“Wow! It's amazing what you can find in the woods! A marble. And a boot. And oh, my, that's a scary lookin' fella.”
―The Backson's introduction
The Backson is an imaginary creature created by A. A. Milne as a part of the Winnie the Pooh stories and the false main antagonist of Disney's 2011 animated feature Winnie the Pooh film.
The Backson was first introduced in The House at Pooh Corner. In the original story "In Which Rabbit has a Busy Day and We Learn What Christopher Robin Does in the Mornings," Rabbit finds a note from Christopher Robin similar to what Pooh finds in the film and asks the others if they have spotted a herbaceous or spotted Backson until another note from Christopher Robin is found with better spelling. In the film, it is turned into a hunt for the Backson and setting a hole trap for him inspired by "In which Piglet Meets a Heffalump."
The Backson was animated by Eric Goldberg for the film, with the song going for a simplistic chalk drawing form.
Personality[]
According to Owl, the Backson is described as a mean, vicious creature that tries to catch Pooh and his friends in Owl's thoughts and thrives in messiness and chaos, being responsible for all of their misfortunes.
Despite this, the real Backson does not show any vicious personality as he is not seen throughout the film until the post-credits scene where he is getting the bait supposed to lure him to his trap. He is shown in a kind, folksy personality that thrives in generosity and discovery.
Though never stated, it is possible that the Backson desires to make friends and has never experienced friendship and love.
Physical appearance[]
The Backson is a large purple bull-like monster with red stripes, a blue furry coat, and red hair covering his eyes.
One day, Pooh finds a note, but he could not tell what it was. He visits Owl to figure it out, to which Owl claims Christopher Robin has been kidnapped by a creature called the Backson. Pooh and his friends have no clue what it is, so Owl informs them of their new enemy – the Backson is supposedly a ferocious creature that enjoys torturing others and creating misfortune; he is responsible for scribbling in their books, holes in socks, chipped teeth, theft, catching colds, aging, etc. Pooh and his friends set off on a mission to rescue Christopher Robin before it is too late.
Rabbit conducts a plan to defeat the Backson: Gather material that the Backson enjoys destroying, dig an enormous pit, and make the items lead to it. The Backson will follow the items and eventually fall into the pit himself, saving Christopher and defeating the beast. While Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Roo gather the material and set the trap, Tigger and Eeyore train to battle the Backson if necessary.
Soon enough, Pooh and his friends get trapped in the pit, but escape using the text. After getting out, they reunite with Christopher Robin and tell him about the Backson. However, he clarifies by saying that he meant to be "back soon". Finally, everything is straightened out.
After the credits roll, the Backson emerges from the scary woods, proving that he indeed does exist, but instead of being a monstrous beast and a malicious troublemaker as Owl described in "The Backson Song", he is actually very kind and friendly. Upon seeing the bait Pooh and the others left for him, he decides to pick them up to return them, stating he does not want them to get broken. However, he ends up falling into the pit as originally planned. After realizing he is in a pit, the Backson calls out for help. However, he then decides to wait for someone to help him out and hopes he will be back soon.
Despite Owl's thoughts on the Backson, it can be implied that Owl spotted him before and assumed he was a villain, even though he was not for real.
The Backson has a recurring theme song, which is reminiscent of a horror film suspense cue.
Even though Rabbit often had somewhat antagonistic roles, the Backson is the first main solo villain in the franchise, despite the post-credits scene revealing his true harmless colors. Heffalumps and Woozles and bees are villains in a group.
The Backson may not know what he looks like. This is evident by his comment on the chalkboard of his image that it is a "scary lookin' fella." The reason for this is probably because he does not own a mirror in the woods to see his reflection.
The Backson's phrases and mannerisms are based on his original voice actor Huell Howser.
