Roo

Last updated

Roo
Winnie-the-Pooh character
Xmas roo2.gif
Roo in the Disney animated version
First appearance Winnie-the-Pooh (1926)
Created by A. A. Milne
Voiced by Clint Howard ( Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day )
Dori Whitaker ( Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too )
Dick Billingsley ( Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore )
Kim Christianson ( Welcome to Pooh Corner )
Nicholas Melody ( The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh )
Robie Lester (record release)
Nikita Hopkins (1998–2005)
Jimmy Bennett (2004–2006)
Max Burkholder (2007–2009)
Wyatt Hall (2011 film and Kinect: Disneyland Adventures )
Sara Sheen (Christopher Robin)
Aidan McGraw ( Kingdom Hearts III )
In-universe information
Species Kangaroo joey
Gender Male
Family Kanga (mother)
Nationality English

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 (known as a joey) 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. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Roo participates in the adventures of a teddy bear called Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends Piglet, a small toy pig; Eeyore, a toy donkey; Owl, a live owl; Rabbit, a live rabbit; and Christopher Robin, a human boy. Roo is introduced in the chapter entitled "In Which Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest and Piglet has a Bath." Roo's friend Tigger does not appear until the sequel, The House at Pooh Corner . He would subsequently appear in various cartoons and other adaptations.

Profile

Roo is a young kangaroo, or joey. His mother is called Kanga. The New York Times has noted that inquiring about the fate of Roo's father is one of many questions that could be asked, such as "Where are Pooh's pants?" [4]

Because of his young age, Roo is a very small animal, the smallest in the story (other than Rabbit's friends and relations, and Alexander Beetle), although he must be very close in size to Piglet since Kanga is unable to tell the difference when Piglet jumps into her pouch instead of Roo. (In Ernest H. Shepard's illustrations, Roo appears to be very slightly smaller than Piglet.) He is also apparently small enough to fall down mouse holes while practicing jumps, and too small to reach the first rail of the Poohsticks bridge.

Like most of the characters in Winnie-the Pooh, Roo was based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed toys. The illustrations show Roo with brown fur and an upturned tail.

Roo and Kanga come to the Forest "in the usual way" in Chapter VII of Winnie–the–Pooh . He also appears in Chapter VIII, is mentioned in Chapter IX, and appears again in Chapter X of that book. In The House at Pooh Corner , Roo appears in chapters II, IV, VI, VII, IX, and X, and is mentioned in a few others. Some of the adventures that Roo experiences include being "kidnapped" by Rabbit, accompanying the "expotition" [5] to the North Pole (and getting an impromptu swimming lesson), attending Christopher Robin's party for Pooh, getting stuck in a tree with Tigger, and playing Poohsticks.

Unlike many of the other characters in the Pooh books, Roo does not have a known favorite food, although his mother makes him watercress sandwiches on occasion. He dislikes the extract of malt that his mother gives him as "strengthening medicine" after meals, though he will reluctantly take it.

Some of Roo's friends include Tigger, Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, and Christopher Robin.

Adaptations

Roo appears in the Shirley Temple's Storybook episode, played by Louis Jean Norman.

Roo also appears in the Disney cartoon versions of the Winnie the Pooh stories. He was originally voiced by Clint Howard. Later performers include Dori Whitaker ( Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too ), Dick Billingsley ( Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore ), Kim Christianson ( Welcome to Pooh Corner ), Nicholas Melody ( The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ), Nikita Hopkins (2000-2005), Jimmy Bennett ( Springtime with Roo ), Max Burkholder ( My Friends Tigger and Pooh ), and Wyatt Hall ( Winnie the Pooh ).

In the cartoons, Roo is the smallest of the regularly appearing characters. He has brown fur and wears a light blue shirt. He often expresses thoughts and feelings that make him seem wiser than his years. In fact, on occasion Roo seems even wiser than many of the older characters.

He states that he's got a mother (Kanga) when he tries to comfort Tigger in The Tigger Movie . He appeared in Piglet's Big Movie and his own direct-to-video movie, Springtime with Roo .

Roo becomes good friends with Lumpy the Heffalump in Pooh's Heffalump Movie .

Roo appeared as one of the guests in House of Mouse and Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse .

