Don't read this if you desire no spoilers whatsoever. ;)
This adorable little movie was a very nice return to the quaint, classic, storybook-style Hundred Acre Woods, complete with interactive text. Many of the voices were, unfortunately, while not bad, too different to feel comfortable transitioning from the ones I'm used to. I dearly wished for the old Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, etc. Even Tigger sounded somehow slightly different from his usual self, although it was obviously still Jim Cummings. Pooh himself was the one who sounded the most like he always has--which is to say, completely the same. I love Bud Luckey, and he was a good choice for Eeyore, but there's simply no replacing the originals. I kept picturing the Jackalope from "Boundin'" the entire time, lol. (Or Chuckles from "Toy Story III," or Rick Dicker from "The Incredibles"...) It wasn't their fault, of course, that things couldn't be kept perfectly consistent--and indeed, these characters have changed voice actors before. Somehow, though, for the most part, all of the older ones felt more similar, more right, more appropriate, and more readily acceptable.
A few moments struck me as feeling slightly out-of-character, such as Roo's "Send in the pig"--which was a funny line, regardless. Otherwise, the movie didn't feel very "modern," which was a good thing. (And as a side note, I am convinced that Piglet is at least an armadillig, if not a "purebred" armadillo, despite his name and the frequent references to him being a "swine.")
The songs were quite cute; I actually found myself humming or singing a few of them later on! They may not be the best or most memorable songs ever written for Pooh (those are still nearly impossible to equal), but they were good, and got my seal of approval. Zooey Deschanel's lovely, lilting tune that plays during the end credits is an added treat; in fact, she has a great musical talent, on par with her pop star doppelgänger. ;)
The movie IS rather short, perhaps just barely a full-length feature, so I am somewhat glad to have watched it at home, but I think that it still would have been a very worthwhile and enjoyable theater experience. The three basic story lines (Pooh's quest for honey, the search for a new Eeyore tail, and the "Backson" problem) were absolutely classic Pooh, and kept the film flowing along nicely. It had the cozy, warm, fuzzy quality of old Pooh--which is exactly what I was expecting, and the reason you should see it.
Its animation is marvelous--warm, old-fashioned, richly detailed, and true to the classics, although very exaggerated at times (e.g., Rabbit's facial expressions while trapped in the hole. Nothing wrong with this; it was quite amusing...just a tad surprising because it seemed more extreme than what I anticipated.) I always miss Gopher, whom rarely appears in newer Pooh movies.
It must be said that the "Backson" storyline was very similar to the plot of "Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin." Owl misreads a harmless note left casually by Christopher to let his Hundred Acre Wood friends know he'd be away for a spell, and works everyone up into a tizzy because he interprets it as a cry for help. Conjuring up images of deathly peril for Christopher and epic adventures for his friends to try and save him, he leads the gang in a song, ultimately chickening out of the thing himself. Sound like way too much coincidence? Oh, definitely. There is no way they weren't intending to create another version of this, a variation on that theme. Why would one not expect Owl to do such a thing twice, or for the others not to be just as vulnerable to his sensational errors again? These characters, even the more intelligent ones, have never exactly been creatures of very much brain. ;)
So, yes...as Pooh is forever seeking his beloved "hunny" (but ultimately caring about nothing more than his friends), and Eeyore will probably never stop losing his tail and his house, this movie was primarily based upon things we have seen before. It really went back to the roots of Pooh, which is great--rather than being disappointing because we'd "seen it before," it was refreshing to watch such pure, awesome Poohness again, in a different way. The "swimming in the giant pot of honey" was definitely reminiscent of past dream/fantasy sequences. "Pooh's Grand Adventure" is, however, one of my favorite movies and, I believe, a superior one in just about every way. Its story, songs, animation, script, characterization, etc., are utter perfection; I give it a full 10/10. This new 2011 film gets a solid 8 from me.
What this really makes you want to do is watch the all-time best Winnie the Pooh productions:
*Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree *Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day *Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore *Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too *The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (including holiday specials such as Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too or Spookable Pooh, and the adventure- and learning-based video collections) *Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
I mean, I could not possibly stress enough how every line, song, scene, scary bit, moving moment, and other memorable element of those episodes and features just sticks with you forever and floods you with happiness each time you think about it, no matter what. I can't imagine calling a childhood complete without growing up on those until they, like the thousands of other threads that make up the quilt of mine, are indelibly ingrained into one's mind and memory. Yeah...they are just that amazing.
More recent movies such as The Book of Pooh, Piglet's Big Movie, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, or The Tigger Movie, have all been cute and worth the watch, earning 6s or 7s from me...maybe one 5.
Bottom line: "Winnie the Pooh" is strongly recommended!!
