Happy Halloween season to all, and for the occasion I wanted to highlight one of my earliest favorite childhood specials that helped shape my love for the season. Along with “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”, the 1996 Holiday Special “Winnie the Pooh: Boo to You Too!” was one of the very first Halloween specials I ever saw in my lifetime. While I’d obviously discover even better specials in the years to come, I still look back on this as one of my essential pillars that helped shape Halloween into my childhood favorite holiday. It was the special that highlighted Trick R' Treat as a mini adventure in of itself, a time when kids journey out into the night, imagine facing their own fears or dangers, and return home for sweet treats, celebrating their victory. It originally aired on CBS and was adapted from the 1988 animated series “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”. That too was one of my earliest programs I regularly watched on TV, which made this special feel right at home.
At the moment of the momentous occasion, Pooh Bear, Tigger and friends are eager to go out Trick T’ Treating … all except for little Piglet, who naturally is terrified of the unknown haunts that come with Halloween night. Still, he’s also very eager to be there with his friends, and celebrate the holiday, even though his anxiety is taking over. As the weather gets worse outside, the group gets separated, and it’s up to Piglet to find his feet, bring everyone together, and prove to his friends that he’s brave enough to face whatever the night throws at him. The message of standing up to your fears and concurring personal obstacles is a familiar but timeless message to present to kids, and this special conveys it very well. I even remember taking some inspiration from it during my early boy hood years, as I too was facing my own personal obstacles at the time.
Piglets original voice actor, the late John Fieldler was still portraying the character at the time, and he’s absolutely wonderful in this special. Steve Schatzberg provided Piglet’s singing voice, and even the characters song “I am not Afraid” is a sentimental little piece that’s well staged, well scored and always left me feeling comforted inside.
Peter Cullen of “Transformers” fame is naturally present as the voice of Eeyore, and Gopher has a cute running gag of dressing up as his closest friends as he can’t think of any original costume ideas for Trick R’ Treat. Of course, the great Jim Commings voiced both Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too. He arguably understands the character of Pooh Bear better than anyone, as he not only nails all the inflections and mannerisms, but he also gives the character a soul, which is present in this special. Of course, Tigger more than anyone was my childhood favorite, and in this outing, his love for the Halloween season was absolutely infectious. I distinctly remember when I was a kid, getting excited for the holiday, and replicating many of Tigger’s quirks and mannerisms.
John Rhys-Davies, famous for his roles in “The Lord of the Rings” and “Indiana Jones” franchises is the titular Narrator of this story and is sensational. In later years, this special got interwoven with another Holiday offering called “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie”, in which the character Roo took over as narrator … and it just wasn’t as good. Seriously, it may seem minor, but this special isn’t the same without John Rhys-Davies narration, especially in the opening. Quick side note, “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie” is also a perfectly good Halloween special on its own, I just wish it was on its own without utilizing "Boo to you Too!" as a story within a story. Getting back on track, just like with “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”, nothing supernatural occurs … but it still feels enchanting in how it presents the season. From the opening title sequence, this animated special captures a magical sense of the holiday, as it’s both eerie and ominous, yet still enticing and engaging.
I’m not kidding when I say this special is dripping in warm Autom atmosphere, laced with the chills and excitement that come with the growing darkness of the night.
Also, for a simple, mid-90’s TV production, the animation is wonderful, with gorgeous backdrops, an artistic eye for lighting and no shortage of personality to the settings. It’s very amusing how just about every tree in the forest has taken on a monstrous form for the occasion, each looking like the scary nightmare trees from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Back in 1997, Phil Spencer won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for his work on his special, and rightfully so. Even with the enhanced animation of recent animated Pooh offerings, both in shows and specials, I still find myself drawn back to the crud, but expressive illustrations as seen in this Halloween special.
The last highlight to mention is the showstopping musical number “I Want to Scare Myself”, which aside from the opening is my favorite part of the film. I’m convinced … this musical number right here is when my love for the holiday was set in stone. No joke, one of the first things I loved about Halloween was its collection of different characters and creatures.
This musical number was the first time I saw so many at once, like all Halloween characters on parade. The song isn’t even that long, about a minute at best, and yet, it still left an impact. The music tempo was bouncy, the lyrics were easy to remember, and the melody still lingers in the back of my mind whenever spooky season comes around. Once more, this song is exploding with energy and delightfully spooky visuals that are constantly being thrown at the screen. We get headless horsemen, mad scientists, haunted mansions, a selection of costumes, and a parade of all kinds of ghosts and goblins. Basically, it was just an awesome treat to see as a child, and it left a lasting impression on me.
With a timeless message, humble animation, catchy songs, and no shortage of warm nostalgic feelings, “Winnie the Pooh: Boo to you Too!” is still a perfect special to get little kids brought up on the Halloween season. It may be slight stuff compared to what children have access to now days, but for me, this was a special animated experience from my childhood that added an important flavor to Trick R’ Treat. Putting my sentimental feelings aside, I think it still holds up as a solid offering for kids, and one that may shape the feelings of younger viewers today.
Thanks for
reading my review of the 1996 Holiday Special “Winnie the Pooh: Boo to you
Too!” … and let’s continue to make every day in October feel like
Halloween!
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