Board 8 > Doc Ranks the Animated Disney Canon Pt 2: I Want Much More Than Those 500 Posts!

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DoctorBIind posted...

#12 – Mulan (1998)

*blows chunks*

Next up: Please god let it be Pinocchio and not The Jungle Book like I suspect...

It isn’t sung very well and I’ve never been fond of Li Shang. Sorry Gen. The song still easily makes its way into my top 20, but I don’t hold the same love for it as I once did.

Eh, it's fine. I can acknowledge that Mulan is objectively the best character of the film even if I like Shang more. Hell I can even acknowledge that the reason I like him so much might be because he was my childhood animated crush. I'm sure you felt the same about Belle and you still love her now, right? :P

From: Achromatic | #400

Jane got physical too.

Oh gosh maybe they should get physical together

XD

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GenesisSaga posted...

Eh, it's fine. I can acknowledge that Mulan is objectively the best character of the film even if I like Shang more. Hell I can even acknowledge that the reason I like him so much might be because he was my childhood animated crush. I'm sure you felt the same about Belle and you still love her now, right? :P

Always!

Achromatic posted...

Jane got physical too.

Oh gosh maybe they should get physical together

Now we're talking!

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"THIS is how you make Nintendo win another generation. Good job, Sony and Microsoft, you're idiots." - Vlado

A Belle/Jane sandwich....with me in the mi*hoses self with ice water*

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Mulan

Doc's Ranking: 12/51
Karo's Ranking: 20/49


A beautiful movie with some good songs, but severely lacking in the character design department (with one big exception). The movie starts out amazing, with the whole way the style and everything so perfectly captures an oriental feel. Then Mushu appears, and the movie's charm hits a brick wall at 100 MPH. I mean, seriously, Eddie Murphy? Could you possibly find someone more un-oriental then him?
The movie goes downhill from there as we are introduced to many forgettable supporting characters and a forgettable villain. Although there were still some very good scenes with Mulan in the training camp, it never really recaptures the magic found in the first part of the movie.
Mulan is by no means a bad movie, just a profoundly disappointing one based on what it could have been.


Best Character: Mulan

Also known as the only character in the movie that doesn't suck. One of Disney's greatest heroines, she is both the deepest character and the provider of much of the movie's humor.
She pretty much has to carry the whole movie on her shoulders thanks to the poor supporting cast, but thankfully, she is up to the challenge.


Worst Character: Shan Yu

Frankly, one could make the case for nearly every member of the supporting cast to receive this title. However, this award goes to Shan Yu, the most forgettable Disney villain ever created.
Ask anyone who the the villain in The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast is and they'll immediately reply with Scar and Gaston. Ask them who the villain in Mulan is and they'll be like "uh.. there was like this guy on a horse who did stuff?" That's pretty much all there is to him.

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SuperNiceDog is about 20% cooler then the other gurus.

I would probably rank Mulan around where Karo had it. It's a pretty good movie, but not top tier stuff. Glad to see there are other people that are not totally wild about "I'll Make A Man Out Of You". It's decent, but not even the best song in its movie! Way overrated on this board.

I'll guess Pinocchio next since Aladdin looks safe... for now.

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Also, from a SMDC perspective, I hate that Mulan was cheated to victory. I like her as a character and think she could legitimately win the contest, but as the host, the alt army infuriated me and made a mockery of my contest.

I'm actually surprised she hasn't made another top 5 run yet. I figured her true fans would want to legitimize her success and take back the hate.

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BrettEagles posted...

I'll guess Pinocchio next since Aladdin looks safe... for now.

Wait, you mean to tell me Aladdin didn't come before the Renaissance? Uh-oh...

As for Mulan in SMDC, I agree, it sucks that the alt army cheated her way to victory. And for that there will always be an asterisk by her name. Even me, who happens to love Mulan as a character, rarely saved her in the last two contests because of it. I think a lot of people feel that way despite loving the character herself. Even though she "won" in the third contest there's no way she'll ever muster up enough legitimate strength to win after the controversy in the third. Those that like her are apprehensive to give her two* crowns, and there are plenty around that simply despise her. It's those that despise her for reasons unrelated to the controversy that leave me bum-puzzled.

