| Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Wolfgang Reitherman |
| Story by | |
| Based on | Stories written byA. A. Milne |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Buddy Baker |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release dates |
March 11, 1977 (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) |
Running time | 25 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day is a 1968 Americananimatedmusicalfantasy short film based on the third, fifth, ninth, and tenth chapters ofWinnie-the-Pooh and the second, eighth, and ninth chapters fromThe House at Pooh Corner byA. A. Milne. The featurette was directed byWolfgang Reitherman, produced byWalt Disney Productions, and released byBuena Vista Distribution Company on December 20, 1968, having been shown in theaters withThe Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit. This was the second of the studio'sWinnie the Pooh theatrical featurettes. It was later added as a segment to the 1977 filmThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The music was written byRichard M. Sherman andRobert B. Sherman. It was notable for being the last Disney animated short to be produced byWalt Disney, who died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, two years before its release.[1][2][3] It starred the voices ofSterling Holloway as Winnie the Pooh,Jon Walmsley as Christopher Robin (replacedBruce Reitherman),Barbara Luddy as Kanga,Clint Howard as Roo,Paul Winchell as Tigger,Ralph Wright as Eeyore,Hal Smith as Owl,Howard Morris as Gopher,John Fiedler as Piglet,Junius Matthews as Rabbit, andSebastian Cabot as the narrator.
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day won the 1968Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The Academy Award was awardedposthumously to Disney. This was also the onlyWinnie the Pooh production to ever win an Academy Award.[4] (Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, which was released six years later in December 1974, was nominated for the same Academy Award, but lost toClosed Mondays.) The animated featurette also served as an inspiration for theMany Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride in the Disney theme parks in which the rider experiences several scenes from the cartoon, including Pooh's Heffalump and Woozle dream.[5] A modified version of the featurette's poster was used forThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977).
The film's plot is based primarily on seven A. A. Milne stories: "In which Eeyore finds the Wolery and Owl moves into it" (Chapter IX fromThe House at Pooh Corner) "In which Tigger comes to the forest and has breakfast" (Chapter II fromThe House at Pooh Corner), "In which Pooh & Piglet go hunting and nearly catch a Woozle" (Chapter III ofWinnie the Pooh), "In which Piglet does a very grand thing" (Chapter VIII fromThe House at Pooh Corner), "In which Christopher Robin gives a Pooh Party and we say goodbye" (Chapter X ofWinnie-the-Pooh) and "In which Piglet is entirely surrounded by water" (Chapter IX ofWinnie-the-Pooh), with elements taken from "In which Piglet meets a Heffalump" (Chapter V fromWinnie-the-Pooh: Winnie the Pooh's nightmare of Heffalumps and Woozles). In A. A. Milne's original story, Pooh shows more initiative during the flood, finding his way to Christopher Robin by riding on one of his floating honey pots, which he namesThe Floating Bear, then having the inspiration of using Christopher Robin's umbrella to carry them both to Piglet's house.[6]
On a very windy day, Winnie the Pooh visits his "thoughtful spot".Gopher arrives and advises him to leave, claiming that it is a "Winds-day". Misunderstanding Gopher's warning, Pooh decides to wish everyone in the Hundred Acre Wood a happy Winds-day. He starts with his best friendPiglet, who is nearly blown away while trying to rake leaves. Pooh grabs Piglet by his scarf, which unravels and leaves Piglet hanging on like a kite. The wind blows Pooh and Piglet toOwl's treehouse, where he invites them in. During their stay, the strong wind causes Owl's tree to sway and eventually collapse, taking the house with it. Upon learning that Owl's house is wrecked beyond repair,Eeyore volunteers to seek out a new house for Owl.
That night, Pooh is visited by a bouncing tiger namedTigger, who states that he has come looking for something to eat. Disgusted by the taste of Pooh's honey, Tigger warns him about creatures calledHeffalumps andWoozles that steal honey before he leaves. Frightened by Tigger's words, Pooh stays up to guard his honey but falls asleep as a thunderstorm brews. After having a nightmare about being attacked by Heffalumps and Woozles, Pooh wakes up in a flood caused by the storm.
In the flood, Piglet is washed away from his home on a floating chair, but not before he manages to write amessage in a bottle for help. Meanwhile, Pooh manages to escape to higher ground with ten honey pots, only to also be washed away by the rising waters. The rest of theHundred Acre Wood's populace gathers atChristopher Robin's house, the only place in the Wood that isn't flooded, except for Eeyore, who has refused to give up house hunting for Owl. The group soon discover Piglet's bottle, and Owl flies off to tell Piglet that help is on the way.
