Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004) (V)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Directors:

Saul Blinkoff
Elliot M. Bour

Writers:

A.A. Milne (characters)
Tom Rogers (writer)

Release Date:

23 March 2004 (Hungary)

Genre:

Animation | Family

Plot:

Roo is upset when Rabbit cancels Easter and declares "Spring Cleaning Day" instead.

Plot Keywords:

Easter | Rabbit | Spring | Pig | Kangaroo

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Jim Cummings	...	Winnie The Pooh / Tigger (voice)
Ken Sansom	...	Rabbit (voice)
Jimmy Bennett	...	Roo (voice)
David Ogden Stiers	...	Narrator (voice)
Kath Soucie	...	Kanga (voice)
John Fiedler	...	Piglet (voice)
Peter Cullen	...	Eeyore (voice)

Runtime:

USA:65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Sweden:Btl (TV rating) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U | USA:G

Company:

DisneyToon Studios

Trivia:

The events of the film directly parallel those of the classic Charles Dickens novel "A Christmas Carol." The Narrator first shows Rabbit events from the past, then has him listen in on another character in a present, then shows him a dismal future, leading Rabbit to realize that he can change. Later, Rabbit references lines from the novel by stating "I'm as jumpy as a jackrabbit! I'm as giddy as a schoolbunny!"

Quotes:

Tigger: What the dickens, and I do mean "Dickens", is goin' on here?

Movie Connections:

Follows Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers

More Disney Crap

Well, I'm not sure if the other person that commented on this movie watched the same one as myself. Granted, this film is geared toward children, however, it's message seems a bit off target, considering the subject matter.

To say this movie was something the entire family can enjoy together is to assume the parents have an IQ not much higher than that of their child.

But before I say anything, I'm not some religious nut.

The movie is loosely adapted from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Had the central holiday in question in this movie been Christmas, it's message would have made more sense. However, it was Easter, and, according to the characters, Easter is the time of year when "we show our buddies that we care." Easter is about caring and sharing, not a religious holiday celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus. In effect, the movie makes it explicitly clear that Easter isn't a religious holiday at all, but a time to celebrate the coming of Spring.

It seems to have been made in typical Disney fashion; sanitized and devoid of the true meaning behind the holiday, such as Christmas, which, as has been transformed over the years to be a celebration of Winter and, yet again, a time when "we show our buddies that we care", as opposed to its original context, that being a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of a particular religious figure.

Had Disney done the same thing to a Muslim, Jewish, or even Hindu holiday, I dare say there'd be quite the backlash and protest. However, it's just a Christian holiday and who cares if a few "believers" are even slightly taken aback by the warped rendition and interpretation Disney gives to their holiest of days.

Thankfully, my daughter is far to young to understand any of this and certainly too young to care. She just likes watching Winnie the Pooh bumble his way through life. However, with older children, I hate to sound conspiratorial, but honest to God, you really have to wonder: are the people who made this film trying to re-educate children? You can write it off as merely a fun movie for tots to sit and gawk at for an hour, but at the same time, you have to admit, children aren't entirely stupid. They understand a lot more than I think we normally give them credit. And I find it difficult to believe that of all the people who helped make this movie, from director to child psychologists, surely at least one of them had to have the same sense of it all as I did.

If I were you, I'd probably just skip this title in favor of getting some of the old Warner Brothers cartoons.