Piglet's Big Game

Last updated
Piglet's Big Game
Piglet's Big Game Cover PS2.JPG
PAL region PS2 cover art
Developer(s) Doki Denki Studio
Hulabee Entertainment (Win)
Publisher(s) Gotham Games (GC, PS2)
Disney Interactive (GBA, Win, Mac)
THQ (GBA PAL)
Series Winnie the Pooh
Engine RenderWare (GC, PS2)
Platform(s) GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Windows, Mac
ReleaseGameCube
PlayStation 2
Game Boy Advance
  • NA: March 11, 2003 [4]
  • PAL: December 3, 2003
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Disney's Piglet's Big Game is a 2003 action-adventure game developed by French developer Doki Denki Studio and Hulabee Entertainment, and published by Gotham Games, Disney Interactive Studios, and THQ. The game centers around Piglet and how he tries to show how he can help. The game is loosely based on Piglet's Big Movie .

Contents

Gameplay

GameCube, PlayStation 2, and GBA versions

The game features seven levels which focus on Piglet entering his friends' dreams to help them with their problems. Enemies such as heffalumps, woozles, scary trees, a talking door, and walking mirrors (who are only found in the GBA version) can be encountered in certain locations and Piglet must make use of scary faces to scare them away. This can be done by completing a code shown on the bottom of the screen. Some enemies have abilities that can hinder Piglet's attempts to scare them. An enemy getting too close to Piglet will result in Piglet getting scared. Should this happen, Piglet can find a Christopher Robin balloon to comfort him. Cookies can be used to purchase different scary faces to use; these cookies are hidden in or behind stationary objects (five in each object) and can be collected by kicking the objects.

Some levels have a part where the player can play as another character who can help Piglet progress in a quest. Tigger is playable in Roo and Rabbit's dreams and his level segments involve him having to sneak past heffalumps and woozles in order to stay out of their view range. Pooh is playable in Owl and Tigger's dreams and his level segments involve him having to run from heffalumps and woozles (after they heard his tummy rumbling) in order to be able to complete a task for Piglet.

Microsoft Windows Version

The Windows version focuses on a point and click adventure style. Piglet has the ability to move to different locations and pick up items. Several minigames are also playable, such as a painting minigame located at Eeyore's home; not only can players paint pictures on Eeyore's easel, but they can also paint pictures from Piglet's scrapbook.

Plot

GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions

The game starts with Piglet observing Pooh reaching for a beehive, Roo reaching for a ball that is caught in a tree, Owl trying to remember where his memory book is, Rabbit planting his carrots, Eeyore having his usual gloomy days, and Tigger painting his house to look like him. During this, Piglet is frightened by a shadowy monster called the Granosorus, but it disappears before his friends can see it. Christopher Robin tells him that it was part of his imagination and that he must overcome his fears. However, Piglet says that heroes are supposed to be big and brave, and since he is the opposite, he is convinced that he will never become a hero.

As Piglet sadly leaves the Hundred-Acre-Wood, his friends start to fall asleep doing what Piglet saw them doing. At the same time, Piglet discovers a mysterious telescope which causes him to magically enter their dreams and begins to help them with their problems such as giving Pooh honey, helping Roo find his ball, searching for Owl's memory book, helping Eeyore find colors, helping Rabbit harvest his carrots, and finding Tigger's missing stripes. Along the way, he faces off against many kinds of Heffalumps, Woozles, living trees, and a sentient door.

After helping them all, the Hundred Acre Wood gets flooded and Piglet attempts to save his friends, who are trapped on islands with Heffalumps and Woozles. Once Piglet rescues everyone, the Granosorus appears, but Piglet is able to scare it off. Christopher Robin comes and after learning of Piglet's bravery and heroic actions, he gives everybody a picnic to celebrate.

Game Boy Advance version

After having a nightmare involving a monster called the Granosorus, Piglet runs towards his friends warning them of the monster before Christopher Robin calms him down. He explains that the nightmares can teach him how to be brave, so Piglet leaves to find out how to do so while his friends begin to fall asleep. Piglet discovers several dream portals, allowing him to enter their dreams and help them find their possessions and battles Heffalumps, Woozles, and living trees; the talking door also appears in this version. Every dream from the console version of the game is present in this game except Owl's and Tigger's. After helping everyone, a flood covers the woods, forcing Piglet to face his fears rescue his friends while dealing with many Heffalumps, Woozles, living trees, the talking door, and eventually the Granosorus. Once everyone is rescued and the Granosorus is scared away, Christopher Robin arrives and after finding out that Piglet has faced his fears, he gives everyone a picnic to celebrate Piglet's bravery.

