Like many, I grew up watching Winnie the Pooh. I had the whole group as a set of stuffed animals and even named the corners of my street “Pooh Corner” and “Tigger Corner” after two of my favorite cartoon characters.
See those guys in the background??
Little did I know at the time that one day I would grow up and hang out with the man who has done the voices for both characters my whole life! Jim Cummings has been the voice of Winnie the Pooh since 1987, which was before I was born, and became the voice of Tigger in 1989, when I was just a newborn. He was definitely one of the ultimate voices of my childhood- for those two voices and dozens more- and it was such an honor to get to meet him and interview him!
Our day kicked off at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, and when we got there it was absolutely breathtaking. There were gorgeous trees everywhere and lots of peacocks- it was the last thing I expected to see in the middle of Los Angeles!
First up on our agenda was a fun floral arrangement class. We were each given the cutest little Honey Pot jar and several beautiful fall flowers and they taught us how to arrange them beautifully! One of the best things about floral arrangement is that it can be completely personalized- but there are still some tips and tricks to follow. First you want to start with your greenery- two or three different kinds is ideal. Then you add your main flowers {roses in our case}, criss-crossing them as you go to get them to stay together. Then you fill in the spots with more flowers- we used mums- and finally, it’s great to use a unique flower to draw the eye and fill any holes left by the rest of the flowers.
I think my arrangement turned out really pretty! It wasn’t perfect by any means, but nothing in nature is perfect so I was quite pleased with it. I wasn’t able to bring the flowers home on the plane but they made my hotel room look- and smell- great for the remainder of the trip, and I did bring the jar home so I can recreate this look again!
After our floral class, we went over to the picnic spot and it was so cute! There was a giant Friendsgiving table set up under a big, beautiful tree- and that tree had a little door on it just like the one that Pooh and friends used to get to Christopher Robin’s world in the movie! It was all so whimsical and charming. Just off to the side were the literal stars of the show- the actual characters from the movie! It was amazing getting to take photos with the Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet- although Eeyore didn’t seem particularly excited.
After taking in all of the Hundred Acre Wood whimsy, we had the amazing opportunity to interview Jim Cummings! He was so kind and friendly and it was abundantly clear that he loves what he does. He knows that he does much more than make silly voices- he enhances childhoods, encourages imagination, and allows characters to come to life for generation after generation.
On what it was like to see a “live action” version of Winnie the Pooh and the group:
It was magic for me. The new movie, I was so taken with it. It’s so charming- I kind of am the kid in the audience. I like the experience as much as if I had nothing to do with it. I walk in and I go, ‘Oh, gosh, look at that. Look at that!’ I’m just enjoying like there’s no tomorrow.
On if it was different recording his lines for the live action Christopher Robin versus the typical animation:
Yeah, it was. It was hard fitting into the costume but I managed, obviously. You couldn’t tell, right?
See a lot of people think that you kinda loop. In this one we actually did a lot of looping to the big screen and you had to do that after the fact. But the fact is I recorded the whole movie in one day.
On the plot of the movie:
I loved it. I thought it was a great idea- “What if Christopher Robin grew up and turned into a person and got stuck working like the rest of us?” World War II? Oh, wow, now what? It was just so magical. Pooh and the gang went out there and kinda saved him. Kind of returned the favor after all those waterfalls that he saved us from. So, it’s great.
On how he discovered he was good at voices:
I started off as a really annoying child, so it was probably very early on. I was doing dolphin noises. I was always that kid. And when I was a kid, I enjoyed being in plays, but I would wanna be the ogre or the hermit or the weirdo or the wizard instead of the little prince.
So, I was probably inadvertently, unknowingly doing research for this now. Guys like me, we’re all just character actors really. We’re just doing characters, and that’s kinda what they sound like.
On which of his characters he’s the most like, and which are his favorite:
Probably Tigger. Darkwing Duck maybe.
I like Hondo Ohnaka from Star Wars Clone Wars. And honestly, Ray from Princess and the Frog is one of my favorites all-time. I guess I have like five. It’s like which of your five kids are your favorite? Well, all five. There are more. I always joke I’m Winnie the Pooh and the anti-Pooh, ’cause I’m Tasmanian Devil, too.
On the best thing about Winnie the Pooh:
I’ve thought a lot about this, and it’s kinda like a pipeline to your childhood almost no matter how old you are.
After Jim had to go, we had a Friendsgiving lunch and were all so thankful for the experience! It was such a magical afternoon, and one I’ll definitely remember.
Christopher Robin comes out on Digital and Blu-ray TOMORROW, November 6th! Find it wherever Blu-rays are sold or on Amazon.
Who is your favorite Winnie the Pooh character?
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