Doc has ten great movies and one terrible one remaining, let's hope he makes the right choice for the final movie left out of the top 10.

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SuperNiceDog is about 20% cooler then the other gurus.

Booyah! It looks to be becoming a very solid top 10 :-)!!

Hmm...

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Oh, I am one yet many.

I'll be surprised if this isn't the film you're talking about, Karo.


#11 – Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Best Character: Maleficent
Worst Characters: The Three Fairies

It’s unfortunate that Sleeping Beauty was so poorly received at the time of its release. Disney took a risk and brought in a totally different visual only for it to be received very negatively. The film was much more angular than its predecessors, a style employed to give the film a more medieval look to it. The look worked perfectly for the film, and the animation is one of my favorite parts about it. The film cost a lot of money to make and was unfortunately met as a box office failure, spiraling Disney downwards into the decision to cut animation costs with 101 Dalmatians. Unfortunate as this was, I can’t hold it against Sleeping Beauty.

There are a few plot holes that frustrate me too much to place this film into the top 10, despite how much I love the art style and Maleficent. Firstly, why do they need to hide Aurora as a baby? Couldn’t the king and queen raise her on their own until, say, when she turned 15, just before the curse took effect? At least then they could spend some time with her before her prophesized untimely death. As it was the fairies royally screwed up anyways, so at least the king and queen could have spent some time with their daughter. Seriously, the three fairies showed so much will power living without magic for 16 years only to stupidly relapse on literally the very last day the curse could have taken effect. I don’t think they understand how prophecies work. Secondly, why even risk brining Aurora back home on the day of her birthday, i.e. the very last day the curse could take effect. All of those years of hiding Aurora from Maleficent were wasted due to the decision to host a GIANT parade announcing her return. Pretty sure Maleficent would catch wind of that one. Now here is where the fairies really show how inept they are. They leave her alone inside the castle. I don’t remember how they justified leaving her alone, but whatever it was I can tell you it was completely inane. Of course while she’s alone Maleficent is able to get a hold of her and Aurora pricks her finger. The fairies know they screwed up. So what do they do? They cast a spell to place the entire kingdom in a deep sleep so that no one will have to endure the grief caused by Aurora’s own endless sleep. They clearly didn’t consider how stupid this idea was for a second, as had they really looked into it they would have realized that by putting everyone to sleep they would also put to sleep the one guy whose kiss could awaken Aurora and end the curse. Thankfully Prince Phillip avoided their idiocy and was literally the only person in the kingdom who managed to get out of range of the fairies’ spell.

Prince Phillip is the saving grace for the heroes. In contrast to some of the other princes of his time, Prince Phillip is miles ahead in terms of screen time and presence. He shows a little bit more personality than the others and has by far the greatest scene in the film. I mean, he’s kind of a creep, but he’s still likable. I just know if I were singing to myself in the woods I would freak the f*** out if some stranger creeped up behind me and started to sing along with me. Apparently it worked for Aurora however, as she fell head over heels in love with Prince Phillip immediately. The love at first sight is a nice concept, and it’s certainly used as a trope in many Disney films. For me though I need a little bit more development to truly appreciate a budding romance. It’s thus a little strange for me to see Aurora freaking out over not being allowed to visit Phillip again. Although I prefer Snow White and Cinderella to Aurora, she’s still likable enough. She doesn’t have much of a personality, but considering she’s asleep for half the film she doesn’t really need to. Her absence is a good thing, actually, as it gives Maleficent much more time to shine on her own.

