Since John Lassetter took the helm at Disney, it seems that Disney has been trying to get back to its roots in many ways. Animated shorts, a medium where Walt himself got his start, are making a come-back. At the same time, Pixar and films like Tron: Legacy are pushing technology in ways that Walt intended when he dreamed up Tomorrowland. One of Walt's principles that I am grateful that they have returned to is telling stories for children. This might seem simple, but so many family movies have felt the need to cater to pre-teens and adults with quirky celebrity voice actors and thinly-veiled dirty jokes. Winnie the Pooh is a movie made purely for children. The writers, artists, and filmmakers who worked on Winnie the Pooh knew that they were telling a story straight out of a picture book, and they stayed true to that vision, making it one of my favorite movies of the year so far.
In Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore is down in the dumps because he lost his tail. Christopher Robin gets everyone together to find a new tail for Eeyore, promising a pot of honey to whoever comes up with the best new tail. Soon after the contest is started, though, Christopher Robin goes missing, and Pooh find a mysterious note on Christopher Robin's front door that reads, “Gon Out Bizy Back Soon.” Pooh takes the note to Owl who decides that Christopher Robin must have been kidnapped by the Backson, a fearsome creature that scribbles in your favorite books, puts holes in your socks, and breaks your crayons. Rabbit comes up with a plan to catch the Backson, and the gang heads off to save Christopher Robin. Of course, if Winnie the Pooh finds a pot of honey along the way, he certainly won't complain.
The plot of Winnie the Pooh is adapted from stories in A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. The film's 8 credited screenwriters seamlessly weaved together the two story-lines of finding a tail for Eeyore and saving Christopher Robin from the Backson. Each character got to shine in their own right. Pooh was a silly bear going to great lengths for a little bit of honey. Owl was appropriately pompous. Kanga was everyone's mother, sweet and caring. Rabbit was neurotic and obsessive about cleanliness, but also came up with the plan to save Christopher Robin. Eeyore and Tigger were hilarious together in a subplot involving Tigger teaching Eeyore how to be a Tigger. Even timid little Piglet got a chance to be the hero. Children can watch Winnie the Pooh and realize that nobody is perfect, but everyone from silly ol' Pooh to bouncy-flouncy-trouncy-pouncy has their own worth.
Across the board, Winnie the Pooh is a fantastic movie. The voice actors all captured what Winnie the Pooh fans love about these characters. Robert Lopez's soundtrack was one of the best children's movie soundtracks since Jack Johnson's soundtrack for Curious George, and Zooey Deschanel's renditions are lovely and whimsical. By far, though, the best part of Winnie the Pooh is the animation. Throughout most of the movie, the animations are drawn like a storybook came to life. During “The Backson” song, though, Owl draws the Backson on a chalkboard, and they all come to life as chalk-drawn characters. It is a wonderfully creative way of showing how a child's imagination grows as they imagine a monster with horns...and red hair...and a gold ring in its nose...and covered in blue fur!
My one and only complaint about Disney's Winnie the Pooh was that Disney decided to open in theaters the same weekend as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Winnie the Pooh belonged in one of the slower weeks in October or November, not up against the biggest movie of the summer. I can only hope that Winnie the Pooh will find its audience on DVD and Blu-ray, and I also hope that under Lassetter's leadership, Disney will keep making more true children's films.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The film's two-disc combo pack comes with the film on Blu-ray and DVD. The DVD includes 3 deleted scenes introduced by the film's director, the animated short The Ballad of Nessie which played before the film in theaters, and a “mini adventure” of Winnie the Pooh titled “Pooh's Balloon.” In addition, the Blu-ray comes with a featurette about the character Winnie the Pooh, a sing-along version of the movie, and the option to just play individual sing-along songs from the movie.
"Winnie The Pooh" is on sale October 25, 2011 and is rated G. Animation, Children & Family. Directed by Don Hall, Stephen J Anderson. Written by Stephen J. Anderson. Starring Bud Luckey, Craig Ferguson, Huell Howser, Jack Boulter, Jim Cummings, John Cleese, Kristen Anderson Lopez, Tom Kenny, Travis Oates, Wyatt Dean Hall.
