Up, Down and Touch the Ground
Encyclopedia
"Up, Down and Touch the Ground" is a song from the 1966
musical film
featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
. The song was also subsequently incorporated into the 1977
musical film
, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
which is an amalgamation of the three previous Winnie-the-Pooh
featurettes including The Honey Tree. In the song Winnie the Pooh's exercise makes him hungry, and although he over-eats (it leads to his stuck-in-Rabbit's door incident later in the film), he is proud of his fat stomach and he exercises to gain weight and grow even rounder. Halfway through the song however, he bends down too far, accidentally ripping the stitching on his bottom as a result of becoming fat, but upon seeing his bottom in the mirror, he quickly ties it together again. By the end of the song Pooh has rationalized his over-eating by calling his hunger, "healthy".
The song was written by Robert & Richard Sherman who have written most of the music for the Winnie-the-Pooh
franchise over the years.
to write the songs for Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
, American songwriters Robert & Richard Sherman struggled with the concept. The insight and inspiration for the Pooh songs came from an unlikely source, as is explained in the Sherman Brothers' joint autobiography, Walt's Time:
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is a 1966 animated featurette released by The Walt Disney Company. Based on the first two chapters of the book Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, it is the is the only Winnie the Pooh production released under the production of Walt Disney before his death later that...
. The song was also subsequently incorporated into the 1977
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is the 22nd full-length animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on March 11, 1977....
which is an amalgamation of the three previous Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
featurettes including The Honey Tree. In the song Winnie the Pooh's exercise makes him hungry, and although he over-eats (it leads to his stuck-in-Rabbit's door incident later in the film), he is proud of his fat stomach and he exercises to gain weight and grow even rounder. Halfway through the song however, he bends down too far, accidentally ripping the stitching on his bottom as a result of becoming fat, but upon seeing his bottom in the mirror, he quickly ties it together again. By the end of the song Pooh has rationalized his over-eating by calling his hunger, "healthy".
The song was written by Robert & Richard Sherman who have written most of the music for the Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
franchise over the years.
Anecdote
When first approached by DisneyWalt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
to write the songs for Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is a 1966 animated featurette released by The Walt Disney Company. Based on the first two chapters of the book Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, it is the is the only Winnie the Pooh production released under the production of Walt Disney before his death later that...
, American songwriters Robert & Richard Sherman struggled with the concept. The insight and inspiration for the Pooh songs came from an unlikely source, as is explained in the Sherman Brothers' joint autobiography, Walt's Time: