"I am short, fat and proud of that -Winnie the Pooh, the original body positivity trailblazer
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.
If you have never seen The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or need a refresher, here is a link to the movie's Disney Wiki page where you can read the plot summary.
Highlights:
-Eeyore is a gem and must be protected at all costs. Granted, I am watching this as a thirty-something adult, but Eeyore is by far my favorite character. His melancholy and cynical one liners made me laugh consistently (All: Good morning, Pooh Bear! Eeyore: If it is a good morning, which I doubt). As someone who is prone to my own brand of gloom, he's also immensely relatable. I love and appreciate Eeyore's existence because it shows that we don't have the be sunshine and rainbows all the time: we can be grumpy and gloomy, and that's okay! Eeyore's personality is wildly different from the others in the group, yet he is just as beloved and included as the rest. I see you, Eeyore.
-Winnie the Pooh is kind of an adorable idiot. The narrator makes it very clear that Pooh is "a bear of very little brain." I loved the sequence when Pooh rolls around in mud in an attempt to disguise himself ("I'm a little black raincloud, of course"). I guess that's his schtick: he's generally very endearing, albeit childlike and naĂŻve. I totally get why Pooh is appealing for kids and beloved by so many. After all, he is a silly old bear.
-The soundtrack is endearing and iconic. Although I had never seen this movie, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was already familiar with almost all of the songs. These songs, including "Rumbly in my Tumbly", "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers", "Heffalumps and Woozles", and the titular "Winne the Pooh" are all undeniable Disney classics written by the Sherman Brothers, the indominable duo who wrote dozens of iconic musical compositions for Disney. All of these songs transport you to the Hundred Acre Wood and instantly put you in the mood to play with Pooh and the gang.
Disliked:
-The return of the package feature. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is comprised of 3 previously released animated featurettes: Winne Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winne the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974). New material was created to link the stories together, as well as a final 4th shorter featurette to close out the film. This is the first package feature from Disney since 1949's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
The film does a decent job of attempting to link the previously released featurettes together, but I still feel like the film overall lacks the feeling of continuity that you get with linear storytelling. I didn't have a sense of the timing of the events and felt like as a viewer, I was sort of flying by the seat of my pants.
ALTHOUGH, I did kind of like that the characters themselves break the fourth wall and interact with the narrator and storybook itself. This is interesting and creates some fun visual dynamics with the characters and the literal book text. Still, this is not enough to redeem the overall format of the package feature, which in generally is very tricky and not as well received as traditional linear storytelling.
Random Thoughts I Had While Watching:
-Who is Mr. Sanders? Pooh's house is under the name of Sanders because a sign that reads "Mr. Sanders" is written above his door. Who was Mr. Sanders? And why did Pooh end up living at his house? Is this sign just a trick to sway would-be honey thieves? Who knows!
Closing Thoughts:
-The Many Adventures of 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.
-Adult moments. Although I will maintain that this movie is 100% for younger kids, it has wonderful moments of wisdom and beauty that make this movie very endearing. The closing sequence in particular ("Chapter X: In Which Christopher Robin and Pooh Come to the Enchanted Place and We Say Good-Bye") is very touching and deals with the themes of growing up and saying good-bye. "Wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way," the Narrator says, "in that Enchanted Place on top of the Forest, a little bear will always be waiting." We're so eager to grow up, yet The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh reminds us of a simpler time when our toys and stuffed animals were our entire world. It's a sweet and worthy lesson for adults of all ages.
Despite my affection and appreciation for the lessons and colorful characters in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, I still think that the movie overall is simplistic and a little juvenile. The lack of a cohesive storyline and main antagonist is problematic. The stakes are never high, and the conflict is not there. It's a sweet little movie, but not a favorite for me.
My Rating: 5/10
My Rating Scale/System:
10 - Masterpiece / Award Worthy đ¤Š
9 - Almost perfect / Exceptional đĽ°
8 - Great / Well-crafted đ
7 - Good / Noteworthy đ
6 - Above average / Memorable đ
5 - Solidly average đ
4 - Mixed feelings / Mediocre đ
3 - Uninteresting / Struggle bus đĽą
2 - Barely watchable đĄ
1 - Failure / Why is this a thing? đŠ
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