Maleficent is an incredible villain. She simply exudes evil. And it’s not the kind of evil that’s difficult to enjoy watching like bullying or the Professor Umbridge template. This is an evil that’s fun to watch, as you never know just what she’s going to do. All you know is it’s going to come at the expense of others with a chance of messing with their heads. I mean, the sole reason she cursed Aurora in the first place was because Aurora’s foolish parents didn’t invite her to the party! She cursed a newborn infant to die because she wasn’t invited to a party. How insane is that? To cause further grief she didn’t even kill Aurora there on the spot. She placed the curse to take effect in 16 years, causing 16 years of worry and grief for Aurora’s parents. Now that’s how a Disney villain should act! She owns every scene she’s in throughout the film. Her power is extraordinary and frankly she should be the one ruling the kingdom. I love how she openly taunts Phillip once he’s her prisoner. She lets him know just how close he is to achieving his fairy tale ending only to then remind him that he’s her prisoner and is helpless to stop her. Freeing Phillip is basically the only thing the fairies do correctly, and it leads to the greatest scene in Sleeping Beauty.

The music during this final battle is such a perfect, intense fit to the animation. Complete with lightning going off in the background, the atmosphere is perfect for an epic battle. It’s such a delight to watch Maleficent demonstrate her power. With the swish of her staff she creates a jungle of thorns blocking Phillip’s access to the castle where Aurora is sleeping. It slows him down, but Phillip is persistent. So what does Maleficent do? She turns herself into an awesome dragon that spits green flames. The animation here is incredible. I love the art style the entire film took, but here especially. The flames are great, the background’s great, and so are the characters of Maleficent the dragon and Prince Phillip. It’s such an epic duel to close out the film, and the death scene is one of the best within the canon. Prince Phillip heroically plunges the enchanted sword into her gut, and we see her plummet to her death amidst the rising flames.

It really is the perfect story tale ending to the perfect story tale. It’s one of Disney’s best films, filled with a great hero and a terrific villain, beautiful animation, and a score that works really well in the context of the film. It has its flaws, namely the three fairies, but Maleficent is such a fantastic villain she makes up for it and more. I will never understand why this film bombed so hard at the box office. It’s beautiful!

Next Up: The Top 10

I've always found it curious how Disney's best "fairy tale" was the one that bombed. I'll never understand how Snow White could be better than Sleeping Beauty.

The film is probably a little overrated, though granted I do like a lot of the things it does. Prince Phillip is probably the best of the stock prince characters, largely due to his interactions with Maleficent and the fact he gets some screen time. I agree the fairies are the worst, and what they did was completely insane. Also I find it interesting how early in the movie they claim they can only use their magic for good, but how is putting everyone to sleep and turning Diablo into stone something "good"? Seems like a bit of an oversight to me.

As for Maleficent... well, no doubt she has thrived in recent years thanks to Kingdom Hearts. Still, she is probably the best classic era villain and sets the stage for many future Disney villains to follow in her path. Wickedly evil and complete with an awesome voice she was the first villain that really stole the show in a Disney film. All in all she's fantastic, but even I probably succumb to nostalgia when it comes to her.

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Still smilin'
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Boooooooooo!

I'm one of the few that only caught up with Sleeping Beauty as a grown up.

Might be that I don't buy fairytales much anymore, might be that I've grown to be more cynical/sarcastic over the time, might be that I've never been too fond of classics... but Maleficent for me was literally the only thing worth watching in the movie.
Well I have a weird fetish for Phillip too, but that doesn't count.

That said, the Fairies were the worst offenders and I agree with every single sentence regarding them, Phillip and Maleficent. I thought the exact same things, even (Like, those fairies were complete dumbasses for leaving Aurora alone at the last minute of the profecy, OF COURSE MALEFICENT WON'T SHOW UP, I MEAN A HAG WHO CURSED A CHILD TO DIE FOR NOT BEING INVITED AT A PARTY WILL TOTALLY LEAVE HER ALONE AND ACCEPT DEFEAT).

I would've never ever ranked it above Hercules or Mulan, it just feels much more lacking in every department that is not the villain but eh.

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SuperNiceDog won the Guru contest super nicely!

