Blu-ray Review “Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo”

Starring: Jim Cummings, Ken Sansom, Jimmy Bennett, David Ogden Stiers, Kath Soucie, John Fiedler
Directors: Elliot M. Bour, Saul Andrew Blinkoff
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Run Time: 65 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1 out of 5 stars

“Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo” is a 2004 direct-to-video film, which features voice actors Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Peter Cullen as Eeyore, and John Fiedler as Piglet. I have always loved this film but I have always been disturbed that the focus of the film is really on Rabbit, who is missing from the cover. It has “A Christmas Carol” theme but set with an Easter background. It is cute and packs tons of great songs. My 21 month old has already watched this quite since we received and she was dancing all around the house.

Synopsis: Each year, Rabbit plays Easter Bunny, but this year, he’s decided it’s “Spring Cleaning Day,” and he orders everyone to hop to it: scrubbing, dusting, and mopping. All his pals are disappointed — especially little Roo — until Rabbit learns that putting others first and showing friends how much you care turns every day into a precious gift.

This “Hippity Hoppity Roo Edition” comes with a Blu-ray and Digital HD Digital Copy. There is also a cute Winnie-The-Pooh baby mobile included inside the came. This strike a code because we have a Pooh mobile for my daughter growing up. For a direct-to-video installment from Disney, I was very impressed with the 1080p transfer. I thought the colors looks so vibrant and crisp. I really enjoyed watching it. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track worked so well with the numerous songs from the film.

Unfortunately, there is only one special features included “Get Up and Dance”, which gets kid to get up and dance to Rabbit’s Easter song. If you look back at the DVD release of this release, there were quite a few extras missing from that. I am not sure why Disney decided to leave those out. I hope that they are planning on releasing a double feature next with “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” and its sequel “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie”. I would love to see these next perhaps in the Fall. Hint, hint!

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Blu-ray Review “Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year – Gift Of Friendship Edition”

Narrated by: Michael York
Starring: Jim Cummings, John Fiedler, Ken Sansom, Kath Soucie, Peter Cullen, Nikita Hopkins, Michael Gough, William Green
Directed by: Jamie Mitchell
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: November 5, 2013
Run Time: 64 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

I have always a huge of that silly ole bear and his friends of the 100 acre woods. “Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year” was a direct to video film released in 2002, which consists of the 1991 Christmas TV special “Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too” and the (then) new film, “Happy Pooh Year”. Maybe it is me but you can never go wrong with Pooh and his friends. It is always a win/win! This Blu-ray is Tigger-ific and a great way to get ready for the upcoming holiday season! My 17 month old daughter loves these characters as well, so I have a feeling this is going to get quite a lot of play for many years to come!

Official Premise: Join Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Roo and the whole gang as Rabbit discovers the true spirit of the season after his pals make misguided New Year’s resolutions to change… with hilarious and heartfelt results. Featuring beloved characters and delightful songs, this special “Gift Of Friendship Edition” also includes fun-filled bonus goodies.

This “Gift of Friendship Edition” for “Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year” comes as a combo pack including Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy. You have no idea how happy it makes me that that Disney has started backing Ultraviolet digital streaming copies. The 1080p transfer looks good for the direct-to-video animation of “Happy Pooh Year” and the 1991 Christmas TV special “Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too” looks like it was made yesterday but still with that classic Pooh look and feel.

In terms of special features, first we get one of my favorite new features that Disney has been behind, which is the “Disney Intermission”. When you pause the movie, you and your kids can discover fun family games and activities. It is really a great addition to the film. There is a sing-along option with the film, as well as a song selection. Lastly there is an interactive walk-through of the “Enchanted Environment”. So besides the “Disney Intermission”, nothing really spectacular unlike the recent “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” Blu-ray release.

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Blu-ray Review “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”

Starring: Sterling Holloway, John Fiedler, Junius Matthews, Paul Winchell, Ralph Wright, Hal Smith
Narrator: Sebastian Cabot
Directors: John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: August 27, 2013
Run Time: 74 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

I have always loved Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the 100 acre woods. I grew up watching “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”. It hard to believe that it was made over 35 years ago but it still holds up today and is very cute, humorous and screams classic Disney animation. The film consists of a collection of the original Pooh shorts including “The Honey Tree,” “The Blustery Day,” and “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too”, backed by great narration from Sebastian Cabot. Backed with an amazing musical score and original voices of Sterling Holloway as Pooh and Paul Winchell as Tigger, makes this film a timeless classic. Now if Disney is reading this they just need to release “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” along with its sequel “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie” on Blu-ray next! Do I smell a the next double feature Blu-ray release?

Official Premise: Celebrate the never-ending friendship that has delighted generations with Pooh’s first and most beloved feature film. Full of fun and heartwarming stories, this Academy Award-winning animated classic (Best Cartoon Short Subject, 1968, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day) tells the tale of the first unforgettable meeting between Tigger (Paul Winchell) and Pooh (Sterling Holloway). Your family will laugh along when Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit’s (Junius Matthews) house from eating too much honey, and enjoy the lovable characters’ flurry of hilarious activity on a windy day. These timeless adventures are brought to life through extraordinary Disney animation and engaging songs and a digitally restored and remastered Blu-ray presentation.

Disney is releasing this Blu-ray as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy. I love that Disney has switched from just iTunes digital copies to streaming digital copies from Vudu and Amazon. The 1080p transfer looks quite stunning for a film of it’s age.  The animation is very sharp and I have always loved the line detail in “Winnie The Pooh” films. The colors are pop-out as well and are very well restored. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track delivers as well. Since this film packs ome fun songs, it really gets a chance to shine. It also had my 15 month daughter on her feet dancing and clapping.

The special features are pretty decent as well. I particularly love the new feature “Disney Intermission”, which is activated when you pause the film with great and fun bonus activities for kids. There is an additional classic animated short including called “A Day for Eeyore”. If you watch Disney Junior like myself then you will be aware of the “Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” Shorts.  Included on this disc we get five shorts, including “If I Wasn’t So Small”, “Piglet’s Drawings”, “The Expedition”,  “Geniuses”, “The Honey Song”. There is a behind-the-scenes look in the feature “The Story Behind the Masterpiece”. There is a music video for the Winnie the Pooh Theme Song performed by Carly Simon. Lastly, there is a “Pooh Play-Along”, which is a great feature for the kids.

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Blu-ray Review “Winnie the Pooh”

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.

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Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh” Blu-ray Giveaway [ENDED]

THANK YOU FOR ENTERING, THE CONTEST HAS ENDED. WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL. PLEASE CHECK BACK EVERY WEEK FOR NEW GIVEAWAYS!

©Disney

Available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack + DVD + Digital Copy Tuesday, October 25th

Walt Disney Studios proudly invites families and audiences of all ages to return to the Hundred Acre Wood with some of the world?s most beloved characters, as “Winnie the Pooh,” the delightful all-new animated feature film comes home to Blu-ray Combo Pack for the very first time, as well as DVD and Movie Download on October 25, 2011. Reuniting audiences with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore (who has lost his tail), “Winnie the Pooh” is a honey of an in-home release containing hours of immersive bonus features, including exclusive animated shorts “The Ballad of Nessie” and “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon;” a sing-along viewing option; an informative behind-the-scenes featurette for the whole family and deleted scenes with director commentary – all available on Blu-ray Combo Pack.

To celebrate Disney’s Blu-Ray™ release of “Winnie the Pooh”, Media Mikes would like to giveaway 10 copies of the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack (Blu-ray™ + DVD). If you would like to win one of these great prizes, please leave us a comment below or send us an email and let us know your favorite character from the 100 acre woods. This giveaway will be open until Monday October 31th at Noon, Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household; all other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends, Movie Mikes will randomly pick out winners and alert the winners via email.

Blu-ray ™Bonus Features:
1. Exclusive bonus short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon” – In this charming short, Pooh comes up with a daring plan to get a hold of some honey by fooling a group of bees.
2. “The Ballad of Nessie” – The animated short film included in the theatrical release is the heartwarming tale of how Nessie found her new home in the Loch Ness.
3. “Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too” – A fun and informative behind-the-scenes look at the film, designed for the whole family. Hosted by John Cleese (narrator of the film), and with occasional help from Pooh himself, this featurette explores Winnie the Pooh?s history from his beginnings as a character in a book, to his continued life in the movies. The filmmakers reveal how they worked to keep the look of the characters and settings in this movie consistent with their first appearances on-screen in 1966. Pooh, being a bear of very little mind, finds much of this confusing, but the Narrator and the filmmakers make it all clear to Pooh – and you!
4. Deleted Scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 5 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit?s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
5. Sing-Along with the Movie – Follow the red balloon and changing word colors to seven song lyrics featured in the film.
6. Disney Song Selection – “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”

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