Review by Nick Gibbs-McNeil
Stars the voices of John Cleese, Jim Cummings, Tom Kenny, Craig Ferguson,
Bud Luckey, Jack Boulter, Travis Oates, Kristen Anderson-Lopez | Written by AA Milne
UK cert U | UK RRP £14.99 | Runtime 63 minutes | Directed by Stephen J Anderson & Don Hall
Every generation has a memory of the enchanting and adorable Pooh bear, and this latest addition brings it alive again for a whole lot of lucky youngsters. Created by AA Milne in 1926, the four original books have borne a franchise of 10 films, four TV shows and forest of merchandise to equal the trees in the 100 Acre Wood.
The latest film is a welcome return to the classic 60s "Disney style" telling of the original stories. John Lasseter’s reign at Disney has brought a back to basics feeling to the franchise, which gives the film a retro Disney story telling appeal. When a letter left by Christopher Robin is read wrongly by the all-knowing Owl, the bear of very little brains creates a rescue team to save his pal.
In search of a creature only known as the "Backson" who the group believe to be Christopher Robin's abductor, the gang find themselves in all kinds of "classic" scrapes only possible in the 100 Acre Wood. The Backson misunderstanding (Owl reads out the message from Christopher wrong reading the words "Back soon" as Backson) is very remnant of the "Trespassers W" typo which confused Piglet in earlier Pooh tales. It’s a sweet mistake and one that children can relate to.
Meanwhile, the rather wonderful Eeyore (always my favourite in the stories) has lost his tail and is struggling to come to terms with his loss. The prize for anyone who finds Eeyore’s tail is a pot of gloop Honey and with Winnie the Pooh "rumbly in his tumbly" guess who's the most eager to find it?
It would be wrong to criticise any of the previous Winnie the Pooh movies as over the years as they've all been successful and every generation has enjoyed them. However, this return to a classic 60s "water-coloured" style (similar to the original movies) will always remain a favourite. This brands new story, illustrated beautifully feels like discovering an unpublished story from the original pen of AA Milne. This is classic story telling for youngsters.
EXTRAS ★★½ Five deleted scenes, introduced by the directors (14:32); the short The Ballad of Nessie, narrated by Billy Connolly (5:19); a 3D Blu-ray promotion starring The Lion King's Timon and Pumba (4:14); and trailers for other films.
• Nick Gibbs-McNeil is Publisher/Editor Dad of KidzCoolit.com