NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH, THE {THE MASKED OFFENDER; FIND HER, KEEP HER; DONKEY FOR A DAY} (TV)

Summary

Several episodes of this animated series based on the "Winnie-the-Pooh" children's books by A. A. Milne. The first episode, entitled "The Masked Offender," begins when Tigger is inspired to become a masked hero from one of Christopher Robin's storybooks. He fashions a costume for himself and recruits Piglet as his sidekick, becoming the "Masked Offender." All of Tigger's attempts to help the "citizens" of the Hundred-Acre Wood cause no end of trouble: he attacks Rabbit's scarecrow, mistaking it for a hoodlum, which causes his garden to be consumed by crows. He covers over Gopher's hole due to worries about the rain, and inadvertently destroys Owl's house. Rabbit calls a meeting and they decide to get revenge on the "Masked Avenger" by luring him into a trap. They create a fake "monster" and call the "Masked Avenger" to fight it, only for him to become trapped by the glue and molasses used to make the creature. Everyone except Pooh and Piglet has a laugh at Tigger's expense; he reveals his identity and, downcast, goes off to be by himself. However, he is quickly called back into action when Pooh and the others become trapped in the "monster" themselves and find themselves dangling over a great fall. When Piglet goes to help, the "Masked Offender" arrives and saves them. The episode ends as Tigger's attempt to rebuild Owl's house ends in disaster. The second episode, "Find Her, Keep Her," begins as Rabbit saves a baby bird from a snowstorm. Pooh offers to take care of the bird, named Kessie, but Rabbit insists on caring for her himself. Rabbit soon finds that caring for Kessie was more than he bargained for. While Pooh and Piglet bathe her and contemplate why Rabbit seems so grumpy around her, an accident causes Kessie to float off in a soap bubble. Rabbit saves her and makes her promise not to go that high again; Kessie reluctantly agrees. By springtime Kessie is beginning to grow up and Rabbit teaches her about gardening. Tigger takes her out to bounce with him and they accidentally send themselves dangling over a tall cliff. Rabbit rushes to save her despite his fear of heights, but she slips out of his grasp and falls. Owl saves her and expresses a desire to teach her how to fly but Rabbit forbids it, since it means she would fly south for the winter. Kessie yearns to fly despite Rabbit's wishes and makes several unsuccessful attempts. Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet try to assist her by constructing a giant slingshot for her, but Rabbit discovers this and is incensed. He is accidentally launched by the slingshot and rescued by Kessie, now able to fly. Rabbit becomes depressed, realizing that Kessie no longer needs him. When winter comes, she prepares to leave and everyone except Rabbit is there to see her off. Rabbit frantically rushes to tell her that he changed his mind about her flying, but she appears to have left already. However, she returns to say goodbye. The episode ends as Pooh and Piglet realize that Rabbit loves Kessie after all as he waits for her return in the spring. The third episode, entitled "Donkey for a Day," begins when Piglet notices Eeyore sitting alone on his bluff in the midst of a thunderstorm. Feeling sorry for Eeyore, Piglet calls everyone together and proposes that they spend the next day taking turns in an attempt to cheer up Eeyore. Everyone has different ideas of what will work except for Piglet, who spends a great deal of time trying to think of something to cheer up Eeyore. Everyone else engages in various activities with Eeyore: Pooh treats him to a large meal of honey and apples, Owl uses balloons to help Eeyore "fly," Rabbit tries to teach Eeyore about gardening, and Roo and Tigger's attempt to teach Eeyore to bounce with the aid of large bedsprings. Each of these ventures backfires spectacularly, although Piglet believes everyone is doing an exemplary job of cheering up Eeyore and he is stumped for ideas. At the end of the day, Piglet visits Eeyore and admits that it was his idea to spend the day cheering him up, and that he can't think of anything to do with him. Eeyore shows Piglet why he comes up there alone, revealing that he watches a beautiful display in the sky which Piglet dubs "cloud painting." Eeyore responds that anyone with imagination can do it, and the others join in to watch.

Details

• NETWORK: ABC
• DATE: November 30, 1999
• RUNNING TIME: 0:11:45
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:22360
• GENRE: Animation; Children's
• SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Children's
• SERIES RUN: Disney Channel - TV series, 1988; ABC, 1988-1991
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Karl Geurs … Producer, Director
• Barbara Ferro … Associate Producer
• Ken Tsumura … Associate Producer
• David Block … Animation Director
• Terence Harrison … Animation Director
• Bob Zamboni … Animation Director
• Mark Zaslove … Writer, For "The Masked Offender," "Find Her, Keep Her," and "Donkey for a Day"
• Carter Crocker … Writer, For "The Masked Offender"
• Dev Ross … Writer, For "Donkey for a Day"
• Bruce Talkington … Writer, For "Donkey for a Day"
• Larry Bernard … Writer, For "Find Her, Keep Her"
• Doug Hutchinson … Writer, For "Find Her, Keep Her"
• Steve Nelson … Music by, Lyrics
• Thom Sharpe … Music by
• Jim Cummings … Voice, Winnie the Pooh
• John Fielder … Voice, Piglet
• Paul Winchell … Voice, Tigger
• Peter Sansom … Voice, Rabbit
• Hal Smith … Voice, Owl
• Peter Cullen … Voice, Eeyore
• Michael Gough … Voice, Gopher
• Nicholas Melody … Voice, Roo
• Laura Mooney … Voice, Kessie
• Tim Hoskins … Voice, Christopher Robin