To me, this movie suffers from Bambi syndrome. The first half, overall, is torture. The second half is absolute gold.

The first half had the fantastic scene where Maleficent crashes the party and owns everyone. Then for the next half hour (give or take) we get fairy stupidity and Aurora marathon singing with animals and a creeper. Absolute torture. Sitting through that boring musical number was brutal.

But the second half with Maleficent running the show is fantastic. The whole putting everyone to sleep thing made me yell profanities at the tv because of how dumb it was, but otherwise great.

The two dads fish fighting was comedic gold as well.

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"THIS is how you make Nintendo win another generation. Good job, Sony and Microsoft, you're idiots." - Vlado

Oh good, so we will have a decent top 10 after all!

Sleeping Beauty

Doc's Ranking: 11/51
Karo's Ranking: 40/49

This is simply the most generic and unoriginal Disney movie ever made. Filled with characters as bland, two-dimensional, and washed out as the animation style used to create them, this movie is the second of only two movies on this list to utterly bore me, to the point where I'm just about ready to fall under Maleficent's sleeping spell as well.
It's like they started out creating the epic battle at the end, then were like: 'oh crap, we just used 90% of the movie's budget! what do we do now?!'
It may have some very pretty backgrounds, but the harsh angular art style does not animate very well and lacks the flow of previous movies. Plus there was a few awful cheapass things they did, such as during the scenes that show the whole castle asleep, note how the the people painted into the background (so they wouldn't have to go to the horrible labor of actually, y'know, animating them) are just standing around, completely unaffected by the sleeping spell.
The only thing in this movie that hadn't been done before (and better) in Cinderella and Snow White is the dragon battle scene, which takes way too long to build up to.

Best Character: Maleficent

The only real 'character' in a movie filled with people that look like rough draft placeholder roles. She manages to be an effective villain despite being overly enamored with her own evilness.


Worst Character (tie): Princess Aurora & Prince Phillip

So Aurora, she's a princess. She can sing. Now, Phillip, he's a prince. He meets a girl. He likes her. He can sing too! What amazing character depth!

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SuperNiceDog is about 20% cooler then the other gurus.

Yikes. I suppose I can understand someone not liking the film, but anyone who doesn't place the three fairies as the worst characters is just wrong. Prince Phillip might be a little bland for today's standards, but he's not outright awful like the fairies.

Anyways we now have the top 10! Given that there's only ten left I probably won't be doing any more hints. Any hot predix?

The Top 10

Pinocchio
Peter Pan
The Jungle Book
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast
Aladdin
The Lion King
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Tangled

DoctorBIind posted...

Yikes. I suppose I can understand someone not liking the film, but anyone who doesn't place the three fairies as the worst characters is just wrong. Prince Phillip might be a little bland for today's standards, but he's not outright awful like the fairies.

I did not like the fairies either, but it at least felt like they were real people, and not department store mannequins.

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SuperNiceDog is about 20% cooler then the other gurus.

Great! That's the movie that had to go before the top 10 :-P. I fell asleep the last time I saw it and no, I wasn't exhausted before I started watching :-)

Predix? Ok.

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. Peter Pan
3. Aladdin
4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
5. The Little Mermaid
6. The Lion King
7. The Jungle Book
8. Tangled
9. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
10. Pinocchio


Btw, the remaining slots on my ranking list left are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 15, 18. (Tangled wasn't on the original list)

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SuperNiceDog is about 20% cooler then the other gurus.

Glad to see Tangled this high.

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Also obvious BatB win. :P

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ziggie ziggie wop wop

Hot, steamy, bold predix!

1. Peter Pan
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. The Lion King
4. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
5. Aladdin
6. The Little Mermaid
7. Tangled
8. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
9. Pinocchio
10. The Jungle Book

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"THIS is how you make Nintendo win another generation. Good job, Sony and Microsoft, you're idiots." - Vlado

Next up: Top 10??

