Animation and animated movies are commonplace and mainstream today, plus the glut of original children's programming makes it easy to miss diamonds in the rough. Let's face it, the "rough" ain't so rough anymore... gone are the days when "animation on television" was synonymous with "cartoons on Saturday morning." Animation for grown-ups, especially in prime time slots, paved the way for an entire industry to grow up. The slick production of a feature like My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Tigger, Pooh and a Musical Too! would have been a once-a-year event in my childhood, where it's now possible to catch Pooh and his friends every day on cable.

With that "kids today have it good" preamble out of the way, we'll say that Tigger, Pooh and a Musical Too! is not a diamond in the rough. It probably qualifies for "cubic zirconium in the rough" status at best. There are nifty special features on the DVD that include a Kenny Loggins video (too bad it's not a Pooh-and-cast remake of "Highway to the Danger Zone"), and an interactive game that stacks up well against any I've seen before. The game makes its mark by giving players several options for customizing a stage show, teaching them some dance moves, and then letting them play along to their own creation. Several sing-along options are available as well, making this a DVD that will stay in rotation for some time.

The biggest issue we had with Tigger, Pooh and a Musical Too! is how much it feels like a 30-minute episode trying to be a feature film. The basic plot is that Rabbit, after being elected Mayor, decides to impose his unique brand of anal retention on the Hundred Acre Wood gang. Rabbit's rules are pretty stifling, including restrictions on bouncing (of course), playing Pooh Sticks, and eating honey. When this riles everyone and things start falling apart, Rabbit literally paints a line down the middle of the Woods and tries to keep bossing around meeker animals like Piglet. There is some good stuff here, more than enough to fill a typical episode, but much recycling happens in an effort to run out the clock. How many times do we need to see gags involving the line painted directly through Piglet's house? Do we need to see the impact on every single member of the Hundred Acre Woods? Probably not...

The payoff for kids is likely to be that Tigger, Pooh and a Musical Too! tries hard to blend the animation style, cast of characters, and plotting of the My Friends Tigger & Pooh series with past features like Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Good effort, but in the end, it is not as engaging as a good episode of My Friends Tigger & Pooh and doesn't have enough going on to justify the extra length. If you don't have the previous compilations of My Friends Tigger & Pooh or the Heffalump feature films, you'll find those better ways to spend your hard-earned dollar. For the kids that already have everything, My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Tigger, Pooh and a Musical Too! introduces some nice new songs and will keep them quite entertained on that drive to the grocery store or bank.