As a fan of Winnie the Pooh, 'The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' was always one of my favourite shows as a child. Not all childhood favourites have held up, but 'The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' is one of the strongest examples of those that have.
While the original three 60s-70s short films ('Honey Tree', 'Blustery Day' and 'Tigger Too') and the 1977 'The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' are just a little better, 'The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' is one of the Winnie the Pooh franchise's high points. 'The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' is, as said a few times already, a rare example of a show with not a bad episode for the whole four seasons it ran, and has something for kids and adults alike. "Bubble Trouble" does a great job dealing with three dilemmas in one episode, and "Ground Piglet Day" is a very clever take on Groundhog Day and another example of a great Piglet-centric episode.
The animation in both episodes is very bright, well drawn and colourful, everything looking lush, detailed and smooth. Both of the episodes are about equal in quality, though the darker and somewhat scarily suspenseful stormy opening to "Bubble Trouble" does stand out.
In addition to that, the music is playfully jaunty and beautifully orchestrated, enhancing sadder moments with poignant and particularly lush and emotional scoring, whimsical parts with an energy but also pathos and the more playful moments with a jaunty touch. The theme tune is very rousing and one of the catchiest theme songs of any animated show of the late 80s.
Writing has a perfect mix of whimsy, drollness, wit, charm and childhood innocence, while both stories are also beautifully told, simple but always charming and light-hearted. "Bubble Trouble" explores not one dilemma like most episodes, but three, one with Pooh (getting stuck in a bubble), Gopher (his hole being blown away) and Rabbit (holding a vegetable meeting). All three are beautifully balanced and developed, with Pooh's dilemma boasting the funniest and most innocent moments (Tigger bags the best lines) and Gopher's having the most urgency and the best resolved. Rabbit's is a little under-utilised but not neglected at least.
"Ground Piglet Day" is a clever and charming episode revolving around Groundhog Day, and has as ever a great mix of humour and emotion. Personally prefer "A Very Very Large Animal", "The Magic Earmuffs", "Me and My Shadow" and especially "The Piglet Who Would be King" when it comes to Piglet-centric episodes though.
The characters are all delightful as is their chemistry which in some way anchors the show, while the voice acting is uniformly excellent, with the standouts being Paul Winchell, Jim Cummings and John Fiedler.
Overall, two great episodes yet again. 10/10 Bethany Cox