Grade: A-
Good: Charming characters are at the center of a brisk, loose story with some quality situational and character humor and a dash of heart.
Bad: Short run time; A bit unfocused and episodic
Ugly: The Backson.
A.A. Milne hated Winnie the Pooh. He blamed the good-natured, absent-minded, honey-addicted teddy bear for ruining his career and forcing him to a life of writing children’s books. How dreadful. Honestly, I can’t understand the hatred because Pooh and Piglet and Tigger and all their friends in the Hundred Acre Wood are terribly charming.
In another welcome return to traditional feature animation, the most recent since 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh is a wonderful slice of nostalgia that will probably track as a cute Toy Story knock-off despite coming first and offering its own fun spin on toys that come to life. Favoring character and situational laughs over and archetypes and sight gags, Pooh was clearly cast in the Pixar mold—definitely showing the influence of executive producer John Lassiter—which is never a bad thing. If anything, Pooh comes off as an indie version of an animated feature. Like its titular character, it moves at its own pace, but still proves brisk and consistently entertaining.
Pooh follows the Hundred Acre Wood gang—including Owl, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo—as they try to figure out what happened to the eternally depressed Eyeore’s missing tael (I mean tail) and rescue Christopher Robin from a mysterious menace. Along the way, the story takes a number of detours into vignettes based on three of Milne’s classic Pooh stories—"In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One" and "In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump" from Winnie the Pooh and "In Which Rabbit Has a Busy Day and We Learn What Christopher Robin Does in the Mornings" from the House at Pooh Corner—that reveal the character’s all-too human foibles, from Owl’s misguided arrogance to Rabbit’s crankiness and, of course, Tigger’s “bull in a china shop” exuberance. Despite the focus on eccentricities of the cast, Pooh eventually works its way back to the effortless interactions between this makeshift family and simple lessons on friendship.
Pooh is woefully short, clocking in at just over an hour and playing like an extended episode of the Saturday morning series from the 90s. Pooh is far more energetic than the trailers and commercials with the sappy, sad Keane song would lead potential audiences to believe. It’s episodic structure and swift pacing keep it from dragging (a true blessing to the parents with young children in the audience). Despite its length and pace, Pooh gives a good amount of attention to each of the inhabitants of he Hundred Acre Wood, even giving Christopher Robin more to do than take a casual stroll with his favorite golden bear.
Now, Pooh’s (voiced by the unfailing Jim Cummings) name may be in the title, but every character gets their time to shine. Pooh’s honey obsession is ever present, as usual, but his affable, laid-back nature and flashes of sharpness still make him the bear everybody wishes they had. Owl (voiced by Craig Ferguson) has a pretty significant role this time, grabbing more screen than favorites Tigger and Piglet, and his pretentious loquaciousness and overbearing confidence make for some of the movie’s better laughs. That doesn’t mean the others don’t make a mark; it’s just surprising to see Owl play such a significant role.
As strong as Pooh is in terms of character and plot, visually it is equally as successful. Disney animators have taken the simplicity of the older Pooh cartoons and polished the animation to near perfection here, even including the classic interactions between the characters and the storybook text. Aside from a few mildly lavish, but still inventive, musical numbers with some snazzy CGI, nothing is over-designed or unnecessarily glamorized. The Hundred Acre Wood is a simple place and neither it nor its inhabitants need to be overly impressive. Pooh lives and dies by its ability to create a simple world where mildly complex personalities come together to realize uncomplicated truths about friendship and family. Thanks to the animators and writers, Pooh achieves that elegant tone visually and textually.
Winnie the Pooh is perfect for parents looking to briefly divert their children’s attention from outdoor activities. However, just because it’s a diversion, doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of attention. The humor is consistent and is just as likely to grab laughs from the adults as it from kids. The short length is as much a benefit as a drawback, as maybe ten more minutes would make room for perennially underserved characters like Kanga and Roo to do more than make a few timely quips. Also, the episodic nature can make the movie seem a tad unfocused, but, all in all, Winnie the Pooh is a fine way to spend an hour. There’s even a quaint animated short, The Ballad of Nessie, at the beginning about the Loch Ness Monster that falls just short of the superior Pixar shorts. As a lapsed fan Pooh’s adventures, I am proud to recommend this gem, which hopefully won’t be overlooked in the wake of the end of all things wizardry.
