Before you guffaw, consider this: Winnie the Pooh was first created almost 100 years ago, in the early 1920's. Over the past 40-50 years, young audiences have been treated to a series of new adventures with their familiar characters. Marginal characters have had their moments in the spotlight and characters that were never part of the original Pooh "myth" have been introduced. The cumulative effect is that four or five generations of children have seen very different interpretations of Pooh, each colored slightly by its era. The My Friends Tigger & Pooh series reflects a modern aesthetic and introduces a spunky, young heroine in place of Christopher Robin. Christopher Robin comes across a bit stiff for youngsters these days, doesn't he? This Darby is thankfully free of any sassy sarcasm, very much a Disney/parent-screened product against which children will find it easy to project themselves. Purists will probably dislike her companion Buster, but what modern kids' show is complete without a cute little dog or cat?
This collection, My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt, contains six mini-episodes collected around a common theme. Episodes like "Super-Sized Darby" and "The Incredible Shrinking Roo" are calibrated for young children's fascination with sizing up different objects, comparing big and small, tall and short, etc. The show does a nice job of building up mysteries where the young viewer is "in on" the solution while Pooh and friends cast around for clues. There's a subtle nod to shows like Little Einsteins or even Scooby-Doo in My Friends Tigger & Pooh. Each episode revolves around a mystery the Hundred Acre Wood gang must solve, which involves jumping on their scooters (hello, merchandising!) and looking for a solution that will be apparent early on to all but the youngest viewers. Other updated features are a smoother, computer-generated animation style, plus frequent singing and dancing. Episodes like "Piglet's Lightning Frightening" include very catchy tunes your kids will be singing for days after watching. The collection includes a bonus episode, strangely from a different franchise. Kids that like Pooh, or so the logic goes, will probably also enjoy Handy Manny in "Halloween" and "Squeeze's Magic Show." The Halloween theme is a stretch for this whole collection, since only an episode or two really mine the holiday to any great extent.
An additional feature on this DVD is an interactive game that teaches counting and matching, engaging only for a limited audience; the youngest kids won't be ready for the counting and older kids will find the whole experience a bit droll. Parents may grimace at first, watching this 21st Century "upgrade" to one of their favorite childhood characters, but the kids know what time it is. Just as audiences flocked to see Greek tragedians retell classic stories reflecting current political and social agendas, modified to be more recognizable to a "modern" audience, each generation likes to see itself on the television screen...