Owl eventually finds Piglet and Pooh together. While he attempts to ease Piglet's fears with a story, Piglet notices that they are approaching awaterfall. Pooh inadvertently switches places with Piglet as they take the plunge, and the waterfall washes them right into Christopher Robin's yard. Thinking that Pooh has rescued Piglet, Christopher Robin deems Pooh a hero. Once the flood subsides, Christopher Robin throws a party for Pooh, where Eeyore announces that he has found a new home for Owl, which, known to everyone except Owl and Eeyore, is actually Piglet's house. Rather than explain the misunderstanding, Piglet generously lets Owl have his home and accepts Pooh's invitation to live with him. At Pooh's request, Christopher Robin declares the occasion a "two hero party" in celebration of Pooh's heroism and Piglet's selflessness.
Shortly before Walt Disney's death on December 15, 1966, the animation department was finishing work onThe Jungle Book and preparing forThe Aristocats. In late summer 1967, beforeThe Aristocats went into production, it was decided to go ahead with a featurette-length sequel toWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.[7] The short commenced production under the titleWinnie the Pooh and the Heffalumps.[8] BecauseThe Honey Tree was popular with American audiences, it was decidedBlustery Day would be the first animation project without Disney. Under the new circumstances, the "Nine Old Men" animatorsFrank Thomas,Ollie Johnston, andMilt Kahl were brought onto the project.Wolfgang Reitherman remained as director, but he decided to feel more faithful to the source material.[9]
During a story meeting for the short, Disney felt thatWally Boag was perfect for the role of Tigger, who was added to the short.[10] However, after Disney's death, Boag's performance of the character was considered to be "too zany for a children's film," andPaul Winchell took the job instead.[10] Following a British backlash toThe Honey Tree led by film criticFelix Barker,Piglet was added to the short, having only appeared during the titular song sequence in the prior short.[11] For the part, Disney had heardJohn Fiedler's voice on television and selected him to voice the character. Although Fiedler's natural speaking voice was higher than most men's, he still had to raise it considerably to achieve the character's high pitch.[12]
In anticipation of the short's release,Los Angeles MayorSam Yorty proclaimed October 25, 1968 as "Winnie the Pooh Day". Starting fromDisneyland, Pooh and several other characters made personal appearances in severalSears stores throughout 25 cities in the United States to help promote merchandise.[13]
The film was released on December 20, 1968 in the United States, as a supplement to Disney's live-action comedy featureThe Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit.[13] It was later included as a segment inThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which included the two other Pooh featurettes, released on March 11, 1977.
LikeWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree,Blustery Day also had its television premiere on November 30, 1970 as a special on theNBC television network.[14] Like both specials, both Pooh specials ran throughout most of the 1970s and was sponsored bySears, who was then the exclusive provider of Pooh merchandise. On March 5, 1989, the film was re-aired on NBC'sMagical World of Disney.
The film was released onVHS andBetamax in 1986. It was re-released in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997, and on July 11, 2000 as part of theStorybook Classics Collection. This short also shows up as a bonus feature on the 2006 DVD release ofPooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin.[15]
It was also released on theSuper 8mm film format byDerann in the early 2000s, making it one of the company's final and rarest films released, with only twelve copies made.
| Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 1968 |
| Recorded | 1967 |
| Studio | Sunset Sound |
| Genre | Children's |
| Length | 23 minutes |
| Label | Disneyland Records |
| Producer | Salvador Camarata |
All songs were written byRobert and Richard Sherman, who wrote most of the music for theWinnie-the-Pooh franchise over the years, subsequently incorporated into the1977musical film,The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which is an amalgamation of the three previousWinnie-the-Pooh featurettes.
In advance of the featurette's release, Disneyland Records released several LP albums accompanied with a read-along book. The first one was titledWalt Disney Presents Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day and released in 1967. Sterling Holloway served as both the narrator and the voice of Pooh on the album. Distinctively from the featurette,Sam Edwards sang as Tigger.[16]
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Winnie the Pooh" | Disney Studio Chorus | |
| 2. | "A Rather Blustery Day" | Sterling Holloway | |
| 3. | "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" | Sam Edwards | |
| 4. | "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers (Reprise)" | Sam Edwards |
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Heffalumps and Woozles" | The Mellomen | |
| 6. | "The Rain, Rain, Rain, Came Down, Down, Down" | Disney Studio Chorus | |
| 7. | "Hip Hip Pooh-Ray!" | Disney Studio Chorus | |
| 8. | "Winnie the Pooh" | Disney Studio Chorus |
