The Tigger Movie

The Tigger Movie is a 2000 American animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Steven Spielberg, Lauren Shuler Donner and Richard Donner and animation production was produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, screenplay by Jun Fulkenstein and directed by Falkenstein and Simon Wells from a story by Eddie Guzelian. It is the second theatrical Winnie the Pooh film after The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and features Pooh's best friend Tigger searching for his family tree and other Tiggers like himself.

The film was the first feature-length theatrical Pooh film that was not a collection of previously released shorts.

This is also the first film in the original films where Tigger is voiced by Jim Cummings (who also voices Pooh); Tigger's original voice actor Paul Winchell, officially retired from the role in 1999 after A Valentine for You and died in 2005. Cummings had already played Tigger in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue and the final two seasons of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The film was followed by two theatrical animated films: Piglet's Big Movie in 2003, Pooh's Heffalump Movie in 2005. Two direct-to-video animated films also followed: Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo in 2004, Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie in 2005.

The film features original songs from the Sherman Brothers. Originally, the film was slated for a direct-to-video release, until then–Disney CEO Michael Eisner heard the Sherman Brothers' score, and decided to release the film in theaters worldwide. The film is also the highest-grossing film in the Winnie the Pooh franchise.

The film received 3 nominations on the Annie Awards including the Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production, the Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production and the Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production

Plot
The beginning of the story is interrupted by Tigger, who is tired of most of the stories mainly about Pooh. After arranging the title page to spell "The Tigger Movie", the story then continues.

The story begins as Tigger is searching through the Hundred Acre Wood for someone to bounce with him, but all of his friends are too busy getting ready for the upcoming winter. While he searches for a playmate, Tigger accidentally destroys Eeyore's house with a boulder. He later wrecks the complex pulley system that Rabbit has rigged up to remove the boulder (which had little success) and sends his friends flying into a pond (except for Roo, who landed in two tree branches, and Eeyore, who landed in a thistle Bush). Rabbit is very furious at Tigger for destroying his Rock Remover, and the rest of Tigger's friends openly admit that they are not quite as bouncy as he is because they are not Tiggers like him. Tigger sadly wanders off in loneliness, wishing there was somebody else like him.

Roo, who wanted to play with Tigger earlier, catches up to him and asks if Tigger has a Tigger family he could bounce with. Tigger is fascinated by the idea and the two go to visit Owl for advice on finding Tigger's family history. Owl shows them portraits of his own family and mentions the concept of family trees. Tigger accidentally knocks the portraits down (even though he was able to grab a few of them with his hands and tail) and they collapse on him. When he quickly hangs them back up, all of Owl's ancestors appear to be perched on a single tree. Tigger concludes that his family tree must be a real tree and he and Roo head off to go on a search for it.

After searching the wood without turning up any giant, Tigger-striped trees, Tigger and Roo go back to Tigger's house to search for clues to his family's whereabouts. Tigger teaches Roo the awesome "Whoop-de-Dooper-Loop-de-Looper-Alley-Ooper Bounce". They find a heart-shaped locket that Tigger hopes will contain a picture of his family, but it turns out to be empty. Roo suggests Tigger try writing a letter to his family, which Tigger does before letting the wind blow it away, hoping it would take the letter to his family.

When Tigger's letter gets no response, Roo secretly gathers Tigger's friends together to write him a letter pretending to be from his family. Everyone contributes a bit of friendly advice and they sign it "your family." Tigger is overjoyed to receive the letter, but, "reading between the lines," misinterprets it and announces that his whole family is coming to visit him tomorrow. Unfortunately, Tigger's friends do not have the heart to tell Tigger that the letter is actually from them, so they decide to disguise themselves as Tiggers by making costume replicas and attend his family reunion. Rather than helping out, Rabbit however does not join in; but he angrily berates them for goofing off and not getting ready for the approaching winter storm and he slams off in a huff. Despite this, Roo manages to persuade everyone to help cheer Tigger up. Tigger completely falls for the Tigger disguises until Roo attempts to do Tigger’s complex Whoop-de-Dooper-Loop-de-Looper-Alley-Ooper Bounce; however, he accidentally crashes into the closet again and knocks his mask off. Tigger is struck with astonishment and berates him, he soon finds out that all of his other friends were in on it too. Frustrated thinking that his friends have betrayed him, Tigger gives a final "TTFE, Ta-ta forever!", he then goes out on his own in the ferocious snowstorm to search for his real family.

Tigger's friends form an expedition to find him and convince Rabbit to lead them into the harsh windy storm. They find Tigger sitting in a large tree with patches of snow on the trunk that resemble stripes; believing that his "family" is trying to call his name, Tigger happily jumps down. However he becomes confused when he finds that his friends had followed him instead; Rabbit tells Tigger that he needs to come home, but Tigger refuses to leave his "family tree" until his Tigger family returns. They argue and Tigger's shouting causes a huge avalanche. Tigger bounces all of his friends to safety in the tree branches, but is swept away by the snow himself. Roo successfully performs a perfect Whoop-de-Dooper-Loop-de-Looper-Alley-Ooper Bounce and rescues Tigger.

