in 1999 and his death in 2005.[9]
The songs forThe Tigger Movie were written byRobert and Richard Sherman who had not written a feature for Disney in over 28 years. Their last fully original feature film score was for theOscar nominated film,Bedknobs and Broomsticks which was released in 1971.The Tigger Movie would also be the last film work for the Sherman Brothers.Robert B. Sherman died in London on March 6, 2012 at the age of 86 andRichard M. Sherman died of "age-related illness" at theCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, on May 25, 2024 at the age of 95. Originally slated for video or television release, the demo cut of the score was so well received 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 byHarry Gregson-Williams with additional music byKlaus Badelt andSteve Jablonsky and the score was conducted byNick Glennie-Smith.
All the songs were original ones created 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 ofThe Tigger Movie's storyline. Most of the songs, including "Someone Like Me", "Whoop-de-Dooper Bounce", "Pooh's Lullabee", and "Round My Family Tree" were performed byJim Cummings, while "How to Be a Tigger" was performed by the cast.
"Your Heart Will Lead You Home" was the last song written for the film and is a collaborative effort between theSherman Brothers and singerKenny 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.[11]
The original theatrical trailer for the film featured the song "Semi-Charmed Life" by alternative bandThird Eye Blind. A Disney spokeswoman said that she was not aware of the sexual content within the song's lyrics.[12]
Original songs performed in the film include:
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" | Jim Cummings | |
| 2. | "Someone Like Me" | Cummings | |
| 3. | "Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce" | Cummings,Nikita Hopkins | 2:09 |
| 4. | "Pooh's Lullabee" | Cummings | 1:36 |
| 5. | "Round My Family Tree" | Cummings | 2:50 |
| 6. | "How to Be a Tigger" | Cummings, Hopkins,Peter Cullen,Kath Soucie,Andre Stojka,John Fiedler | |
| 7. | "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" | Kenny Loggins[1] | 4:22 |
The film was originally intended to be releasedstraight-to-video, akin to most Disney spin-offs and sequels, but was instead bumped up to a theatrical release.[13]
Disney released a teaser trailer forThe Tigger Movie in August 1999, during theatrical screenings ofThe Iron Giant. The teaser was later attached to theatrical screenings ofThe Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland,Toy Story 2 andStuart Little. The teaser trailer was included on the Winnie the PoohSeasons of Giving home video release.
After a Hollywood red carpet premiere on February 6, 2000 atEl Capitan Theatre,[14] the film was released theatrically on February 11, 2000. The movie was on screens for 23 weeks.[6]
The Tigger Movie was originally released on August 22, 2000, on bothVHS andDVD.[15] The film was later re-released on a 2-disc DVD edition on August 4, 2009 to coincide with its 10th anniversary and includes two bonus episodes ofThe New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh "King of the Beasties" and "Tigger’s Houseguest." The 2-disc release includes a DVD and adigital copy. The film was also re-released as aBounce-a-rrrific special edition onBlu-ray on August 21, 2012.[16]
The film opened at number 4 at the US box office making $9.4 million in its opening weekend. The film was a box office success, earning $45,554,533 in theUnited States and Canada and a further $50,605,267 overseas, resulting in a worldwide gross of $96,159,800.[6] Its budget is estimated at between $15 million[3][4] and $30 million.[6] On its initial release on home video, it earned $90 million.[17]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 63% based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. 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."[15] OnMetacritic, the film has aweighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[19]
William Thomas ofEmpire 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."[20]Common Sense Media gave the film a three out of five stars and said: "Tigger's bouncy quest will appeal to younger viewers."[21]
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards[22] | Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production | Jun Falkenstein | Nominated |
| Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production | Nikita Hopkins as Roo | ||
| Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production | Richard M. Sherman andRobert B. Sherman for the song "Round My Family Tree" | ||
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Family Film | Jun Falkenstein and Cheryl Abood | |
| Golden Tomato Awards 2011[23] | Best Animated Film | The Tigger Movie | 4th Place |
| Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award[24] | Best Animated Feature | Jun Falkenstein | Nominated |
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 andPooh's Heffalump Movie in 2005. Two direct-to-video animated films also followed,Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo in 2004 andPooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie in 2005.
February's "The Tigger Movie," produced for a bargain-basement $15 million,...
The low-budget ($15-million) "Tigger"...
$20 million
Fiedler completed that movie, but Disney let Winchell go after his first day, telling the actor's representative that Winchell's voice was now too "raspy."