Roo made his first live action appearance in the 2018 film Christopher Robin , voiced by Sara Sheen. [6]

Satirical psychological study

A tongue-in-cheek psychological study of Roo was published in the year 2000, [7] [8] by pediatricians at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the Canadian Medical Association Journal during its end of year issue in April; which publishes lighter more parody-style content. [7] This Canadian team was following the trend of analyzing famous art works, to point out that even wonderful people can have disorders. [9] Reuters reported as follows about the Canadian study:

The researchers said they are especially worried about baby Roo, who is growing up in a single-parent household and whose closest friend, Tigger, is not a good role model. "We predict we will someday see a delinquent, jaded, adolescent Roo hanging out late at night at the top of the forest, the ground littered with broken bottles of extract of malt and the butts of smoked thistle," the article said. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigger</span> Fictional tiger-like character

Tigger is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic stuffed tiger. He was originally introduced in the 1928 story collection The House at Pooh Corner, the sequel to the 1926 book Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed toy animals. He appears in the Disney animated versions of Winnie the Pooh and has also appeared in his own film, The Tigger Movie (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Robin</span> Fictional character created by A. A. Milne

Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, based on his son Christopher Robin Milne. The character appears in the author's popular books of poetry and Winnie-the-Pooh stories, and has subsequently appeared in various Disney adaptations of the Pooh stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eeyore</span> Character from Milnes Winnie-the-Pooh-books

Eeyore is a fictional character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh.

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

A Heffalump is an elephant-like character 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.

Rabbit (<i>Winnie-the-Pooh</i>) Fictional character

Rabbit is a fictional character in the book series and cartoons Winnie-the-Pooh. He is a friend of Winnie-the-Pooh, regards himself as practical and tends to take the lead, though not always with the results that he intends.

<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>Winnie-the-Pooh</i> (book) 1926 book by A. A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh is a 1926 children's book by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The book is set in the fictional Hundred Acre Wood, with a collection of short stories following the adventures of an anthropomorphic teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo. It is the first of two story collections by Milne about Winnie-the-Pooh, the second being The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne and Shepard collaborated previously for English humour magazine Punch, and in 1924 created When We Were Very Young, a poetry collection. Among the characters in the poetry book was a teddy bear Shepard modelled after his son's toy. Following this, Shepard encouraged Milne to write about his son Christopher Robin Milne's toys, and so they became the inspiration for the characters in Winnie-the-Pooh.

<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.

<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>The Book of Pooh</i> US childrens TV series

The Book of Pooh is an American children's television series that aired on the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel. It is the third television series to feature the characters from the Disney franchise based on A. A. Milne's works; the other two were the live action Welcome to Pooh Corner and the animated The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which ran from 1988 to 1991. It premiered on January 22, 2001 and completed its run on July 8, 2003. It was repeated on Playhouse Disney until June 2, 2006. The show is produced by Shadow Projects. Walt Disney Pictures released the first of two films, a direct-to-video spin-off film based on the puppetry television series titled The Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart in 2001.

<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>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>Piglets Big Game</i> 2003 video game

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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnie-the-Pooh</span> Fictional character created by A. A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name in a children's story commissioned by London's Evening News for Christmas Eve 1925. The character is inspired by a stuffed toy that Milne had bought for his son Christopher Robin in Harrods department store, and a bear they had viewed at London Zoo.

<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 and 2001 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.

References

  1. ↑ The Teacher's Calendar School Year 2006-2007, page 125 (McGraw-Hill Professional 2006): "Piglet, Kanga, Roo, and Tigger were all stuffed animals".
  2. ↑ "The Adventures of the REAL Winnie-the-Pooh". New York Public Library.
  3. ↑ "10 surprising Winnie-the-Pooh facts". The Telegraph. September 8, 2017.
  4. ↑ Scott, A. "FILM REVIEW; You're Only Happy With Your Own Kind? Oh, Pooh", The New York Times (2000-02-11): "any child will tell you that stuffed animals don't have birth parents, and to raise the issue of Tigger's parentage is to invite all sorts of other questions. What happened to Roo's father? Why is Rabbit a bachelor? Where are Pooh's pants?"
  5. ↑ Milne, A. Winnie the Pooh (1926):
    "We are all going on an Expedition,” said Christopher Robin.
    “Going on an Expotition?” said Pooh eagerly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on one of those. Where are we going to on this Expotition?”
    “Expedition, silly old bear."
    Such is the style of the book in which Roo first appeared.
  6. ↑ Rosseboom, Matt (23 July 2018). "Journey back into the Hundred Acre Wood with 'Christopher Robin' and voice-acting legend Jim Cummings". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  7. 1 2 Shea, Sarah et al. "Pathology in the Hundred Acre Wood: a neurodevelopmental perspective on A.A. Milne", Canadian Medical Association Journal, Volume 163, pages 1557–1559 (2000).
  8. ↑ Willis, Randall. "Winnie–the–Pooh and attention deficit, too", NewsInBrief, Modern Drug Discovery (April 2001).
  9. 1 2 Karleff, Ian. "Winnie The Pooh Characters "Seriously Troubled"". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2019– via TVNZ.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.