Directed by: Stephen Anderson, Don Hall
Narrated by John Cleese
Starring: Jim Cummings, Tom Kenny, Craig Ferguson, Travis Oates, Bud Luckey
Jack Boulter
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Rated G
Running time: 63 minutes
Overall Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Who doesn’t love Winnie The Pooh? Everyone young and old at some point in their lives have been affected by Pooh and his friends from the 100 acre woods. This film is a really brave move on Disney’s part. In a world of CGI animation, there is little room or (gasp as I type this) want for traditional animated films. This film does hold it own though and really stands out from other animated films CGI or not. This film is very funny and even had me belly laughing. It has you singing…if you got the soundtrack prior to watching like me. It will also deliver a lot of hard that the brand the series is best known for.
The film is based on three stories found in the A.A Milne books and it is very simple and sweet. We follow Pooh on a quest for honey (shocked right?) but he gets sidetracked when he meets up with Eeyore who cannot find his tail. The whole gang from the 100 acre woods start a quest to find Eeyore a new tail or ‘tael’, as they say spell it in the film. While on that quest they go to visit Christopher Robin’s house and find a note at his door. They gang discovers that he has been kidnapped by a monster called the “Backson”. From there we follow the gang on their quest to rescue Christopher Robin…and eeyore’s tail…and find honey for Pooh…Oh bother!
The video looks so perfect in glorious 1080p. The colors are vibrant and so crystal clear. I also loved the fact that you see the traditional drawing lines from the animators. The sound is also superb delivers a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Very impressive. Speaking of music, there are a bunch of songs by actress Zooey Deschanel. She is brillant and brings so much to the film with her beautiful folk songs. They really add so much to the film.
The extras are impressive like most Disney releases. “Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too” provides a look into the history of A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. It is quick and worth a watch. There are about five deleted and alternate scenes included with introduction by the directors. The scenes total about 15 minutes and includes the following “The Tummy Song,” “Rabbit’s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”. There are two animated shorts are available: “The Ballad of Nessie” and “Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Pooh’s Balloon”. Both very cute and worth a watch for sure. Included in most Disney films with songs you can jump to each of the film’s songs “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” “The Tummy Song,” “A Very Important Thing to Do,” “The Backson Song,” “It’s Gonna Be Great,” “Everything is Honey” and “The Winner Song Finale”. If you are a fan of the soundtrack there is a sing-along track that you can watch during the movie. “Creating the Perfect Winnie the Pooh Nursery” is actually a perfect feature for myself since my wife and I are currently expecting. It gives tips on designing a Pooh-themed nursery. Lastly there are about 8 minutes of Disney sneak previews. Overall this is a great set and totally worth the purchase. Don’t miss this.
