It's not as magical and whimsical as 'The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh', and it's a bit less satisfying in every department, feeling more like a DTV than a theatrical feature - but approached as such, Disney made a pretty good fist of it. The watercolour sketchiness of the outdoor scenes from the original are maintained (at least until the final winter scenes, when the Hundred Acre Wood starts to look a bit like the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho), and visually the characters are all very on-model. The vocal duties are handled well, although it's weird thinking of Pooh Bear being voiced by the same guy who played Steele, in 'Balto'.

Overall it's a more lightweight affair - not that the original was exactly deep and ponderous, but there's nothing like the very poignant final scene from the original movie. This isn't really a bad thing. It's aimed at kids who love Tigger, and I imagine it hits its marks pretty well in that respect.

Fortunately the writers decided to keep the WTP family together as an ensemble cast, because frankly, Tigger isn't the most multi-faceted character, and the scenes which don't include the other characters start to drag a little.

The 'family' message, and where it was going to take the story, is of course obvious from early on. I suspect even little kids will twig to it before the characters do, but perhaps they're supposed to. Personally I didn't find it that sickly, either. 'Family' really has become redefined in the modern age, and it's not an untimeley message.

Nothing about 'The Tigger Movie' is quite as good as the original 'Pooh' shorts, but on the other hand, nothing about it falls short all that badly either. Considering it's a mostly Japanese-animated sequel to an American vision of an old English fantasy world, it's amazing it works so well.

One for the kids. Not bad at all.

Of interest: Don Bluth's brother Toby is the art director.

Has more in common with the low grade tv series than the whimsical shorts of old. The Tigger Movie is about as light weight and non-threatening as it gets. This is perfect for the little ones, but the charm of the shorts gets replaced by sugary sap and typical sentiments about family. But expecting anything heavy out of Winnie the Pooh is pointless. If you're a Tigger fan, this movie gives the character plenty of space to shine, with little Roo playing an apt sidekick. And the avalanche scene is just as or nearly as impressive as any big budget climax. Adults may grow restless with this movie, but they're not the audience. The songs, however, are horribly un-hummable.