Winnie the Pooh

What else can I say except what a delight it is to see something like Winnie the Pooh up on the big screen for kids. In a summer where kid's entertainment usually means talking CG animals (Zookeeper), kids eating "poo sandwiches" (Judy Moody), and farting penguins (Mr. Popper's Penguins), this is a beautiful and charming throwback to a time of hand drawn animation, simple stories and songs, and a lovable cast of characters. My only regret is that the movie is sure to get buried amongst the summer movie competition, but I guess movies like this always do better at home, where kids can watch it over and over again.

This is a gentle little movie, perfect for small children, as it's not very long (even with previews and a short cartoon before the main feature, it barely stretches past one hour in length), has nothing big or scary in it, and features all of their favorite characters from the Hundred Acre Wood. Parents should not fear, as Pooh and his friends have not been updated in the slightest. They're still as charming, funny, and inquisitive as they've always been. The story begins as you would probably expect, with Winnie the Pooh (voice by Jim Cummings) waking up hungry, and going on a search for honey. Not long into his quest, he comes across his good friend Eeyore the donkey (Bud Luckey), who is usually always down in the dumps about something, but is a bit more down than usual, as his tail has gone missing. Pooh gathers his animal friends to hold a contest to look for a substitute tail, but none of the ideas seem to work right for the donkey.

A bigger crisis emerges when the animals turn to their human friend, Christopher Robin (Jack Boulter), for help, and find only a note where he should be. The note is innocent enough, saying that Christopher has gone off to school for the day and will be "back soon". However, Pooh and his friends make the mistake of letting the not-very wise Owl (Craig Ferguson) read and translate the note, who misinterprets it as saying that Christopher Robin has been captured by a creature known as the "Backson". Pooh and his friends set a trap for the creature, which leads to some funny gags with all of them getting stuck in their own trap. There's a subplot involving the ever-bouncy Tigger (Jim Cummings, again) trying to give Eeyore a new look on life, and some catchy songs by Robert Lopez (best known for co-writing the Broadway smashes Avenue Q and Book of Mormon) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (who also provides the voice of the motherly kangaroo, Kanga, in the film). It's just enough to hold the attention of the very small children in the audience, who will no doubt find it delightful, and maybe more than a little engaging.

As for me, I enjoyed the overall look of the film, which resembles a storybook come to life. The simple watercolor style of the art resembles illustrations, and I loved the way the characters would frequently interact with the words on the page, sometimes knocking them down into a big pile, or using them to form a ladder. The art style is a throwback, and features no modern touches, which is the way it should be with Winnie the Pooh. I also appreciated that directors Stephen J. Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) and Don Hall don't rely on star voice talent to sell their tickets. Sure, there's a couple recognizable voices here, such as the previously mentioned Ferguson, and John Cleese lends his voice as the Narrator. But, for the most part, the cast is made up of cartoon voice acting veterans. There's nothing flashy here. It's just a simple and beautiful little movie for small children that adults will find themselves enjoying as well.

This benign film was obviously a labor of love for everyone involved, and it really does come through. Here at last is a kid's movie that doesn't come across as cinematic junk food, but rather seems like a warm and heartfelt tribute to innocence and these classic characters. I couldn't be happier with how this nostalgic film came out, and I imagine many children will feel the same way.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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