Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood this weekend with "Winnie the Pooh" and we're thrilled! We have "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" on DVD and it was one of the first movies we let Big Brother watch. He loved it (loves it still) and loved spending time with his favorite Pooh characters at Disneyland!
Needless to say then, we were really excited to be invited to an advanced screening of Disney's new "Winnie the Pooh".
This newest installation of Winnie the Pooh is inspired by three different stories from A.A. Milne's books, combining them all into one honey-filled Pooh adventure. Everyone's favorite silly old bear is reunited with Christopher Robin and all his other cuddly friends, including poor Eeyore who has lost his tail.
"Ever have one of those days when you just can't win, Eeyore" asks Pooh.
In the midst of a quest to find a new tail for Eeyore (Bud Luckey), Owl (Craig Ferguson) sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit, the Backson! It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply wanted to find some honey!
Our Thoughts:
Winnie the Pooh is a return to the classic childhood innocence that most PG and even G movies are missing these days. Unlike Cars 2, there is no adult language or innuendo, no toilet humor, no guns and violence. Just a boy, his favorite bear and friends having imaginary adventures together! And, the animation helps with that wonderful innocent feeling, as there is no CG or fancy modern updating--the animators kept with the simple sketched/watercolor feel of the original.
While I think the story line could have been a little stronger had this film stuck to having multiple chapters instead of one story, I am thrilled that the stuck true to having a narrator and Pooh interacting with the pages of the book. John Cleese does an excellent job with the narration and the storybook/letters play a rather key role in helping Pooh solve a big problem!
The only real downside for us was the running time--at just over an hour, even Big Brother was surprised that the movie was already over. He has been to about 5 movies in the theaters and has always done really great sitting through entire movies, so for us, the time was a little disappointing. That said though, if you have a little one who doesn't sit still for long or one who you are hoping to have a first movie theater experience with, I think the time would be perfect!
Make sure you get to your seats on time, as there's a little extra treat at the beginning! The Ballad of Nessie is an adorable tale (with an old-time animated feel) of a cute dragon who gets run out of her home with nowhere to go. After a good cry, she discovers just what she's been looking for!
And encourage those kiddos to sit all the way through the end of the credits, as they just might catch a Backson! ;)
While Winnie the Pooh certainly isn't the biggest or best "blockbuster" of the summer, and definitely won't win top spot at the box office (after all, it's got Harry Potter to compete with and even spoofed it), it is by far the most adorable! Perfect for the young at heart, no matter what their age!
Who is YOUR favorite Winnie the Pooh character?
While Winnie the Pooh certainly isn't the biggest or best "blockbuster" of the summer, and definitely won't win top spot at the box office (after all, it's got Harry Potter to compete with and even spoofed it), it is by far the most adorable! Perfect for the young at heart, no matter what their age!
Who is YOUR favorite Winnie the Pooh character?
It's relieving to see that someone else had the same take on the movie as I did. I only saw glowing reviews before seeing it, but my review was quite similar to yours.
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