Paul Winchell, the original voice of Tigger, was replaced by Jim Cummings, who had voiced Tigger in several later stories of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988). (Although Winchell did provide Tigger's voice for several stories from that series.) The reason given was the seventy-six-year-old's voice was just too scratchy now to properly portray the character. Walt Disney Imagineers heard about this, and insisted on hiring Winchell to provide Tigger's voice for the new "Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" attraction at Walt Disney World. He was, and it's Winchell's voice that is used in the ride.