The featurette was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company on December 20, 1968, having been shown in theaters with The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit.

[1][2][3] It starred the voices of Sterling Holloway as Winnie the Pooh, Jon Walmsley as Christopher Robin (replaced Bruce Reitherman), Barbara Luddy as Kanga, Clint Howard as Roo, Paul Winchell as Tigger, Ralph Wright as Eeyore, Hal Smith as Owl, Howard Morris as Gopher, John Fiedler as Piglet, Junius Matthews as Rabbit, and Sebastian Cabot as the narrator.

[4] (Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, which was released six years later in December 1974, was nominated for the same Academy Award, but lost to Closed Mondays.)

Meanwhile, Pooh manages to escape to higher ground with ten honey pots, only to also be washed away by the rising waters.

Shortly before Walt Disney's death on December 15, 1966, the animation department was finishing work on The Jungle Book and preparing for The Aristocats.

In late summer 1967, before The Aristocats went into production, it was decided to go ahead with a featurette-length sequel to Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.

[8] Because The Honey Tree was popular with American audiences, it was decided Blustery Day would be the first animation project without Disney.

[10] However, after Disney's death, Boag's performance of the character was considered to be "too zany for a children's film," and Paul Winchell took the job instead.

Although Fiedler's natural speaking voice was higher than most men's, he still had to raise it considerably to achieve the character's high pitch.

[12] In anticipation of the short's release, Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty proclaimed October 25, 1968 as "Winnie the Pooh Day".

Starting from Disneyland, Pooh and several other characters made personal appearances in several Sears stores throughout 25 cities in the United States to help promote merchandise.

[13] The film was released on December 20, 1968 in the United States, as a supplement to Disney's live-action comedy feature The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit.

This short also shows up as a bonus feature on the 2006 DVD release of Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin.