Review of Winnie the Pooh (2011) by Aidan C — 20 Dec 2013

Definitely one of the most beloved characters in the world of Disney Animation is without a doubt Winnie the Pooh, that "silly old bear" with a very little brain and obsessed with honey in the Hundred Acre Wood. The original Pooh film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, is a timeless Disney film that's as great a childhood experience for the child at heart. But sadly, future Pooh releases from the 2000's decade were not as memorable, with the majority of these releases being extremely child-centered and juvenile, lacking that magic touch of the original film (with the worst offender being Pooh's Heffalump Movie, which literally ruined the greatness of Many Adventures). And that idiotic Playhouse Jr. CGI mess that was My Friends Tigger and Pooh didn't help either. So when Disney announced a new Pooh film in 2D animation made under Disney animation, with the promise that it would pay tribute to Many Adventures, I was a little hesitant, but kind of excited for it (especially with the trailers so promising). And in the end, this 2011 Winnie the Pooh is a good Pooh film that manages to maintain the spirit of the original classic.

We return once again to the Hundred Acre Wood, and this time, Pooh is, once again after his honey, but things bet busy in this offering. Eeyore has lost his tail, and everyone searches for a replacement, with the winner receiving a pot of honey as reward, making Pooh really happy. Things go even more insane when Christopher Robin goes missing, with everyone convinced that he's been abducted by a monster called "The Backson.".

OK, when I first heard that Disney was releasing this film the same weekend as the final Harry Potter film, I knew no one was going to watch the return of Pooh. And I was right. To this day not a lot of people have even sat to appreciate this film. It's by no means perfect (the original is still the timeless masterpiece), but the good news is that Pooh is back to his roots, and not that juvenile mess we've been getting the last two decades.

Disney made the smartest decision ever by making this in the traditional, hand-drawn, 2D animation. And like with the majority of Disney's 2D releases, it's gorgeous. People, this is what animation should be, especially with Pooh, not that CG mess from the Disney Channel! This seriously looks like it was made in 1977 when Disney made the original Pooh film! Some of the best sequences in this film are fantasy sequences paying homage to the traditional animation look, such as a musical number completely designed by chalk drawings and another dream sequence with Pooh diving in honey. With this film not that super successful at the box-office (and again, a really stupid move, Disney, to release this the same weekend as the final Potter film), it's possible that Disney won't make more 2D animation films. While I do like CG animation (when done right), it's stuff like this and Princess and the Frog that really brings my spirits up in the world of Disney Animation.

The good news is that Disney made the Pooh characters that fun again, and those that voiced these characters did a fine job, with the standouts being Jim Cummings as Pooh (with a voice that literally sounds like Sterling Holloway) and Tigger, Bud Luckey as Eeyore (who brilliantly personifies the donkey's gloomy attitude with that delightful low voice he has), Tom Kenny as Rabbit, and especially Craig Ferguson as Owl. I found it extremely funny that Owl is portrayed here as a creature who's not as wise as he thinks he is.

And speaking of comedy, for a film that's intended for children, the comedy is extremely funny in a way that is not juvenile and obnoxious for the rest of filmgoers. As I said earlier, Owl gets a ton of humor in the "not so wise" department, the part about the "Backson" is extremely hilarious (especially when we find out what Robin's note really meant), and of course, Pooh going after the honey is fun to watch again. Plus the characters' playful jokes about the book they're in and interacting with the narrator, done by John Cleese this time around, who does a fine job here.

Henry Jackman scores this, and it's decent. Like most of his animation scores, there's nothing noteworthy here to discuss about his music. Though with his stellar score for X-Men: First Class, it's been proven that Jackman can create grand film scores. This is not one of them. But the good news is, the songs, written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, are actually fun and memorable, with some of them actually reminding you of the great Pooh songs written by The Sherman Brothers in the original. The best songs here are Pooh's catchy "Everything is Honey", the fun "Backson" song, and Tigger's bouncy "It's Gonna Be Great." The original Pooh song returns, though sung by Zooey Deschanel, and does a decent job, though I'm not the biggest fan of her kind of singing.

With my love for 2D animation and the praise I've given this film so far, then you're probably wondering why I gave this film an 80% and not a 90% or 100%. Well the problem I had with this, and there's only one, is that it's too short. The film is only an hour long. ONE HOUR LONG! I know some of Disney's older films were as short, especially Dumbo and Bambi, but with those films, Disney told the story well in that length and perfectly developed the characters. The original Pooh was 75 minutes long and I was immersed in their world perfectly in a short amount of time. But there's something about this Pooh that lacked. I was entertained by the humor, the characters, the animation, and the songs, but when the film ends, it ends so abruptly. I seriously wanted more Pooh this time around, especially when Disney finally got it right this time around. Oh well...

The film may be extremely short, but the good news is, Winnie the Pooh is a good return to Disney's timeless characters from AA Milne's timeless stories, with that great 2D animation, the return of those entertaining, classic characters, and humor that made the original Pooh timeless. With Disney bringing Pooh back to his roots, I'm hoping they do the same for Mickey Mouse and make a stellar film starring the character that started it all for this legendary studio. Just don't make it as short as this!