The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Travel through Hundred Acre Wood in an oversized Hunny Pot and immerse yourself in the stories of Winnie the Pooh.

“If you ask me, you’ll never reach that tree…”

 Children and adults alike may find themselves swooning over this loveable attraction found towards the rear of Fantasyland. The queue alone will keep your youngsters busy with sights and sounds from the Hundred Acre Wood filling the area with bright colors and enough nostalgia for youth that you may want to turn back the calendar yourself.

Once you climb into your honey pot-shaped vehicle, you’ll be off on an adventure through Pooh’s storybook land and encounter his best pals along the way. From haphazardly designed houses to the confines of the forest, not a moment goes by where something isn’t pining for your attention. A mixture of Audio-Animatronic characters and screens keep the pace moving, though you may not be able to take everything in on your first ride. There is no shortage of Tigger appearances; in fact, he seems to be more of a focus of than Pooh throughout the first half of the attraction. 

Things quickly turn surreal as you enter the Heffalumps and Woozles section of the ride. The youngest of riders may find these characters a bit threatening, but the scenes are awash in upbeat music so the fears shouldn’t last long, even after you run smack dab into a threatening thunderstorm. (Lights and effects are used lightly in this area.) After escaping the flooded landscape, all of the characters come to celebrate and bid you adieu as you exit the life-sized storybook that is The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and return to Fantasyland for your next journey into the world of make believe. (Be sure to check out the Hundred Acre Goods gift shop for all your Pooh-and-friends needs.

Behind the Schemes:

In one of Disney’s most controversial moves in the Magic Kingdom, The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh took over the space that was once home to the beloved attraction, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. When the new attraction announcement was made, Disney fans came together to fight the decision, distributing online petitions, holding protests, and even pleading with Cast Members to stop the change from happening. All was to no avail, however, as Disney plowed ahead with their continued reconstruction of Fantasyland, including the removal of the popular 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage attraction. The company had plans and they were sticking to them like glue.

Reality check:

The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh features the last time that long-time Tigger voice artist Paul Winchell provided the dialogue for the character. Winchell rose to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s as a ventriloquist who had befriended such dummies as Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. Winchell also provided the voice for the Smurfs’ primary antagonist, Gargamel.

In the attraction itself, sharp-eyed guests will see a portrait of Mr. Toad (J. Thaddeus to you) handing over a deed to Owl, as well as of Pooh alongside Toad’s compatriot, Moley. These characters come from the 1949 animated package film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. While guests appreciated the gesture, the loss of one of the Magic Kingdom’s most popular attractions still left a sting the hearts of those who loved it.

The attraction itself primarily uses the story Winnie-the-Pooh and the Blustery Day as its source material, of which there was no shortage of choices to be made as the story itself was based on different short stories by Pooh’s creator, A.A. Milne.