By Jason Haskins
Winnie the Pooh is the newest movie to use the classic Pooh characters of old. I was extremely excited to see this movie…but never really got around to it in the theatre. Is this newest Winnie the Pooh movie a return to its roots, or is it strictly for a younger audience?
In this movie, Eeyore has lost his tail and is super upset about it (oh, bother) so Pooh and his friends like Owl, Rabbit, Tigger, and Christopher Robin decide to help him find it by hosting a context (Ed note- whats a context?). Along the way, however, they mistakenly think Christopher is kidnapped by a creature named Bakson after misreading Christopher’s letter to his furry friends and if that wasn’t enough…Pooh is mighty hungry for some honey—with no one giving him any…
Robin and Eeyore’s tail?! Will Pooh finally get his lovely yellow stuff?!
I was expecting a tame sort of Pooh movie just given it's small kid-centric history, but it was surprisingly quite sweet and fun. The movie is a little over an hour long, which is surprising given that it was a theatrical release…but it felt just right because of the type of humor and atmosphere it creates. If it was any longer it could have grown tiresome. Plus: the story constantly throws screwdrivers in the cogs to keep it moving and interesting. This includes a really funny moment where the friends are all trapped in a hole with Piglet being responsible for getting them out.
The animation is quite stunning mixing new styles with the classic look from the 1977 film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and I think that older fans will really appreciate the amount of respect these new animators brought. The movie is bright and colorful with a ton of amazing setups that will surely please you and your kids (if you have any). The humor was actually quite funny as I found myself giggling around every corner to Pooh’s ridiculously lazy antics and Eeyore positively steals the show with his self-deprecation.
The only real bumps in the road in terms of my enjoyment was the inclusion of Zooey Deschanel’s songs. She redoes the Winnie the Pooh theme and also includes a song called So Long that’s completely random and un-needed. Her voice is grating and I cannot stand her style whatsoever so it took me out of the movie somewhat. There are other musical numbers in the movie including one sang by Pooh (Jim Cummings!) so those make up for the stupid Deschanel ones in the beginning.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the characters or concept of Winnie the Pooh there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll dig this one as well. It’s extremely cute, colorful, and nicely done—quite possibly the best Pooh movie since the 1977 one. If you’re looking for a light, frothy animated film in the midst of all the crappy ones that keep coming out and perhaps want to take a large whiff of nostalgia, I guarantee Winnie the Pooh will treat you right.
4 out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment