"I am a bear of little brain, and long words bother me." - Winnie the Pooh
Initial thoughts before viewing: I was familiar with the characters from Disney's version of Winnie the Pooh, but I had never seen any of the movies. I know that lots of people really love these guys, but I never seemed to hold the same affinity or affection for the Pooh gang. I didn't grow up watching their stories, so they were always on the second tier for me as far as favorites.
Originally, this was supposed to feature five stories from the A.A. Milne books, but the final version ended up drawing inspiration from three stories.
If you'd like to read a recap of Winne the Pooh, here is a link to the movie's Disney Wiki page where you can read the entire plot summary.
Highlights:
-Who's that girl? It's Zoey! Just like its 1977 predecessor The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, this 2011 Winnie the Pooh film also features the Sherman Brothers' "Winnie the Pooh." The theme song is sung this time by actress/musician Zooey Deschanel. Imagine my delighted surprise when the lovely voice of Zooey Deschanel started playing. What a nice way to modernize the story (Tigger finally gets an add to the lyrics) while still nodding to tradition. Deschanel also provides an original song called "So Long" on the film's soundtrack.
Closing Thoughts:
Winnie the Pooh is geared towards children. I know what you're thinking: isn't everything that Disney makes geared towards kids? Um, no. This is one of the only times I can remember watching something from Disney and thinking that I had missed the boat on the target age demo. I mean, it makes sense: Christopher Robin is a young child and this movie is all about his made up adventures with his stuffed animals. Had I watched this as a child, I think I would have been pretty in to Winnie the Pooh: I myself have several stuffed animals that I love and still cherish. That being said, I think it's hard for an adult to watch this and really love it without that nostalgia to fall back on.
Winnie The Pooh's Impact on the Future of Disney
Winnie the Pooh received universal critical acclaim, despite its very short film length (69 minutes). Still, the film was a box-office disappointment at the time of its release. Currently, this is so far, the last traditionally animated entity in the Disney canon to date.
The bottom line: I admit Winnie the Pooh wasn't really made for me. There's nothing I hated about the movie, but nothing a really loved about it either. I can't help but think that its 1977 predecessor The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh does a much better job of tugging at the heartstrings, so if I had to pick one version to introduce my kid to, that one would be it (sorry to Zoey Deschanel).
My Rating: 4/10