Certainly this means doom for the street rat!

Maleficent is awesome. Always remember to invite her to the party or she will seriously f*** your life up.

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Hey, I actually predicted all the films in the Top 10 making it!

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PrinceKaro posted...

Btw, the remaining slots on my ranking list left are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 15, 18. (Tangled wasn't on the original list)

That's pretty good parity between our two lists, actually. Only two outside the top 10 and one unranked (which I would guess falls into your top 10 anyways). I'm also pretty sure I remember what your #1 was.

Pokewars posted...

Hey, I actually predicted all the films in the Top 10 making it!

And that was back in the top 20! You know me too well.

:)

I took a stab at a couple. An educated stab, though.

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1) The Lion King
2) The Little Mermaid
3) Beauty and the Beast
4) Aladdin
5) The Jungle Book
6) The Hunchback of Notre Dame
7) Peter Pan
8) Pinocchio
9) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
10) Tangled

Probably way off here

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My only regret is not having faith in Phoenix Wright. Hats off to SuperNiceDog

1. B and the B
2. Peter Pan
3. Aladdin!
4. The Little Mermaid
5. The Lion King
6. Tangled
7. Hunchback of Frollo Dame
8. The Jungle Book
9. The Many Adventures of Eeyore
10. The Many Adventures of Jiminy Cricket

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Ugh, my #1 (Mulan) goes down and a bunch of movies I don't even care about are still in. Why must my tastes be so different sometimes....

And man, Shan Yu was awesome. Yeah he didn't get enough screen time to really develop but he was a cool looking, ruthless, dude who was great in battle and strategically, and he had an ego the size of the Great Wall. Plus a pet hawk!

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(Maniac64 at work)
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1.Beauty and the Beast
2.Lion King
3.Aladdin
4.Tangled
5.The Hunchback of Notre Dame
6.The Little Mermaid
7.Peter Pan
8.Pinocchio
9.The Jungle Book
10.The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

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Reposting my predix from when it was at top 20:

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. Peter Pan
3. The Lion King
4. Aladdin
5. The Little Mermaid
6. Tangled
7. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
8. The Jungle Book
9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
10. Pinocchio

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Little town...
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1. Beauty and the Beast
2. Peter Pan
3. Aladdin
4. The Lion King
5. The Little Mermaid
6. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
7. Tangled
8. Hunchback of Frollo Dame
9. Pinocchio
10. The Jungle Book

Predix:

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. Peter Pan
3. Aladdin
4. The Little Mermaid
5. The Lion King
6. Tangled
7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
9. Pinocchio
10. The Jungle Book

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Pinocchio
Peter Pan
The Jungle Book
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast
Aladdin
The Lion King
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Tangled



I HONESTLY don't care to predict yours, since you have proven to be an idiot, and I have no idea which way you are going. Taken in a vacuum however, just ranking these 10 films, this is the correct ranking.


10 Pinocchio
9 The Jungle Book
8 Hunchback of Notre Dame
7 Peter Pan (those 2 are really close to call)
6 Tangled
5 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
4 The Renaissance Four.

Ranking the 4 for me is just too difficult, but gun to my head I probably go

4 The Lion king
3 The Little Mermaid
2 Aladdin
1 Beauty and the Beat.

But I could literally change this ranking daily.

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From: Regaro_Ukiera |
MWC is god-tier

Oh, top 10 time?

1. The Lion King
2. Aladdin
3. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
4. Beauty and the Beast
5. Tangled
6. The Little Mermaid
7. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
8. Peter Pan
9. Pinocchio
10. The Jungle Book

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Aww, I lost to SuperNiceDog, Winner of the Rivalry Rumble Guru Contest

Well, you still agree on 4 of my top 5, so I guess I can't be too upset.