Microsoft Windows version

In the Windows version, Piglet pays a visit to Rabbit's house, where Rabbit is busy making soup for his friends. He decides to help collect the soup ingredients from his friends to help Rabbit finish it. The ingredients list consists of honey, thistles, milk, pepper, haycorns, and a random vegetable from Rabbit's garden; Pooh was supposed to bring the honey, Eeyore was supposed to bring the thistles, Kanga and Roo were supposed to bring the milk, and Owl was supposed to bring the pepper, but none of them have come back with the ingredients. After Piglet brings all the ingredients to Rabbit, everyone (except Kanga and Roo) arrives for the party, so Rabbit leaves Piglet in charge of preparing the soup. Once the soup is finished and ready, everybody gathers at a picnic table to eat, where they thank Piglet for his help.

Reception

The game received positive reviews, according to Metacritic. [5] Ryan Davis, in a review for GameSpot, deemed the game very much superior to most children's games and movie tie-ins, and praised the voice acting, sound and art design (which features "surreal" imagery of the character's dream worlds). Davis also noted the game's gentle pace. [6] IGN's Chadd Chambers gave both the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions a 7.0/10, [7] finding the gameplay simple but well-executed and easy to control and the battle system well-suited for the young target audience due to its lack of violence. [2] He compared the graphics positively to the look of the cartoon and praised the "quite enjoyable" art direction, [2] the real-time shadows, and the quality of the cut-scenes. [7] While the Game Boy Advance version was given a 6.5/10, writing, "This surreal, wonderfully produced game is perfect for youngsters." [7]

Notes

  1. 1 2 "'Piglet's BIG Game' Coming To PS2 & NGC". WorthPlaying. February 13, 2003. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Chambers, Chadd (2003-03-14). "Piglet's Big Game Review (page 1)". IGN. Archived from the original on 2004-06-03. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
  3. "What's New?". Eurogamer.net. 2003-07-18. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  4. "Piglet's Big Game (GBA)". IGN. Archived from the original on 2004-12-17.
  5. 1 2 "Piglet's Big Game". Metacritic .
  6. 1 2 Davis, Ryan (2003-05-02). "Piglet's Big Game Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive, Inc. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chambers, Chadd (2003-03-14). "GameCube: Piglet's Big Game". IGN. Archived from the original on 2004-06-03.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heffalump</span> Fictional species from Milnes Winnie the Pooh stories

A Heffalump is an elephant-like creature in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Heffalumps are mentioned, and only appear, in Pooh and Piglet's dreams in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and are seen again in The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Physically, they resemble elephants; E. H. Shepard's illustration shows an Indian elephant. They are later featured in the animated television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988–1991), followed by two animated films in 2005, Pooh's Heffalump Movie and Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piglet (Winnie-the-Pooh)</span> Fictional character

Piglet is a fictional character from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books. Piglet is Winnie‑the‑Pooh's closest friend amongst all the toys and animals featured in the stories. Although he is a "Very Small Animal" of a generally timid disposition, he tries to be brave and on occasion conquers his fears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roo</span> Character in Winnie-the-Pooh

Roo is a fictional character created in 1926 by A. A. Milne and first featured in the book Winnie-the-Pooh. He is a young kangaroo and his mother is Kanga. Like most other Pooh characters, Roo is based on a stuffed toy animal that belonged to Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne. Though stuffed, Roo was lost in the 1930s in an apple orchard somewhere in Sussex.

<i>Piglets Big Movie</i> 2003 film

Piglet's Big Movie is a 2003 American animated musical adventure comedy-drama film released by Walt Disney Pictures on March 21, 2003. The film features the characters from the Winnie-the-Pooh books written by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard and is the third theatrically released Winnie the Pooh feature. In this film, Piglet is ashamed of being small and clumsy and wanders off into the Hundred Acre Wood, leading all of his friends to form a search party to find him.

<i>The House at Pooh Corner</i> 1928 book by A. A. Milne

The House at Pooh Corner is a 1928 children's book by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepard. This book is the second novel, and final one by Milne, to feature Winnie-the-Pooh and his world. The book is also notable for introducing the character Tigger. The book's exact date of publication is unknown beyond the year 1928, although several sources indicate the date of October 11.

<i>Poohs Heffalump Movie</i> 2005 animated film directed by Frank Nissen

Pooh's Heffalump Movie is a 2005 American animated musical adventure comedy-drama film produced by the Japanese office of Disneytoon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring characters from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories, the film is the fourth theatrical animated film in Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise and DisneyToon Studios's third adaptation of Winnie the Pooh stories, following The Tigger Movie (2000) and Piglet's Big Movie (2003). The film was released theatrically on February 11, 2005. The film was followed by a direct-to-video Halloween sequel titled Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie which came out seven months after the film's release.

