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 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. While neither are among my favourite episodes, "A Friend In Deed" and "Donkey for a Day" do not disappoint in any way.
The animation is very bright, well drawn and colourful, with the ending scene with Piglet and Eeyore in "Donkey for a Day" being particularly lovely visually. The music is playfully jaunty and beautifully orchestrated, sadder moments with poignant and particularly lush and emotional scoring 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, a standout being Pooh's line to Tigger about "more buzz and less jazz" in "A Friend In Deed", while much of "Donkey for a Day" is incredibly sweet. The stories to both episodes, especially "A Friend In Deed" with the whole stuff with the honey having quite hilarious consequences, are paced beautifully and never feels rushed or stretched, while "A Friend In Deed" is a funnier episode "Donkey for a Day" ends on a genuinely sweet note.
As always the characters shine, Tigger has always been my favourite but Pooh is adorable in "A Friend In Deed", Eeyore's pessimism is done in an endearing way still and even though Rabbit may seem mean and makes mistakes frequently throughout the show he is an example of a character who learns from them (and he does here). The voice acting is excellent, particularly from Jim Cummings, John Fiedler, Ken Sansom and Paul Winchell (unequalled as Tigger, Cummings is fine as the character later on but Winchell made the character iconic, nobody can think of a better Eeyore either than Peter Cullen).
Overall, two great episodes if not quite one of my favourites from a show full of episodes impossible not to like let alone love. 10/10 Bethany Cox
While the original three 60s-70s short films 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. While neither are among my favourite episodes, "A Friend In Deed" and "Donkey for a Day" do not disappoint in any way.
The animation is very bright, well drawn and colourful, with the ending scene with Piglet and Eeyore in "Donkey for a Day" being particularly lovely visually. The music is playfully jaunty and beautifully orchestrated, sadder moments with poignant and particularly lush and emotional scoring 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, a standout being Pooh's line to Tigger about "more buzz and less jazz" in "A Friend In Deed", while much of "Donkey for a Day" is incredibly sweet. The stories to both episodes, especially "A Friend In Deed" with the whole stuff with the honey having quite hilarious consequences, are paced beautifully and never feels rushed or stretched, while "A Friend In Deed" is a funnier episode "Donkey for a Day" ends on a genuinely sweet note.
As always the characters shine, Tigger has always been my favourite but Pooh is adorable in "A Friend In Deed", Eeyore's pessimism is done in an endearing way still and even though Rabbit may seem mean and makes mistakes frequently throughout the show he is an example of a character who learns from them (and he does here). The voice acting is excellent, particularly from Jim Cummings, John Fiedler, Ken Sansom and Paul Winchell (unequalled as Tigger, Cummings is fine as the character later on but Winchell made the character iconic, nobody can think of a better Eeyore either than Peter Cullen).
Overall, two great episodes if not quite one of my favourites from a show full of episodes impossible not to like let alone love. 10/10 Bethany Cox