1. The Lion King
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. Aladdin
4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
5. The Little Mermaid
6. Tangled
7. Peter Pan
8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
9. The Jungle Book
10. Pinocchio

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(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

Oh man. Totally missed you getting back to this. Great write-ups, and none of the movies I really feared missing out on a spot in the top 10 actually did, so good on you. Our Top 10's are actually not that far apart (although I would've preferred seeing Hercules instead of a couple of them). I can't really predict yours, though, as for my money you're fairly...well, unpredictable. Awesome topic, though.

Fun fact: 5 of your top ten are also in my top ten. The other five are also all ranked pretty high on my list.

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"THIS is how you make Nintendo win another generation. Good job, Sony and Microsoft, you're idiots." - Vlado

Mine --> Out of your top 10 ;-)
1. Aladdin
2. The Lion King
3. The Little Mermaid
4. Beauty and the Beast
5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
6. The Jungle Book
7. Tangled
8. Pinocchio
9. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
10. Peter Pan

Yours
1. Beauty and the Beast
2. Peter Pan
3. The Little Mermaid
4. The Lion King
5. Aladdin
6. Tangled
7. Hunchback of Notre Dame
8. The Jungle Book
9. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
10. Pinocchio

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too is the last of the three shorts showcased in the film. Tigger is the big star in this one, having a major role in just about every one of the subplots. The short basically follows Tigger as he prances about having fun, unaware of those he might be bothering. Rabbit in particular is fed up with Tigger’s antics and seeks a way to make him stop. Eventually Tigger bounces himself too high and he winds up stuck at the top of a tree. Rabbit offers to help him down under the condition that he can never bounce again. Of course Tigger readily agrees given how frightened he is, but once he’s safe on the ground he regrets his agreement. It’s completely heartbreaking watching Tigger after he realizes he can no longer bounce, but thankfully it doesn’t last long. Rabbit relents and fun times are had by all.

The characters are without a doubt my favorite aspect from the Winnie the Pooh franchise. Aside from Gopher whom I’ve never really cared about, and Kanga and Christopher Robin to an extent, every other character has something unique and amazing to bring to the table. Though Pooh is my favorite character from the franchise overall, Tigger just barely bests him for the honor in this film. Tigger’s introduction scene is amazing, as is the song he sings. Tigger is hilariously prideful and stubborn. One of my favorite shticks of his is how he constantly says how Tiggers are the best at so and so. He always uses superlatives to explain himself, even if he has no idea what he’s talking about. Take the honey scene in Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. He first meets Pooh and immediately says he’s hungry. His eyes are drawn to the honey pot on the table and Tigger immediately says how honey is his favorite food. Of course it’s not, but that’s just the way Tigger speaks. I love it.

The interaction between the characters is such a strong signal that this film has spent plenty of time building the relationships between its characters. I’m sure most people who see the film have an idea of who the characters are and how they relate to each other before viewing it, but even still the film presents the characters aptly well for someone unfamiliar with the Winnie the Pooh universe. Each of the characters has a clear relationship with the others that differ from character to character. The relationship between Tigger and Rabbit for example is very different from the relationships between Tigger and Pooh and Pooh and Rabbit. Each character brings their own unique dynamic into the mix, ultimately creating something fresh every time a couple of characters make their way onscreen. It’s a joy to watch these simpleminded characters interact with one another and to see their relationships evolve over time. They’re such kind characters it’s difficult to dislike any one of them. The film practically oozes charm, and each of the characters exhibits their own charm wonderfully. When I watch this film I just want to snuggle up with a blanket and relive my childhood memories. And for that I will always love this series. Thank you Pooh bear!

I used to watch The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh all the time growing up. I remember that live action sequence of the room with all the stuffed animals of the characters so well that I fully admit that this ranking may be soaked in nostalgia. That’s not to say it’s not a good film on its own (or rather a collection of three short films I suppose). The characters are phenomenal. Even its weakest characters aren’t atrocious by any means. The songs are also extraordinary, with many of them continuing to ring fresh in my mind to this day. The introduction song is such a classic I doubt I’ll ever forget the words. The imagery in “Heffalumps and Woozles” likewise. This film and the world of the hundred acre woods so embodied my childhood it’s extremely difficult to shake off the nostalgia. I think this is a fair spot for it, even if the film is basically another package film (but much, much better).

