Owl (Winnie the Pooh)

Owl is a character in A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh books and in Disney's Winnie the Pooh series. Owl's character is obviously based on the stereotype of the "wise old owl", although in the books, the quality of Owl's "wisdom" is sometimes questionable. Owl was originally voiced by Hal Smith, with Andre Stojka taking over after Smith's death. Owl tends to speak using Received Pronunciation.

Personality
Owl is considered by most to be the smartest resident of the Hundred Acre Woods. He is known for talking about his many relatives, and tends to tell long drawn out stories which bore the others.

Design
Owl is, as his name would suggest, an anthropomorphized owl with light tan plumage on his underside and brown plumage on his head, tail, and back. His three-taloned feet are also brown. He has a short tuft of white feathers just under his beak, somewhat resembling a beard. The area around his eyes is a slightly lighter shade of brown. His eyes are black with pale yellow sclera, and his eyebrows are dark brown. Finally, Owl's beak is yellow.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Owl first appears in the segment Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. He is seen with Christopher Robin as the boy is attempting to fix Eeyore's tail, and gives his opinion that the tail needs to be moved to the right. Later on, he notices Pooh trapped in Rabbit's door. He decides that the situation needs to services of an expert, which turns out to be Gopher. But when Gopher wishes to use dynamite, Owl refuses. When Pooh is finally able to be removed, Owl is one of the people to help pull him out.

In Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, we see that Owl lives in a small house located in a tree top. Pooh comes to visit him to wish him a Happy Winds Day. However, while the two are visiting, the strong winds blow over Owl's tree, damaging his home. After noting that Owl's home cannot be repaired, Eeyore offers to find him a new one. In the meantime, Owl begins telling a long story about a relative, with the Narrator noting that he spoke "from page 41 to page 62." In the midst of the later flood, Owl makes his way to Christopher Robin's home, the only area not under water. When Christopher Robin finds Piglet's message for help, he sends Owl, who can fly, to tell Piglet that help is on the way. Owl finds Piglet floating on a small chair. To calm Piglet, he begins speaking of another relative, completely oblivious to the fact that the two are about to go over a waterfall. At the end of the segment, Eeyore finds a new house for Owl, which turns out to be Piglet's. However, Piglet selflessly gives Owl his home, and goes to live with Pooh.

Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore
In Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore Pooh goes to Owl's House to ask Owl for assistance with Eeyore's birthday present. At Pooh's request, Owl writes "A Very Happy Birthday With Love From Pooh," on a honey pit which Pooh intends to give to Eeyore. Owl also tells Pooh about the birthday celebration that he and his family gave his Great Uncle Robert who had just turned 103 years old (but would only admit to being 97). After this, Owl flies off to tell Christopher Robin about the news of Eeyore's birthday. Owl is later seen at Eeyore's birthday party, where he begins to tell the story of his Great Uncle Robert's birthday party again, but he is interuppted by Tigger. Tigger bounces Rabbit, causing Rabbit to suggest that Tigger leaves. Christopher Robin suggests that everyone play Pooh Sticks. After the game, is over Owl congratulates Eeyore on his birthday party and flies home.

Welcome to Pooh Corner
In Welcome to Pooh Corner, Owl is portrayed by a person wearing an adult-sized puppet costume. Here, Owl is usually seen wearing glasses. When flying, he is sometimes seen wearing a pilot's hat and scarf, and when he takes off, a plane engine can be heard. Owl is also shown to have a love for cooking. Owl's theme song in the show is called "Responsible Persons".

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Owl appears regularly in the animated series, though he is considered a secondary character. Owl is shown to live in the same tree house that was seen in the film. Despite not appearing as often as others, he does feature prominently in a few episodes. In the episode "Owl Feathers", the gang believe that Owl is going bald due to finding a pile of feathers. It is later revealed that the feathers weren't Owl's, but were from Christopher Robin's pillow because Pooh and Christopher Robin had a pillow fight the previous night. In "Owl's Well That Ends Well", Owl is revealed to be a terrible singer, though he himself doesn't realize it. However, Rabbit comes to appreciate the singing, as it keeps the crows out of his garden. In "My Hero", Tigger becomes Piglet's servant, due to a policy stated by Owl that when one is rescued, the rescuee must serve the rescuer as a form of repayment.

Like always, Owl often talks about his relatives, and several appear in the show. He has a younger cousin named Dexter who appears in the episodes "The Bug Stops Here," where he is babysat by Pooh, and in "Owl in the Family", alongside Owl's Uncle Torbett and Aunt Ophelia. In the episode "Prize Piglet" Owl reveals that his Uncle Albert once raced from Albania to Zansibar.

Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
In Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore go to Owl to read them a note from a honeypot that Christopher Robin left Pooh before he mysteriously left and Pooh accidentally got honey all over the note. After Owl gets the honey off the note, he reads the note wrong and says that Christopher Robin has gone to a place called Skull (School), which is a faraway and forbidden place. When Pooh and the gang decide to go on a quest to rescue Christopher Robin, Owl draws them a map and says that they'll face dangers along the way including Heffalumps, Woozles, Jagulars and the most scariest one of all the Skullasauraus. Owl then sings the song Adventure and sends Pooh and the gang on their quest and he salutes them. It is later revealed that Owl told Pooh and the gang where to find Christopher Robin; at skull they must find him in the eye of the Skull. Towards the end, Owl is seen one last time flying over Christopher Robin saying "Thank goodness. You got him."

Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving
In Winnie the Pooh Seasons of Giving Pooh and the gang prepare a Thanksgiving Dinner to which they all bring something of their own for dinner. Owl brings biscuits from a recipe that was passed down to him from his Uncle Torbett.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
Owl makes a cameo in Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas. During the Mickey and Minnie Gift of the Magai Episode Owl is seen in the crowd listening to Mickey play his harmonica and watching Pluto dance along to the music with a child.

The Tigger Movie
In The Tigger Movie when Tigger is looking for his family of Tiggers he and Roo go to Owl for help finding them to which Owl suggests that Tigger should find his family tree to which Tigger does. Later on when Roo decides to write Tigger a letter from his family he gathers Kanga, Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore at Owl's House and has Owl write the letter. Kanga suggests for Owl to write Dress Warmly, Pooh suggests Eat Well, Piglet Suggests Stay Safe and Sound, Eeyore suggests Keep Smiling, Roo suggests We're always there for you, And Owl finishes the letter Wishing You All The Best Signed Your Family. The next day when Tigger shows the letter to his friends he tells them that his family of Tiggers are coming to visit him tomorrow. Owl asks Tigger where the letter said that and Tigger says Nowhere because we Tiggers have to read between the lines. Roo then decides that he, Owl, and the others should dress up as other Tiggers and act as Tigger's family to which they do. When they arrive at Tigger's House dressed up as his family everything goes according to plan until Roo accidently bounces into Tigger's closet causing his mask to fall off and Tigger pulls off all of the others' masks including Owls which makes him mad and he leaves to find his real family. Later on when Pooh, Roo, Piglet. Rabbit, and Eeyore go out to find Tigger and he rescues them from an avalance Owl and Kanga and Christopher Robin show up and they manage to explain to Tigger that they're his family by reciting what the letter said. In the end Tigger gives his family a party and he gives Owl a yo-yo for a present. Owl then along with the others gets a family picture taken with Tigger so Roo can put it in his heart shaped locket that Tigger gave him as a present.

The Kingdom Hearts series
Owl is one of many animals who live in the 100 Acre Wood. He helps Sora while he is in the 100 Acre Wood with advice on mini-games and how to find more Torn Pages. Owl is by far, the most intelligent of the 100 Acre Wood characters, as evidenced by his knowledge of the 100 Acre Wood's current situation- they are in a storybook and there are pages missing, to which Sora must find.

Kingdom Hearts
Owl functions as the narrator and tutorial guide in the 100 Acre Wood telling Sora when he needs to find more pages, giving him help with mini-games, and overall just providing instruction. Though at times he will talk to other characters such as Pooh or Tigger.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Owl is part of the challenge to find Pooh's friends. He is seen flying overhead.

Kingdom Hearts II
Owl plays the same role as he did in the first Kingdom Hearts title providing Sora with instruction. But unlike the first game he plays more a role in the story of the world.

Trivia

 * Owl can spell his name ("Wol") and the word "Tuesday" (so that you know it isn't Wednesday), but his spelling goes all to pieces over delicate words like measles and buttered toast. He can also read, although only if no-one is looking over his shoulder.
 * In the Winnie the Pooh book, Owl lives in a tree known as The Chestnuts, located in the middle of the Hundred Acre Wood and described as an "old world residence of great charm" which is grand enough to have both a door-knocker and a bell-pull. That house is blown down by a storm in the eighth chapter of The House at Pooh Corner. Eeyore eventually discovers what he believes is the perfect new house for Owl, apparently without noticing that it is actually Piglet's house. Nonetheless, Piglet offers the house to Owl, and he presumably moves in. Owl made a sign indicating that he planned to call his new house "The Wolery".
 * Unlike most of the original cast of the books, the illustrations of Owl look more like a live animal than a stuffed one. This idea is also supported by Rabbit's comment to him, "You and I have brains. The others have fluff." In Ernest H. Shepard's illustrations, Owl appears to be about a head shorter than Pooh, and a little below hip-height to Christopher Robin. He is sometimes but not always drawn wearing reading glasses. When the illustrations show him writing, he holds the pen in his talons, not with his wing.
 * Owl appears in chapters IV, VI, VIII, IX, and X of Winnie the Pooh. He also appears in chapters V, VIII, IX, and X of The House at Pooh Corner, and is mentioned in several other chapters.