A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving

Here is another Thanksgiving TV special I really love featuring Winnie the Pooh and his friends. I was lucky to watch it online, because apparently there is not a video release for it, though I really wish it was on DVD. I saw the middle and ending of this special when it was put into the direct-to-video movie "Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving."

As for the story, Pooh and his friends were preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for Christopher Robin. Pooh brings honey, Piglet brings haycorns, Owl brings biscuits, Eeyore brings thistles, and Tigger brings chocolate ice-cream. But Rabbit thinks a Thanksgiving dinner should have special items: turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce. So with a "plan," Rabbit splits the gang into teams: Owl and Gopher on kitchen duties with Gopher to bake the pie, Tigger and Eeyore to gather cranberries, and Pooh and Piglet to get a turkey. Will things go right? Well, you folks will have to watch on Dailymotion to see for yourselves-spoilers, you know.

So anyway, this is another Thanksgiving favorite. I thought the animation was decent and the story perfect. I still wish it would be on DVD.

I strongly disagree with the other's person's comment.

He said the plot outline, so I have no need to state that. I have to say it is by far the funniest "Pooh" specials I have ever seen. I grew up in the Winnie the Pooh era, I have seen just about every episode and movie ever to come out. I still think this is the best one. I just wish they would keep airing the seasons, I would wait into the night to see an episode. Looking back, they sent a terrific message to kids and were entertaining.

I don't know what planet this guy came from, but I think it is one of the best laid out and funniest Pooh episodes of all time.

I do also respectfully disagree with the negative reviewer. I am a big fan of anything Winnie the Pooh, and I love the holiday specials. I don't think it is as good as A Very Merry Pooh Year or Boo To You Too! as far as the holiday Winnie the Pooh specials go, but I personally loved it. Not only was it very funny with the droll dialogue and inspired word-play, but the ending was very touching and a good lesson I think to learn from.

The story is simple, not too episodic and lively in pace, and written with heart and charm evident. The animation is nice and colourful, maybe not as elegant as The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh but it is better than the animation of Seasons of Giving. The characters are well drawn, Rabbit is a tad scratchy-looking, but I can forgive that. The music bounces along nicely with some of the more poignant-sounding parts not too schmaltzy.

The characters are still timeless, I've always loved Tigger the most, though Piglet is adorable and Pooh has always been my favourite animated bear because he is so cute and funny. I do think though some people are too hard on Rabbit, sometimes yes he is a grouch but he is a kind soul at heart, plus I am probably not the only person to notice this, but of all the Winnie the Pooh characters he is the only one that actually learns from his mistakes.

Moving away from that, I also thought the voice acting was great, Paul Winchell may have been getting rather long in the tooth as Tigger at this point but the zest and exuberance is still there. Jim Cummings is as solid as ever, likewise with John Fiedler and Peter Cullen. Overall, a very nice Thanksgiving special. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is okay entertainment for kids. But I do wonder if any adult will bother pointing out to them that these are British characters and would not normally be celebrating Thanksgiving. Entertainment for its own sake is fine but a little educational value is also a good thing. Sadly, most parents plop their kids down in front of the telly and can't be arsed to notice when misinformation is spread about.

It's also sad that the Disney corporation (which acquired the Pooh rights at some point) constantly sees fit to Americanise everything that crosses its path.

What's next: A Harry Potter Thanksgiving special?!