That always know a friend
In good and glad and sad times
The heart remembers them
There are new friends yet to meet
There's a place for them to start
But old friends always keep their
Places in the heart
Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine For You is a 1999 Valentine's Day special in the Winnie the Pooh franchise.
With Valentine's Day approaching, Pooh and his friends find Christopher Robin writing a letter to someone named "Winifred", and to their surprise, they find he's attracted to — oh bother — a girl! Owl points out he's been bitten by a "Smitten", and they worry he will no longer have time to hang with them because of this, with only a second bite to cure him of his potential lovesickness. The gang sets out to find the Smitten and capture it so they can save their friend, only to discover that even though he has a new friend, he won't forget them at all, as old friends have a place in the heart.
This special is notable in being the very last time that Paul Winchell voices Tigger before his death in 2005. After this, he will permanently be voiced by Jim Cummings, the same voice actor for Pooh.
Tropes in this work include:
- Bait-and-Switch: At the beginning of the special, Christopher Robin is writing a letter. The characters and the audience are led to believe that he is writing to Pooh, but it turns out he's actually writing to a girl named Winifred.
- Book Ends: The special begins and ends with a shot of the carving of Christopher Robin's "Me & Pooh" card in a tree bark.
- The Cameo: Kanga and Roo are absent in this special, yet toy versions of them still appear in the live-action introduction.
- Chromosome Casting: None of the animals (except Owl) know what a girl is.
- Continuity Nod: During "Places In The Heart", flashbacks from "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too" and Pooh's Grand Adventure are shown.
- Crowd Song: The ending of "Places In The Heart" has Pooh, Christopher Robin and all their friends singing together.
- Foregone Conclusion: If Christopher Robin is to be taken by canon with this, it's come clear that Christopher Robin does not end up with Winifred, given that he marries Evelyn in the film.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: Pooh is suddenly faced with a decision whether or not to give Christopher Robin the second bite to cure his lovesickness; he chooses the latter, because seeing how happy he is to have his new friend is for the best.
- Friendship Song: When Pooh confesses to Christopher Robin that he feared he won't be with him anymore because of his new friend, he reassures him he'll always have him with the song "Places in the Heart".
- The Ghost: We never actually get to see Winifred.
- Good All Along: Pooh discovers the Smitten isn't as scary as he and his friends thought, and it even acts as a beacon to reunite them.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Pooh ultimately decides to release the Smitten because Christopher Robin's new friend makes him so happy and he wouldn't have it any other way.
- MacGuffin: The Smitten.
- Out of Focus: Owl only has a role in one brief scene, after which he is never seen again for the rest of the special. He's also the only character who doesn't get a valentine and does not appear in the closing song.
- Relationship Sabotage: Pooh and the gang try to stop Christopher Robin from falling in love with Winifred fearing he won't have time to play with them anymore.
- Sweet and Sour Grapes: Pooh finally catches the Smitten and is ready to give it to Christopher Robin, but Christopher shows him the card he made for Winifred, and upon seeing how happy he is to have a new friend, Pooh hesitates and decides to let the Smitten go for the sake of not wanting to hurt his feelings.
- Sudden Eye Color: Eeyore has blue eyes here, when they are standard black in all other appearances.
- Surprisingly Happy Ending: When it seems that Christopher Robin won't see Pooh and his friends again, they find special valentines for them which he made them, with Smitten paying them each a visit.
- Valentine's Day Episode: The second after New Adventures's "Un-Valentine's Day".
- Vocal Evolution: Due to Paul Winchell's age, Tigger's speaking voice sounds like Dick Dastardly and Gargamel with a lisp.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: We don't ever see Owl after his explanation that Christopher Robin is "in love". And as before, he's the only one who didn't get a valentine from Christopher Robin.
