My Friends Tigger & Pooh is an American computer-animated children's television series on the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel. It was inspired by A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh. The series was developed by Walt Disney Television Animation and executive producer Brian Hohlfeld.
The series aired from May 12, 2007, to October 9, 2010, in the United States.
Premise
The series features Winnie the Pooh and other characters from Disney adaptations of Winnie-the-Pooh. It also introduces two new characters, an imaginative 6-year-old red-headed girl named Darby and her dog Buster. Darby is the main protagonist and an amateur sleuth. Her older best friend is Christopher Robin, who has grown up and makes two appearances over the course of the series. Darby teams up with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger to form the trio of Super Sleuths, and investigate mysteries in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Episodes
Voice cast
Major
Chloë Grace Moretz as Darby
Dee Bradley Baker as Buster
Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger
Recurring
Travis Oates as Piglet
Peter Cullen as Eeyore
Ken Sansom as Rabbit
Kath Soucie as Kanga
Max Burkholder as Roo
Oliver Dillon as Lumpy
Brenda Blethyn as Mama Heffalump
Guest
Tara Strong as Porcupine and Vixen
Rob Paulsen as Raccoon
James Arnold Taylor as Skunk
Mark Hamill as Turtle
Sydney Saylor as Possums
Dee Bradley Baker as Woodpecker
Struan Erlenborn as Christopher Robin
Jim Cummings as Beaver
Production
In 2005, it was announced that Disney was creating a new television series, with a new female character replacing Christopher Robin as the protagonist. My Friends Tigger & Pooh was developed by Walt Disney Television Animation, with animation from Japanese company Polygon Pictures, and was executive produced and story edited by Brian Hohlfeld. After voicing Piglet in Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie, Travis Oates reprises his role, taking over for John Fiedler, who died on June 25, 2005, two years prior to the debut of the series. It also marks the final time Peter Cullen, Ken Sansom and Kath Soucie provide the respective voices of Eeyore, Rabbit and Kanga, as all three would be recast in 2011's Winnie the Pooh. Cullen later reprises Eeyore in the 2017 Doc McStuffins special "Into the Hundred Acre Wood."
Release
Broadcast
My Friends Tigger & Pooh premiered on Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney block on May 12, 2007. The series was renewed for a second season in June 2007. It was renewed for a 35-episode third season in March 2008.
In 2018, the series was released on Youku. My Friends Tigger & Pooh later became available to stream on Disney+.
Home media
Reception
Critical response
Marilyn Moss of Associated Press called My Friends Tigger & Pooh a "charming series," adding that the "animation is splendid, and, of course, the characters retain their charm." Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave My Friends Tigger & Pooh a grade of four out of five stars and complimented the presence of positive messages, writing, "Overall, this is a delightful show that encourages kids to think critically about the world around them by involving them in fun puzzle solving. Plus, it's got upbeat songs, which kids are sure to love."
Ratings
My Friends Tigger & Pooh was the number 1-ranked television series for kids 2–5 during its first season, earning a 5.2 rating. It also ranked as the top kid series with women 18–49 (0.7 rating), according to Disney Channel. The series continued to be the top-ranked show in kids 2–5 during its second season.