Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Wolfgang Reitherman
Story by	Winston Hibler Larry Clemmons Ralph Wright Julius Svendsen Vance Gerry
Based on	Stories written byA. A. Milne
Produced by	Walt Disney
Starring	Sterling Holloway John Fiedler Paul Winchell Hal Smith Jon Walmsley Ralph Wright
Music by	Buddy Baker
Production company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release dates	December 20, 1968(1968-12-20) (USA) (withThe Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit) October 19, 1969(1969-10-19) (UK) 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 Dayis a 1968 Americananimatedmusicalfantasyshort film based on the third, fifth, ninth, and tenth chapters ofWinnie-the-Poohand the second, eighth, and ninth chapters fromThe House at Pooh CornerbyA. A. Milne.The featurette was directed byWolfgang Reitherman,produced byWalt Disney Productions,and released byBuena Vista Distribution Companyon December 20, 1968, having been shown in theaters withThe Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit.This was the second of the studio'sWinnie the Poohtheatrical featurettes. It was later added as a segment to the 1977 filmThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.The music was written byRichard M. ShermanandRobert 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.

It starred the voices ofSterling Hollowayas Winnie the Pooh,Jon Walmsleyas Christopher Robin (replacedBruce Reitherman),Barbara Luddyas Kanga,Clint Howardas Roo,Paul Winchellas Tigger,Ralph Wrightas Eeyore,Hal Smithas Owl,Howard Morrisas Gopher,John Fiedleras Piglet,Junius Matthewsas Rabbit, andSebastian Cabotas the narrator.

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Daywon the 1968Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.The Academy Award was awardedposthumouslyto Disney. This was also the onlyWinnie the Poohproduction to ever win an Academy Award.(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 ridein the Disney theme parks in which the rider experiences several scenes from the cartoon, including Pooh's Heffalump and Woozle dream.

Sources

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.

Plot

On a very windy day, Winnie the Pooh visits his "thoughtful spot", whereGopheradvises 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. As Owl tells Pooh and Piglet some of the adventures of his relatives, the strong wind causes his tree to sway and eventually collapse, taking the house with it.Christopher Robinand the others soon hear of the news and rush to the scene. As Owl's house is wrecked beyond the point of repair,Eeyorevolunteers to seek out a new house for Owl.

That night, Pooh is visited 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 calledHeffalumpsandWoozlesthat 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 in a floating chair, but not before he manages to write amessage in a bottlefor help. Meanwhile, Pooh manages to escape to higher ground with ten honey pots, only to also be washed away by the rising waters.Kanga,Roo,Rabbit,and Tigger gather atChristopher Robin's house, the only place in the Hundred Acre Wood that isn't flooded, while Eeyore continues house hunting for Owl. Roo soon finds Piglet's bottle, and Owl flies off to tell Piglet that help is on the way.

Owl eventually finds Piglet as well as Pooh and while he attempts to ease Piglet's fears with a story, Piglet notices that they are approaching awaterfall.Pooh 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 has subsided, Christopher Robin throws a party for Pooh, where Eeyore announces 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 which Pooh is a hero for saving Piglet and Piglet is a hero for giving Owl his home.

Voice cast

Main article:List of Winnie-the-Pooh characters

• Sterling Hollowayas Winnie the Pooh, an anthropomorphicbearwho loves eatinghoney.
• Paul Winchellas Tigger, atigerwho loves to bounce on his tail.
• John Fiedleras Piglet, a smallpigand Pooh's best friend who fears nearly everything.
• Ralph Wrightas Eeyore, an old greydonkeywho is always losing his tail and talks in a slow and deep depressing voice.
• Junius Matthewsas Rabbit, arabbitwho isobsessive-compulsiveand loves planting his vegetables in his garden.
• Barbara Luddyas Kanga, akangarooand Roo's mother.
• Clint Howardas Roo, Kanga's energetic young joey.
• Howard Morrisas Gopher, a hardworkinggopherwho lives underground and often falls into his hole.
• Hal Smithas Owl, anowlwho loves to talk about his family.
• Jon Walmsleyas Christopher Robin, a 7-year-oldboyand Pooh's human best friend.
• The Mellomenas the Singers
• Sebastian Cabotas Mr. Narrator

Production

Shortly before Walt Disney's death on December 15, 1966, the animation department was finishing work onThe Jungle Bookand preparing forThe Aristocats.In late summer 1967, beforeThe Aristocatswent into production, it was decided to go ahead with a featurette-length sequel toWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.The short commenced production under the titleWinnie the Pooh and the Heffalumps.BecauseThe Honey Treewas popular with American audiences, it was decidedBlustery Daywould be the first animation project without Disney. Under the new circumstances, the "Nine Old Men"animatorsFrank Thomas,Ollie Johnston,andMilt Kahlwere brought onto the project.Wolfgang Reithermanremained as director, but he decided to feel more faithful to the source material.

During a story meeting for the short, Disney consideredWally Boagto be perfect for the role of Tigger, who was added to the short.However, after Disney's death, Boag's performance of the character was considered to be "too zany for a children's film," andPaul Winchelltook the job instead.Following a British backlash toThe Honey Treeled by film criticFelix Barker,Pigletwas added to the short, having only appeared during the titular song sequence in the prior short.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.

Release

In anticipation of the short's release,Los Angeles MayorSam Yortyproclaimed October 25, 1968 as "Winnie the Pooh Day". Starting fromDisneyland,Pooh and several other characters made personal appearances in severalSearsstores throughout 25 cities in the United States to help promote merchandise.

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.It was later included as a segment inThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,which included the two other Pooh featurettes, released on April 24, 1977.

LikeWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree,Blustery Dayalso had its television premiere on November 30, 1970 as a special on theNBCtelevision network.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.

Home media

The film was released onVHSandBetamaxin 1986. It was re-released in 1989, 1991, 1992, 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.

It was also released on theSuper 8mmfilm format byDerannin the early 2000s, making it one of the company's final and rarest films released, with only twelve copies made.

Music

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
Soundtrack albumby Various artists
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-Poohfranchise over the years, subsequently incorporated into the1977musical film,The Many Adventures of Winnie the Poohwhich is an amalgamation of the three previousWinnie-the-Poohfeaturettes.

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 Dayand released in 1967. Sterling Holloway served as both the narrator and the voice of Pooh on the album. Distinctively from the featurette,Sam Edwardssang as Tigger.

Side one

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

Side two

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

Voice cast (soundtrack)

Main article:List of Winnie-the-Pooh characters

• Sterling Hollowayas Winnie the Pooh
• Sam Edwardsas Tigger and Owl
• Robie Lesteras Piglet and Roo
• Barbara Luddyas Kanga
• Thurl Ravenscroftas Eeyore
• Dallas McKennonas Rabbit and Gopher
• Jon Walmsleyas Christopher Robin
• The Mellomenas the Singers

Winnie the Pooh featurettes

• Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree(1966)
• Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day(1968)
• Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too(1974)
• Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore(1983)

See also

• List of American films of 1968

Bibliography

• Finch, Christopher (2000).Disney's Winnie the Pooh: A Celebration of the Silly Old Bear.Disney Editions.ISBN978-0786863525.

External links

• Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery DayatIMDb