This adorable little movie was a very nice return to the quaint, classic, storybook-style Hundred Acre Woods, complete with interactive text. Many of the voices were, unfortunately, while not bad, too different to feel comfortable transitioning from the ones I'm used to. I dearly wished for the old Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, etc. Even Tigger sounded somehow slightly different from his usual self, although it was obviously still Jim Cummings. Pooh himself was the one who sounded the most like he always has--which is to say, completely the same. I love Bud Luckey, and he was a good choice for Eeyore, but there's simply no replacing the originals. I kept picturing the Jackalope from "Boundin'" the entire time, lol. (Or Chuckles from "Toy Story III," or Rick Dicker from "The Incredibles"...) It wasn't their fault, of course, that things couldn't be kept perfectly consistent--and indeed, these characters have changed voice actors before. Somehow, though, for the most part, all of the older ones felt more similar, more right, more appropriate, and more readily acceptable.
A few moments struck me as feeling slightly out-of-character, such as Roo's "Send in the pig"--which was a funny line, regardless. Otherwise, the movie didn't feel very "modern," which was a good thing. (And as a side note, I am convinced that Piglet is at least an armadillig, if not a "purebred" armadillo, despite his name and the frequent references to him being a "swine.")
The songs were quite cute; I actually found myself humming or singing a few of them later on! They may not be the best or most memorable songs ever written for Pooh (those are still nearly impossible to equal), but they were good, and got my seal of approval. Zooey Deschanel's lovely, lilting tune that plays during the end credits is an added treat; in fact, she has a great musical talent, on par with her pop star doppelgänger. ;)
The movie IS rather short, perhaps just barely a full-length feature, so I am somewhat glad to have watched it at home, but I think that it still would have been a very worthwhile and enjoyable theater experience. The three basic story lines (Pooh's quest for honey, the search for a new Eeyore tail, and the "Backson" problem) were absolutely classic Pooh, and kept the film flowing along nicely. It had the cozy, warm, fuzzy quality of old Pooh--which is exactly what I was expecting, and the reason you should see it.
Its animation is marvelous--warm, old-fashioned, richly detailed, and true to the classics, although very exaggerated at times (e.g., Rabbit's facial expressions while trapped in the hole. Nothing wrong with this; it was quite amusing...just a tad surprising because it seemed more extreme than what I anticipated.) I always miss Gopher, whom rarely appears in newer Pooh movies.
It must be said that the "Backson" storyline was very similar to the plot of "Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin." Owl misreads a harmless note left casually by Christopher to let his Hundred Acre Wood friends know he'd be away for a spell, and works everyone up into a tizzy because he interprets it as a cry for help. Conjuring up images of deathly peril for Christopher and epic adventures for his friends to try and save him, he leads the gang in a song, ultimately chickening out of the thing himself. Sound like way too much coincidence? Oh, definitely. There is no way they weren't intending to create another version of this, a variation on that theme. Why would one not expect Owl to do such a thing twice, or for the others not to be just as vulnerable to his sensational errors again? These characters, even the more intelligent ones, have never exactly been creatures of very much brain. ;)
So, yes...as Pooh is forever seeking his beloved "hunny" (but ultimately caring about nothing more than his friends), and Eeyore will probably never stop losing his tail and his house, this movie was primarily based upon things we have seen before. It really went back to the roots of Pooh, which is great--rather than being disappointing because we'd "seen it before," it was refreshing to watch such pure, awesome Poohness again, in a different way. The "swimming in the giant pot of honey" was definitely reminiscent of past dream/fantasy sequences. "Pooh's Grand Adventure" is, however, one of my favorite movies and, I believe, a superior one in just about every way. Its story, songs, animation, script, characterization, etc., are utter perfection; I give it a full 10/10. This new 2011 film gets a solid 8 from me.
What this really makes you want to do is watch the all-time best Winnie the Pooh productions:
*Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree *Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day *Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore *Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too *The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (including holiday specials such as Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too or Spookable Pooh, and the adventure- and learning-based video collections) *Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
I mean, I could not possibly stress enough how every line, song, scene, scary bit, moving moment, and other memorable element of those episodes and features just sticks with you forever and floods you with happiness each time you think about it, no matter what. I can't imagine calling a childhood complete without growing up on those until they, like the thousands of other threads that make up the quilt of mine, are indelibly ingrained into one's mind and memory. Yeah...they are just that amazing.
More recent movies such as The Book of Pooh, Piglet's Big Movie, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, or The Tigger Movie, have all been cute and worth the watch, earning 6s or 7s from me...maybe one 5.
Bottom line: "Winnie the Pooh" is strongly recommended!!