Noteworthy for the little things and the chemistry between the characters

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 ('Honey Tree', 'Blustery Day' and 'Tigger Too') 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. 'The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' is, as said a few times already, a rare example of a show with not a bad episode for the whole four seasons it ran, and has something for kids and adults alike. While neither "Lights Out" and "Tigger Shoes" are among the best episodes, they are still great and noteworthy for the little things and the characters' chemistry.

The animation in both episodes is very bright, well drawn and colourful, everything looking lush, detailed and smooth, with also the underground scenes in "Lights Out" having a suitably dark visual look. The music is playfully jaunty and beautifully orchestrated, enhancing sadder moments with poignant and particularly lush and emotional scoring, whimsical parts with an energy but also pathos 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, while both stories are also beautifully told, simple but always charming and light-hearted. What was immediately so good about "Lights Out" was the little things and the writing. For example Gopher's reactions to anybody saying the word "dark" are priceless, and likewise with everyone runs into Pooh, the candle goes out and he keeps lighting the candle again and again. The writing as per usual is very amusing, with the best being "Heffamadingles" and "Can't Say I like my face either...". Despite not being the most endearing, funniest or most likable character on the show, this is another example of Rabbit making a mistake and trying to put things right and learn from what he did.

Conversely, "Tigger Shoes" is a more than ideal episode for fans of Tigger. The animation has beauty and fluidity, though I wasn't sure whether blue is the normal colour for cabbage, and the music has energy. The story has plenty of heart as well, with another case of Tigger being misunderstood and Rabbit having to learn from his mistakes but what's special here is that this theme is still done in a fresh way. The writing is again often very funny with the likes "Oh, accidents only happen when Tigger is around, and I've got him gone﻿ for days/Hey Rabbit!" standing out.

The characters are all delightful as is their chemistry which in some way anchors the show, while the voice acting is uniformly excellent, Paul Winchell, Jim Cummings, Ken Sansom and Michael Gough very much shining in one or both of the episodes.

In conclusion, while not two of the best of the show they are still great episodes regardless and noteworthy as said for the little things and the characters' chemistry. 10/10 Bethany Cox

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