Pretty Good

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

If you read some of the glowing reviews here you might get the impression that this is a movie that is enjoyable for all ages, but this is very clearly aimed at youngsters. As an adult you might like it because it's well done and captures a sense of childish innocence, but that's not my thing. The animation approach is very much old-school Disney, the sort of movies I experienced as a kid in the 60s, but once again, that's not the sort of animation I most love; I prefer Disney as it became with movies like The Little Mermaid, so a throw-back doesn't work for me.It's not a bad movie, it's cute, and it clones previous Winnie the Pooh cartoons quite well, but it's not something I could stick with.

When I first heard that Winnie the Pooh was having another theatrical release I was excited, however when it was released in 2011, it only had a limited release and was at played only once a day, maybe because it was its box office revenue being released at the same time of the epic conclusion of Harry Potter, Australia released a few months after HP. Looking at the movie it still has the charm like the previous Winnie the Pooh films, the simple and fun stories that makes it nostalgic and fun for the fans who've watched Winnie the Pooh when they were younger and some younger viewers will have a Winnie the Pooh that they'll remember, the first Winnie the Pooh movie I've seen was 'Pooh's Grand Adventure' and I loved the movie, despite its dark imagery. I love it how the animators kept so close to the original design of the characters and landscape towards the real Hundred Acre Woods in Sussex, England (yes there's a real one for those that don't know much about Pooh Bear) and close with the Milne's designs of the characters but adaptable for the screen. The songs are very catchy and very Sherman Brothers-esque and Zooey Deschanel did great singing for the songs as well. Plus some songs that were written by the Sherman Brothers themselves are in the movie as well. The character are well into place and their slow thinking is laughable as well. Such scenes like Owl flying out of the hole and told Piglet his speech, however the other characters were shocked about Owl but it was his speech that they were pleased about in the end. Compare the slow thinking towards a show like 'Spongebob Squarepants' the more modern episodes. You have Patrick who's stupid but he's like incredibly stupid that you just want to hit him. Whereas in the earlier episodes he was dumb but in more likable status. The characters in the film are slow thinkers but they've done it more in a likable status. The voice acting was great too, especially the talents of Jim Cummings and Tom Kenny, yes the guy who did the voice of Spongebob a show that I've criticised has some talent. Plus he did more voices other than Spongebob. Although Tom Kenny's voice for Rabbit almost make him sound like Spongebob you can tell he at least tried and did well to capture the original voice of Rabbit and it was so good. Jim Cummings has great talent too, a voice actor that I've grown up from childhood still captures his Winnie the Pooh and Tigger voice in todays standards. John Cleese was an excellent choice for narration, the Monty Python and Fawlty Towers legend has such a great storytelling voice. The other VA's like Craig Ferguson also done well with the characters. I understand that the film has a lesser time limit unlike many other animated films but I really don't mind the shorter time, it is still good and fun with its simple storytelling and most of it captured the 1977 classic, which i'm also a fan of, such as the breaking of the fourth wall were Pooh and the characters talk to the narrator. It has charm, wit with its simplicity and fun with some nostalgia for the older viewers who are big Winnie the Pooh fans, the young at heart, like myself, or parents who did grew up with the lovable bear and have children of their own.