Good: Charming characters are at the center of a brisk, loose story with some quality situational and character humor and a dash of heart.
Bad: Short run time; A bit unfocused and episodic
Ugly: The Backson.
A.A. Milne hated Winnie the Pooh. He blamed the good-natured, absent-minded, honey-addicted teddy bear for ruining his career and forcing him to a life of writing children’s books. How dreadful. Honestly, I can’t understand the hatred because Pooh and Piglet and Tigger and all their friends in the Hundred Acre Wood are terribly charming.
In another welcome return to traditional feature animation, the most recent since 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh is a wonderful slice of nostalgia that will probably track as a cute Toy Story knock-off despite coming first and offering its own fun spin on toys that come to life. Favoring character and situational laughs over and archetypes and sight gags, Pooh was clearly cast in the Pixar mold—definitely showing the influence of executive producer John Lassiter—which is never a bad thing. If anything, Pooh comes off as an indie version of an animated feature. Like its titular character, it moves at its own pace, but still proves brisk and consistently entertaining.
Pooh follows the Hundred Acre Wood gang—including Owl, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo—as they try to figure out what happened to the eternally depressed Eyeore’s missing tael (I mean tail) and rescue Christopher Robin from a mysterious menace. Along the way, the story takes a number of detours into vignettes based on three of Milne’s classic Pooh stories—"In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One" and "In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump" from Winnie the Pooh and "In Which Rabbit Has a Busy Day and We Learn What Christopher Robin Does in the Mornings" from the House at Pooh Corner—that reveal the character’s all-too human foibles, from Owl’s misguided arrogance to Rabbit’s crankiness and, of course, Tigger’s “bull in a china shop” exuberance. Despite the focus on eccentricities of the cast, Pooh eventually works its way back to the effortless interactions between this makeshift family and simple lessons on friendship.
Pooh is woefully short, clocking in at just over an hour and playing like an extended episode of the Saturday morning series from the 90s. Pooh is far more energetic than the trailers and commercials with the sappy, sad Keane song would lead potential audiences to believe. It’s episodic structure and swift pacing keep it from dragging (a true blessing to the parents with young children in the audience). Despite its length and pace, Pooh gives a good amount of attention to each of the inhabitants of he Hundred Acre Wood, even giving Christopher Robin more to do than take a casual stroll with his favorite golden bear.
Now, Pooh’s (voiced by the unfailing Jim Cummings) name may be in the title, but every character gets their time to shine. Pooh’s honey obsession is ever present, as usual, but his affable, laid-back nature and flashes of sharpness still make him the bear everybody wishes they had. Owl (voiced by Craig Ferguson) has a pretty significant role this time, grabbing more screen than favorites Tigger and Piglet, and his pretentious loquaciousness and overbearing confidence make for some of the movie’s better laughs. That doesn’t mean the others don’t make a mark; it’s just surprising to see Owl play such a significant role.
As strong as Pooh is in terms of character and plot, visually it is equally as successful. Disney animators have taken the simplicity of the older Pooh cartoons and polished the animation to near perfection here, even including the classic interactions between the characters and the storybook text. Aside from a few mildly lavish, but still inventive, musical numbers with some snazzy CGI, nothing is over-designed or unnecessarily glamorized. The Hundred Acre Wood is a simple place and neither it nor its inhabitants need to be overly impressive. Pooh lives and dies by its ability to create a simple world where mildly complex personalities come together to realize uncomplicated truths about friendship and family. Thanks to the animators and writers, Pooh achieves that elegant tone visually and textually.
Winnie the Pooh is perfect for parents looking to briefly divert their children’s attention from outdoor activities. However, just because it’s a diversion, doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of attention. The humor is consistent and is just as likely to grab laughs from the adults as it from kids. The short length is as much a benefit as a drawback, as maybe ten more minutes would make room for perennially underserved characters like Kanga and Roo to do more than make a few timely quips. Also, the episodic nature can make the movie seem a tad unfocused, but, all in all, Winnie the Pooh is a fine way to spend an hour. There’s even a quaint animated short, The Ballad of Nessie, at the beginning about the Loch Ness Monster that falls just short of the superior Pixar shorts. As a lapsed fan Pooh’s adventures, I am proud to recommend this gem, which hopefully won’t be overlooked in the wake of the end of all things wizardry.
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