Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
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| Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Wolfgang Reitherman |
| Written by | A.A. Milne Ralph Wright |
| Starring | Sterling Holloway Junius Matthews Sebastian Cabot Hal Smith Clint Howard Ralph Wright Howard Morris |
| Music by | Robert & Richard Sherman Buddy Baker |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Home Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | February 4, 1966 |
| Running time | 26 minutes (USA) |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is an animated featurette released by The Walt Disney Company on February 4, 1966. Based on the Winnie the Pooh book by A. A. Milne, it was the only Winnie-the-Pooh production released while Walt Disney was still alive before his death 10 months later of lung cancer the same year on December 15. Music and lyrics were written by the Sherman Brothers, (Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman). Background music was provided by Buddy Baker. This featurette served as a companion to the film The Ugly Dachshund.
Contents |
[edit] Songs
- "Winnie the Pooh"
- "Up, Down and Touch the Ground"
- "Rumbly in My Tumbly"
- "Mind Over Matter"
- "Little Black Rain Cloud"
[edit] Plot
Pooh goes on a search for honey.
[edit] The Honey Bees
The story opens with Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood going through his morning exercise routine. He discovers that his jar of honey is nearly empty and starts wondering where he can get honey as he eats what's left in the pot. He hears a bee fly by, and tries pulls his head out of the jar, then decides to try to get honey from the bee's hive in the nearby honey tree. He first tries climbing the tree but that doesn’t work when the branch he’s standing on breaks, tumbling him to the ground. He then borrows a blue balloon from Christopher Robin disguises himself as a little black rain cloud by dunking himself with mud, and then uses the balloon to float up next to the hive. A lone bee guard flies out to meet him and is very wary of the little black rain cloud. Pooh Bear sticks his hand into the hive and pulls out a giant handful of honey. Pooh then eats the honey, unaware that there are bees left in it. The startled bees start flying around in his mouth forcing him to spit them out. Among them is the head bee who falls into the same mud puddle Pooh Bear was at.
Pooh is soon surrounded by angry bees from the hive and his disguise is wearing off. After getting out of the mud puddle, the head bee sees the little black rain cloud is a bear. Angry, the bee flies at Pooh and collides with the bear's backside. The sudden hit causes Pooh to swing upward and back down and jam his rear into the hole. The head bee rests on a nearby branch and starts laughing at Pooh Bear's expense. The now nervous Pooh Bear admits to Christopher Robin that these are the wrong sorts of bees, and is shoved out of the hole by the incensed insects who proceed to give chase.
During the pursuit, the string holding the balloon closed comes loose and the balloon flies out of control. Pooh Bear is taken for a wild ride. The head bee continues laughing but is now forced to take cover as the pursuit whizzes by him twice. The chase is suddenly reversed as the bees are now chased by Pooh Bear. The bees retreat into their hive and Pooh Bear's balloon deflates its last bit of air. The defeated bear falls back to earth and lands in the arms of Christopher Robin. The head bee calls the others to attention and the swarm chases after the two who seek safety in the mud puddle.
[edit] Rabbit's Honey
Pooh Bear visits Rabbit's house, in hopes of finding honey there. Although Rabbit is aware of the bear's vast appetite, he welcomes Pooh Bear for lunch and gives him a small drop of honey. The honey, however, doesn't fill Pooh's stomach all the way. So he asks for more. Rabbit is hesitant but agrees, and so in a very glutton-like manner, Pooh devours ten jars of honey, making a fool of himself in the process.
Pooh Bear thanks Rabbit and eats leftover honey on his stomach, and tries to leave through Rabbit's front door, but has become extremely large from the honey he has eaten—so fat that Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's front door. Rabbit tries to free Pooh but it isn't any use. then goes off to find Christopher Robin for help. While he waits, Pooh Bear is visited by Owl and Gopher. Gopher offers to free Pooh Bear using dynamite, but Pooh declines. Gopher turns to leave and falls into one of his holes.
Christopher Robin, Rabbit, and Eeyore arrive and try to help Pooh Bear but they can't budge him one inch from all the honey. Christopher Robin suggests pushing him back in but Rabbit protests. So everyone comes to a solution; Pooh will abstain from eating until he slims down.
One night, as Pooh sleeps, Gopher suddenly reappears, preparing to have his midnight snack when he realises he could feed Pooh his food in an attempt to free him. He offers Pooh his pot of honey, but Rabbit finds out and places a sign forbidding Gopher to feed Pooh at all (Rabbit: "Don't! Feed! The Dumb! Bear!"). Gopher decides to leave and falls into his hole again.
[edit] Return to the Bee Tree
As the days go by, Pooh Bear finally slims down enough to be freed. Christopher Robin, Kanga, Eeyore, Owl, Roo, and Gopher (who falls into his hole once again when Eeyore's tail is accidentally pulled off by both he and Roo) start pulling on Pooh Bear while Rabbit pushes from behind but the bear won't move.
Fed up with all this delay, Rabbit takes several steps backwards and charges into Pooh Bear. Rabbit's push launches Pooh into the air towards the forest. (In a sight gag, Pooh almost flies out of the book, but is pushed back by the turn of a page at Gopher's insistence.) The gang runs after him and finds him stuck in the honey tree. Christopher Robin tells Pooh that they will help him get out again but Pooh tells them to take their time; the bees were scared away by his abrupt arrival giving the silly old bear a chance to enjoy a hive full of his favorite honey. (Christopher Robin climbs up the tree several days later)
[edit] Voice cast
- Sterling Holloway as Winnie the Pooh
- Sebastian Cabot as The Narrator
- Junius Matthews as Rabbit
- Bruce Reitherman as Christopher Robin
- Hal Smith as Owl
- Howard Morris as Gopher
- Clint Howard as Roo
- Barbara Luddy as Kanga
- Ralph Wright as Eeyore
[edit] Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- This film introduces the character of Gopher, not part of the original stories — hence his comment "I'm not in the book, you know." (A pun on unlisted telephone numbers).
- Although Piglet doesn't appear in this film (he only shows up in the opening sequence, and looks drastically different), he appears in the book "Winnie the Pooh meets Gopher" which is the same plot. Also, in "Winnie the Pooh Meets Gopher", Piglet's jumper is green like in the stories.
- Tigger does not appear in the film, though his name can be seen in the narrative text when Pooh first arrives at the front entrance to Rabbit's house.
- The sound of the bee buzzing the "Charge!" fanfare would later be recycled into The Rescuers eleven years later, when Evinrude the Dragonfly hums the "Charge!" fanfare.
- Walt Disney's favorite scene in this short was when Rabbit decorated Pooh's bottom.
- Since this was in theaters the same year Walt Disney had died it is possible to be his last short he saw complete and released to the public, along with feature films The Jungle Book and The Happiest Millionaire released in 1967, about a year after his death.
