TV Show Info
TV Show Name: Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
Studio: Disney Television Animation
Genre(s): Animated/Seasonal
Release Date(s): December 14, 1991
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
It is Christmastime in the Hundred Acre Woods, and everyone has items that they want Santa Claus to bring them. When Christopher Robin’s letter to Santa ends up blowing back to the Hundred Acre Woods, Winnie the Pooh finds himself on a dangerous mission to the North Pole to ensure that his friends will have the Christmas that they dream of.
Directed by Jamie Mitchell, Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too is an animated holiday special. The short film was a prime-time Christmas special spinning off Walt Disney’s series The New Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh. It aired on ABC on December 14, 1991 and has been reedited into the New Year’s Eve special Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year which was released in 2002 (and also features new vocals by the Christopher Robin voice actor).
I can remember watching Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too as a Christmas special junkie. It was a pleasant story and totally Winnie the Pooh. I rather prefer it as a separate special, but I’m glad to see that it is staying current and remembered.
The story for the film is very “Pooh”. Though Pooh is the main protagonist by forgetting to add things to the letter, all of the characters from the Hundred Acre Woods share the burden of messing up the sending of the letter. They respond with giving “greed”, which is still greed, and as a result almost miss out on getting the things they want for the holidays. It is a nice message for kids and pretty simply presented.
The characters of Winnie-the-Pooh are what sell the concept. With different personalities (presumably make up by Christopher Robin), the characters have a fun and full range of characters so all the kids who see Winnie the Pooh (and the adults too) can find a character that they like.
The art for Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too follows both the Disney original film The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the cartoon series that was running at the time of the release of the cartoon. Though it is very good art (better than most cartoons), I have always preferred the original character designs from the book because they have more texture and feeling to them.
Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too is a solid Christmas special with a nice message. Kids will like it, adults also can watch it without feeling. It is a little odd to pair it with the New Year’s special, but Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year is also quite entertaining so if you have to watch Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too as a part of that special, it isn’t too much of a task.