I'm one of the rare people in the world where as a child, I didn't really grow up with Winnie the Pooh. It seemed like when I was a kid every other kid in my school loved Winnie the Pooh or had him and his friends on their folders or back packs. As I got older, I started watching the cartoons having a better opportunity. It definitely was meant for kids, but I enjoyed the cartoons still because of the innocence they had and the light hearted humor. Winnie the Pooh's appeal is charming and his friends going through different adventures was always fun. So Disney made another Winnie the Pooh film last year, it was a nice break from the typical CGI fest that we get with all animated films today. Why it wasn't a smash hit at the box office, I'm not sure, but I watched it yesterday and was absolutely charmed by Winnie the Pooh.Pooh wakes up one day to find that he is out of honey. While out searching for more, Pooh discovers that Eeyore has lost his tail. Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Roo come to the rescue, and Christopher Robin decides to hold a contest to see who can find a replacement for Eeyore's tail. The prize for the winner is a fresh pot of honey. The next day, Pooh goes to visit Christopher Robin and he finds a note that says "Gon Out Bizy Back Soon". Because Pooh is unable to read the note, he asks for Owl's help. Owl's poor reading skills lead Pooh and his friends to believe that Christopher Robin has been abducted by a ruthless and mischievous monster they call the "Backson". Pooh and his friends plan to trap the Backson in a pit and save Christopher Robin.Yeah, I know that this was a kid's film, but I enjoyed it very much. I thought the humor was a nice blend of obvious and playful jokes. The characters are still as wonderful as ever, though I'm not sure why everyone seems to go out of their way trying to cheer up Eeyore. He's always so depressed and they try so hard to cheer him up, but the poor guy just needs a giant Prozac martini. My only nitpick of the film is that it is really short, it's under an hour. Not a bad thing when you're at home, but if you saw this in the theater, I would've been disappointed in spending that amount of money for a short film. But for home, I think this is a perfect kid's film. Even for the adults that like the light hearted stories will enjoy it. The animation is lovely, the story is charming and the characters are wonderful. Who wouldn't enjoy Winnie the Pooh? You can't go wrong with a majority of the kid population.Now one thing I have to bring up for sure is that Winnie the Pooh is a crazed honey addict. My boyfriend and I were just laughing at how much he was like a crack addict with having the honey. He jumps in a giant pot of honey and just goes crazy, is this a good example for the kids? Yeah, I'm kidding, as long as they're jumping in a pot of honey.9/10

Several years ago, there was a study that found that besides Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh was the most popular Disney character out there. I am not sure how true it holds today, because the marketing has definitely dropped in recent years in favor of some Pixar fare and more Princess fluff. So when the Winnie the Pooh movie was announced, I was excited as it would be the unofficial sequel to one of the greatest animated movies of all-time: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Made right before Disney's untimely death, the original film pretty much represents the world and imagination of Disney: fun, whimsical, innocent, creative, and very charming.However, the marketing for this movie was so subpar, was so subtle, so atrocious, you would have thought that was going directly to DVD as opposed to theaters. Enjoying an extremely small run, this film had no chance to make money and make noise to the likes of Cars 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2. And here's the thing: Winnie the Pooh outshines them both. This film has the magic, the beauty, and the imaginative content of the original short films—making it a delightful sequel. Although the running time is extremely short and the music isn't as catchy, this film is perfect for youngsters, and the young-at-heart.I may have griped about the running time, but I should probably commend the writers for being able to stretch a story about finding Eeyore's tail to an hour. That's essentially the story: Eeyore lost his tail and everyone is setting out to find it. Along the way the characters at the Hundred-Acre Wood also fear that a monster might be approaching the area. The script is void of any tension or drama, which is a massive rarity nowadays. With animation evolving into a serious art form, you get less and less movies that truly strive to entertain the kids without teaching them or scarring them. This film is very lightweight with its material, and trust me that is a good thing.The voice acting was incredible and with the exception of perhaps Rabbit (Tom Kenny did a fine job regardless) they sounded darn accurate and close to the original source. Jim Cummings had the tough job of voicing Pooh and TIgger, but did a phenomenal job delivering the lines and singing to some of the songs. John Cleese was delightful as the Narrator, I guess Morgan Freeman wasn't available (Bad joke, moving on). To me though, Bud Luckey as Eeyore stole the show as the depressed donkey had much more to say this time around, and says it with such droll and lack of enthusiasm you can't help but laugh.The animation was nearly flawless, as the colors were light, there was no computer-animation getting in the way, and best of all the animators were able to throw in plenty of visual humor. Some of the funniest moments in the original Pooh adventures involved the actual book and the words being part of the environment and in this case they play an even bigger role. How text plays a role in a film? Just watch and find out, but there are tons of moments when the narrator and the book toys around with Pooh and his friends.Bottom Line: If there is a gripe I have with this movie, is that the running time was extremely short. It could have been nice to throw in a second or third story to at least pass 75-80 minutes and really get your money's worth. Nonetheless, the hour-long drama of finding a tail was funny, very delightful, and delivers smiles all around without ever becoming boring. Winnie the Pooh is the type of warm animation that we just don't see anymore: perfect for the kids but also not mind-numbing to the adults. The music was fun, the voice acting was great, the humor is everywhere, and there isn't a dull moment to be found in the Hundred-Acre Wood. Honestly, this movie was 20 minutes away from becoming a near instant-classic. I recommend this flashback to your childhood, no matter how old you are.