Winnie the Pooh (2011 film)  Winnie the Pooh is a 2011 American traditionally animated musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 51st Disney animated feature film, the film was inspired by A. A. Milne's stories of the same name and is part of Disney's "Winnie the Pooh" franchise, and the fifth theatrical "Winnie the Pooh" film released. It is also Disney's latest animated film using traditional animation as of 2020. Jim Cummings and Travis Oates reprise their voice roles as Winnie the Pooh (and Tigger) and Piglet, while newcomers Tom Kenny, Craig Ferguson, Bud Luckey and Kristen Anderson-Lopez provide the voices of Rabbit, Owl, Eeyore and Kanga, respectively. In the film, the aforementioned residents of the Hundred Acre Wood embark on a quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit while Pooh deals with a hunger for honey. The film is directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall, adapted from Milne's books by a story team led by Burny Mattinson, produced by Peter Del Vecho, Clark Spencer, John Lasseter and Craig Sost, and narrated by John Cleese. Production began in September 2009 with John Lasseter announcing that they wanted to create a film that would "transcend generations." The film features six songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, as well as a rendition of the Sherman Brothers' "Winnie the Pooh" theme song by actress/musician Zooey Deschanel. The film was released on April 6, 2011 in Europe and on July 15, 2011 in the United States. It received largely positive reviews from critics but was commercially unsuccessful, having grossed $50.1 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. The film is dedicated to Dan Read, who had worked on Disney animated films including "The Emperor's New Groove" and "Chicken Little", and died on May 25, 2010. It was also the first and only Disney film role of Huell Howser, who voices the Backson in the epilogue. Winnie the Pooh wakes up one day to find that he is out of honey ("The Tummy Song"). While out searching for more, Pooh discovers that Eeyore has lost his tail. Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo come to the rescue ("A Very Important Thing To Do") while Tigger has his bouncing fun.