#10 – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

Best Character: Tigger
Worst Character: Gopher

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is the hardest film for me to rank in the entire canon. It’s absolutely laced in nostalgia and I fear I may have placed it too high because of it. Then I think hell no, Winnie the Pooh is incredible. I’ve made a huge mistake placing it this low. If I were to take the entire Winnie the Pooh universe and rank it as one entity, it would certainly rank in the top three. But I’m not. I’m ranking this one film only. And what this film happens to be is a sequence of three short stories compiled together as one film. In fact, each of the shorts had already been released at one time or another before this film was released. In other words, most people had likely already seen them individually! Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree was released in 1966, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day was released in 1968, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too was released in 1974. While all fantastic shorts in their own rights, it’s very difficult to rank them together as a comprehensive film.

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree tells a simple story about Winnie the Pooh and his various attempts to find enough honey to satisfy his hunger. Filled with charming songs and segments, this short is undoubtedly a Disney classic. Although Tigger and Piglet don’t make an appearance in this short, the other characters do a splendid job of carrying the segment nonetheless. Pooh is at the top of his game, and I love his interactions with Rabbit, especially when he’s trapped in his front door. Rabbit for some reason is obsessed with being in the same room as Pooh’s bum, so he needlessly decorates Pooh’s rear end in order to make it feel homier. Hilarious. Eventually the residents of the hundred acre wood manage to free Pooh from Rabbit’s door and he is subsequently sent flying into a tree. Thankfully for Pooh the tree is filled with honey and he snacks away to his heart’s content.

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day is the best short of the three, as it gives us the excellent introduction to Tigger, “Heffalumps and Woozles,” and the underrated gem “The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down.” The story is simple yet again, but charming and fun nonetheless. A blustery day eventually culminates in Owl’s house toppling to the ground, placing all of the residents of the hundred acre woods on edge. The blustery day eventually turns into a terrible storm, and Pooh becomes very frightened during the night. This is where Tigger makes his excellent introduction and we see Pooh fall asleep on guard duty. In his dream we see “Heffalumps and Woozles,” a strange song focusing on foreign and monstrous creatures that steal honey – Pooh’s worst nightmare. The morning awakens Pooh from his slumber and we find the hundred acre wood has been flooded! While all of the other characters attempt to get to safety, Piglet is whisked out of his house to the catchy tune of “The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down.” Eventually the characters all come together at Christopher Robin’s where a hero party is thrown for Pooh in honor of him saving Piglet. My only problem with this segment is the ending. Eeyore mentions that he found a house for Owl to live in only for the rest of the characters to exclaim that the house in fact belongs to Piglet. By all rights Piglet should not give up this house. He’s so timid though he quickly succumbs to Owl’s bullying and gives him his house. C’mon, Piglet. Stand up for yourself. The ending aside this short is amazing; the humor is fantastic and it features the best collection of songs in a Winnie the Pooh short.

It may be technically a package film, but they weave it together to make it feel like one cohesive story.

I love love love Pooh! Obviously I can't complain since it got a top ten spot, but I'd totally rank it higher lol.

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"THIS is how you make Nintendo win another generation. Good job, Sony and Microsoft, you're idiots." - Vlado

Gopher was actually a character Disney made up. He wasn't in the original books. They even make a joke about that, breaking the 4th wall. Even still, I missed him in Zooey the Pooh.

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"THIS is how you make Nintendo win another generation. Good job, Sony and Microsoft, you're idiots." - Vlado

StifledSilence posted...

It may be technically a package film, but they weave it together to make it feel like one cohesive story.

Yeah, I've always loved the way Winnie the Pooh was presented. The narrator is fantastic, and the way the characters (namely Pooh) interact with the narrator and the book setting really does make the flow of the story seem like a cohesive whole.