When the avalanche subsides, Kanga, Owl, and Christopher Robin find them and Tigger sadly realizes that he has lost the letter from his family. All his friends each recite their parts of the letter from memory and Tigger finally realizes that his friends are his real family the whole time. He throws a new family reunion party with presents for everyone, including a beautiful new home for Eeyore (made from the family room meant for Tigger's "family"), a large honeypot for Pooh and huge supply of firewood for Piglet, to last for the whole winter, he then makes Rabbit a promise that he'll always watch where he's bouncing. Tigger then gives Roo the heart-shaped locket and Christopher Robin takes a picture of Roo, Tigger, and the rest of their family to go in it. The film ends with the camera pan backing away from the family photo as the locket closes up.

Cast

 * Jim Cummings as Tigger and Winnie the Pooh
 * Nikita Hopkins as Roo
 * John Fiedler as Piglet
 * Jennifer Jason Leigh as Kanga
 * Mary Kay Bergman as Kanga (singing voice)
 * Jeff Goldblum as Rabbit
 * Peter Cullen as Eeyore
 * Jason Alexander as Owl
 * Tom Attenborough as Christopher Robin
 * John Hurt as The Narrator
 * Dee Bradley Baker and Frank Welker as Bees and Frogs (Additional Voices)

Additional Voices were provided by Joe Alaskey, Mary Kay Bergman, Corey Burton, Tress MacNeille, Danny Mann, Kevin McDonald and Kate Higgins

Production
The Tigger Movie was produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Amblin Entertainment and The Donners' Company, Tandem Films, Cornerstone Animation Inc., Studios Basara, Tama Productions, Creative Capers Entertainment, Telecom Animation Film Co., Ltd., Studio Fuga, Studio Moonflower, Buena Vista Imaging, and SimEx Digital Studios, and the Executive in Charge of Production at Warner Bros. was Sharon Morrill Robinov.

Paul Winchell, the original voice of Tigger, was originally cast to voice Tigger for the film, which was then titled Winnie the Pooh and the Family Tree. During Spring 1998, Winchell participated in a single recording session for the film. However, Disney found his voice too raspy, and they dismissed him from the project. He was replaced by Jim Cummings, who was already voicing Winnie the Pooh for the film, and doing Tigger's voice on various Disney television shows and for Disney consumer products. Devastated by Winchell's dismissal, the Disney Imagineers hired him to perform the voice for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction at Walt Disney World, which opened a year before The Tigger Movie's release; it was Winchell's final performance before his retirement from acting and his death in 2005.

Release
After a Hollywood red carpet premiere on February 6, 2000 at El Capitan Theatre, the film was released theatrically on February 11, 2000. The movie was on screens for 23 weeks.

Home media
The Tigger Movie was originally released on August 22, 2000, on both VHS and DVD. The VHS and DVD included the Kenny Loggins music video "Your Heart Will Lead You Home." The DVD included additional special features. The film was later re-released on a 2-disc DVD on August 4, 2009 to coincide with its 10th anniversary. The 2-disc release includes a DVD and a digital copy. It contains all the 2000 DVD bonus features, but has more language tracks and special features. The film was also re-released as a Bounce-a-rrrific special edition on Blu-ray on August 21, 2012. It contains the Kenny Loggins music video "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" and "Round My Family Tree" sing-along song video but includes the 10 Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh segments.

Critical reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 62% of critics gave the film "fresh" reviews on 71 reviews with a 5.9 rating. 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."

Box office performance
The film opened at #4 at the North American box office making $9.4 million in its opening weekend. The film was a box office success, earning $45,554,533 in the United States alone while making $50,605,267 overseas and $96,159,800 worldwide. Its budget is estimated at between $15 million and $30 million.

Sequels
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, Pooh's Heffalump Movie in 2005. Two direct-to-video animated films also followed, Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo in 2004, Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie in 2005.

Soundtrack
The songs for The Tigger Movie were written by Robert and Richard Sherman who had not written a feature for Disney in over 28 years. Their last fully original feature film score was for the Oscar nominated film, Bedknobs and Broomsticks which was released in 1971. Originally slated for video or television release, the score was so well received (in demonstration form) 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 and conducted by Harry Gregson-Williams

This was due in great part to the perceived caliber of the song score throughout the studio. All the songs were created new for the film except for "The Wonderful Things 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 of The Tigger Movie's storyline. "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" was the last song written for the film and is a collaborative effort between the Sherman Brothers and singer Kenny 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.

Song titles include:
 * "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" – Jim Cummings (Tigger)
 * "Someone Like Me" – Jim Cummings (Tigger) and forest animals
 * "Whoop-de-Dooper Bounce" – Jim Cummings (Tigger) and Nikita Hopkins (Roo)
 * "Pooh's Lullabee" – Jim Cummings (Pooh)
 * "Round My Family Tree" – Jim Cummings (Tigger)
 * "How to Be a Tigger" – Nikita Hopkins (Roo), Andre Stojka (Owl), John Fiedler (Piglet), Peter Cullen (Eeyore), Jim Cummings (Pooh) and Kath Soucie (Kanga)
 * "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" – Kenny Loggins

The original theatrical trailer for the film featured the song "Semi-Charmed Life" by alternative band Third Eye Blind. A Disney spokeswoman said that she was not aware of the sexual content within the song's lyrics.