What's the difference between a "direct-to-video" (DTV) film like The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea or Pocahontas II: Voyage to a New World and The Tigger Movie? There isn't much of one, except the latter actually made a theatrical appearance in February 2000. Other than that, Tigger bears the mark of most of the DTV presentations in that it was produced by one of Disney's TV animation units and doesn't live up to the high level of quality usually found in their "classic" titles.

However, that shouldn't mean that Tigger isn't worth a look, as the movie's actually a mildly entertaining piece. The story follows standard Disney "inspirational" fare. Although he used to think the best thing about Tiggers is he's the only one, Tig (voiced by Jim Cummings) now starts to feel rather alone and he decides to seek out his family. A mass attempt ensues, and some confusion makes a mess. Eventually, Tigger realizes the inevitable: Pooh (Cummings), Piglet (John Fiedler), and the others are his family, even if they're biologically not Tiggers.

Technically I suppose I should have warned you that potential spoilers appeared in that last paragraph, but if knowledge of the film's ending actually affects your enjoyment of Tigger, you need to get out more. Tig's "revelation" about the true definition of a family can be seen a hundred acres away, but the predictability doesn't really bother me. After all, how many Disney films provide any kind of real surprises? As with lots of other films, the fun comes from the execution, not from twists and turns of the plot.

In that regard, Tigger is a moderate success. It's certainly not a classic Disney offering by any stretch of the imagination, but it only pursues modest goals, and it generally achieves them.

One area in which it mildly excels came from its songs. The film uses new tunes from famed Disney writers Richard and Robert Sherman; they were responsible for the ditties in films like Mary Poppins. The new tunes aren't classics, but they're more interesting than the usual dreck we hear in these lower-budget Disney productions, and the musical numbers featured in the film are occasionally pretty entertaining. For example, Tigger's showstopper "Round My Family Tree" positively recalls Aladdin’s "Friend Like Me".

Of the original voice talents, only John Fiedler appears here. Jim Cummings handles both Pooh and Tigger and does a remarkable job. Frankly, had I not known that original Pooh Sterling Holloway died long ago, I'd still think he had the role, and I didn't realize that someone other than Paul Winchell performed Tigger until I read the credits at the end of the movie. (For the record, Winchell was very much alive during the film’s production. One website said Disney "canned" him as Tigger because he sounded "too old". I don't know if this is true, but it's the only explanation I could find.)

Other parts of the production are better than expected as well. Though completed by one of Disney's TV animation arms - apparently the Japanese crew did this film - the artwork flows more smoothly than usual for this semi-bargain fare. The characters and settings look accurate to the original cartoons - the original Disney styles, that is, not those shown in AA Milne's books - and the motion seems relatively fluid. It doesn't match up more sophisticated movies from Disney, but at least it succeeds fairly well, unlike some of the other TV animation-created pictures.

Overall, The Tigger Movie defines the phrase "modest entertainment". The film shoots for small goals and achieves them in an acceptably enjoyable manner. All aspects of the picture are reasonably well-executed and the tale provides a quietly entertaining experience. It ain't art, but it'll do.

The Tigger Movie appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. I thought the transfer looked quite good.

Sharpness seemed positive. Even in the widest shots, the movie remained accurate and well-defined. Moiré effects and jagged edges looked absent, and I witnessed no edge enhancement. As for print flaws, I saw a couple of tiny specks but nothing more.

Colors seemed lovely, with some bright and accurate hues throughout the film. The movie's palette tended toward fall colors, which were lush and rich; between this element and Tigger's fur, orange dominated the proceedings, and these tones appeared precise and clear. Black levels were deep and dense, with fine contrast, and shadow detail looked clean and smooth; low-light situations were depicted cleanly and with excellent delineation. The Tigger Movie provided a fine viewing experience.

The film's DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack seemed solid as well. The forward soundstage appeared active, with a high level of discrete audio emanating from the side channels; effects, music, and even a little dialogue came from the right and left speakers, all of which helped created a nicely-broad spectrum of sound. The surround channels seemed less active as they tended to stick to ambient music and effects. However, at times they came to life nicely, especially during the snowstorm toward the end of the film; the wind and other nature sounds swirled about effectively.

Audio quality seemed fine at all times. Dialogue appeared crisp and distinct, with good intelligibility throughout the film and no signs of edginess or dullness. Effects were clean and accurate and they displayed no distortion; even during louder scenes like the snowstorm, these elements remained clear and realistic.

The music appeared smooth and bright, with some moderate low end as well; the songs were nicely musical and bouncy. Dynamic range wasn't a standout aspect of the mix, but the track seemed fairly brisk and it showed decent bass at times, whether through rumbling effects or in the songs. Ultimately, it was a somewhat modest soundtrack but it appeared more than adequate for the material at hand.

How did this Blu-ray compare to the 2009 Special Edition DVD release? Audio came across as a bit peppier and richer, while visuals demonstrated nice improvements in terms of sharpness, color clarity and vivacity. The image was the main upgrade here, as the Blu-ray looked much more accurate and vibrant.

The Blu-ray mixes old and new supplements. A featurette called A Tigger Tale runs six minutes, 22 seconds and offers info from writer/director Jun Falkenstein, producer Cheryl Abood, songwriter Robert Sherman, supervising animator Jeff Johnson, and art director Toby Bluth. All five sit at a table together to discuss the original Milne books, their move to the big screen, story/characters, animation and visual design, and songs/music. With its brief running time, “Tale” can’t deliver much depth, but it packs a good amount of info into its space. That helps make it a useful show.

Under Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, we get 10 animated shorts. All together, these run a total of 24 minutes, 21 seconds, and they give us quick Pooh/Tigger/etc. tales. These offer some light fun.

Also found on the Blu-ray for The Muppets, Disney Intermission creates something unusual. If you activate this feature, every time you pause the movie, you’ll see various instances of Pooh material. It offers games and other activities. The Tigger “Disney Intermission” isn’t as delightful as the one for Muppets, but it’s still a cool addition to the set.

A couple of musical features appear. We get the music video for Kenny Loggins' "Your Heart Will Lead You Home". The song is perfectly atrocious and the video appears dull; it follows the usual "lip-synch/film clip" motif and is boring. The "Round My Family Tree" Sing-Along is exactly what the title describes; it allows viewers to do their karaoke best along with the aforementioned tune.

As the disc starts, we encounter ads for Cinderella and Finding Nemo. These also show up under Sneak Peeks along with promos for Disney Parks, Secret of the Wings, Planes, The Aristocats, The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under, Chimpanzee and Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3. No trailer for Tigger shows up here.

The package also includes a DVD Copy of Tigger. This gives us a full retail version with a handful of extras.

Does the Blu-ray omit anything from the 2009 DVD? It drops a few games/activities as well as some episodes of a Pooh TV series. The trailer found on the original 2000 DVD but not its 2009 follow-up also remains missing.

While it doesn’t qualify as one of Disney's all-time great films, The Tigger Movie is more "success" than "failure". It never attempts to be anything other than a cute little story about the real nature of family, and it provides a moderately endearing program. The Blu-ray presents strong picture and audio as well as a smattering of supplements. This isn’t classic Disney, but it’s a likable piece.

To rate this film, visit the 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION review of THE TIGGER MOVIE