'The Tigger Movie' Earns Its Stripes
Some animated films are aimed at kids only, while others aim at both kids and kids at heart. And while "The Tigger Movie" clearly falls into the "kids only" category, adults still should find their role as chauffeur to the Hundred Acre Wood a worthwhile one.
Starring all of the characters in the ever-lovable "Winnie The Pooh" series, "The Tigger Movie," for the most part, sticks to its title: It's a movie dedicated solely to our stripped, cuddly, but most-of-the-time obnoxious friend, T-I-Double-Guh-ER.
The action begins with Pooh, Piglet, Owl and friends preparing for winter by fixing up a home for the lovably dismal donkey, Eeyore. Everyone's involved in the effort except Tigger (voiced by Jim Cummings, who also voices Pooh), who's being his usual boisterous self.
Finally tired of the shenanigans, Rabbit suggests to Tigger that he go find other "Tiggers" to bounce with. Sadly taking the advice to heart, Tigger begins a journey through the Hundred Acre Wood, looking for the family he's never met.
Kids should be easily engrossed by this entertaining and semi-educational tale (the messages about who your family and loved ones are are well conceived and easy for youngsters to grasp), despite the fact that it pales in comparison to Disney's usual animated fare: The amimation is less sophisticated, the characters aren't as diverse and the plot is not as epic as the Disney summer "event" movies that we've come to expect every year since "The Little Mermaid" made its splash.
With the exception of a colorful production number that finds Tigger imagining the history of his family through time (which is delightfully loaded with pop culture references from "Whistler's Mother" to Marilyn Monroe to "The Brady Bunch"), "The Tigger Movie" really amounts to nothing more than another chapter in the tale of the Hundred Acre Wood.
Still, as someone who grew up with the joy of these tales (or tails, depending on your point of view), I'm not about to steer anybody away from "The Tigger Movie." The truth of the matter is, while it's familiar to us as viewers, it's still clean and fun family entertainment. I'll take that any day over so-called "family movies" that are populated with harebrained adults and kids with built-in attitudes who continuously try to draw laughs over gross-out jokes.
"Winnie-the-Pooh" movies might not exactly be original, but they're more likely to be included in the happy memories of kids for years to come.
"The Tigger Movie" opens nationwide Feb. 11.