<i>Welcome to Pooh Corner</i> American TV series or program

Welcome to Pooh Corner is a live-action/puppet television series that aired on Disney Channel, featuring the characters from the Winnie the Pooh universe portrayed by actors in human-sized puppet suits, except Roo, who was originally a traditional puppet. The animatronic costumes used for the characters were created by Alchemy II, Inc., headed by Ken Forsse who later created Teddy Ruxpin. The show was first aired on April 18, 1983, the day The Disney Channel was launched. Its timeslot for its early run was at 8:30 a.m. Eastern/Pacific Time, making it the third program of The Disney Channel's 16 hour programming day. Reruns of the show aired on The Disney Channel until May 30, 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hundred Acre Wood</span> Fictional forest in the Winnie-the-Pooh series

The Hundred Acre Wood is a part of the fictional land inhabited by Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Winnie-the-Pooh series of children's stories by author A. A. Milne. The wood is visited regularly by the young boy Christopher Robin, who accompanies Pooh and company on their many adventures.

<i>Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day</i> 1968 short film directed by Wolfgang Reitherman

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day is a 1968 American animated featurette based on the third, fifth, ninth, and tenth chapters of Winnie-the-Pooh and the second, eighth, and ninth chapters from The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne. The featurette was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company on December 20, 1968, being shown in theaters with The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit. This was the second of the studio's Winnie the Pooh theatrical featurettes. It was later added as a segment to the 1977 film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The music was written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. It was notable for being the last Disney animated short to be produced by Walt Disney, who died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, two years before its release.

<i>Poohs Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin</i> 1997 film

Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin is a 1997 American direct-to-video animated musical adventure comedy-drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Karl Geurs. The film follows Pooh and his friends on a journey to find and rescue their friend Christopher Robin from the skull. Along the way, the group confront their own insecurities throughout the search, facing and conquering them in a series of events where they are forced to act beyond their own known limits, thus discovering their true potential. Unlike the film's predecessors, this film is an entirely original story, not based on any of A. A. Milne's classic stories.

<i>Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore</i> 1983 animated short film directed by Rick Reinert

Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore is a 1983 American animated featurette based on the sixth chapter of both books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. Produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution, the short initially received limited release on March 11, 1983, before expanding to a wide release on March 25 as part of a double feature with the re-issue of The Sword in the Stone (1963), which it accompanied in most countries except Australia where it accompanied a reissue of Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Directed by Rick Reinert, the featurette featured the voices of Hal Smith, John Fiedler, Will Ryan, Ralph Wright, and Paul Winchell.

<i>Seasons of Giving</i> 1999 film

Seasons of Giving is a 1999 American direct-to-video Christmas animated musical film which included A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving, and two episodes from The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It features new songs by The Sherman Brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (attraction)</span> Dark ride at Disney theme parks

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a dark ride based upon the 1977 film of the same name, itself based on the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The attraction exists in slightly different forms at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland Park. Pooh's Hunny Hunt, located in Tokyo Disneyland, is an enhanced "E-ticket class" attraction, featuring full audio animatronics and a trackless ride system.

<i>A Very Merry Pooh Year</i> 2002 film

A Very Merry Pooh Year is a 2002 American direct-to-video Christmas animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The film features the 1991 Christmas television special Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too, as well as a new film, Happy Pooh Year. The film animation production was done by Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd., and Sunwoo Animation, (Korea) Co., Ltd.

<i>Poohs Heffalump Halloween Movie</i> 2005 animated film by Saul Andrew Blinkoff, Elliot M. Bour

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie is a 2005 American direct-to-video Halloween animated fantasy adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and DisneyToon Studios, featuring the characters from Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise, and it was the sequel to Pooh's Heffalump Movie. This was the final Winnie the Pooh film to be produced by DisneyToon Studios before they moved to Tinker Bell films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney's Pooh & Friends</span>

Disney's Pooh & Friends is a book series based on the Pooh stories by A. A. Milne, along with the Lessons from the Hundred Acre Wood series.

<i>A Valentine for You</i> 1999 American film

Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You is a Valentine's Day special based on A. A. Milne's stories, originally broadcast on ABC on February 13, 1999. A Valentine for You was released on VHS in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and on DVD in 2004 and 2010. It was made available for streaming on Disney+ on February 11, 2022.

<i>Winnie the Pooh</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise

Winnie the Pooh is a media franchise produced by The Walt Disney Company, based on A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's stories featuring Winnie-the-Pooh. It started in 1966 with the theatrical release of the short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.

<i>Party Time with Winnie the Pooh</i> 2001 video game

Party Time with Winnie the Pooh is a Party video game released for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 2001. It was developed by Doki Denki Studio and published by Electronic Arts in the United States and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in Europe.