To jog your memory of the heart-warming critters of the Hundred Acre Wood, we’ve got spring-tailed tiger Tigger (voiced by Jim Cummings), grumpy old Rabbit (Tom Kenny), ever-depressed donkey Eeyore (Bud Luckey), intellectual Owl (Craig Ferguson), nervous nellie Piglet (Travis Oates), caring kangaroo mother Kanga (Kristen Anderson-Lopez), Kanga’s cute kid Roo (Wyatt Hall), and of course the eponymous, red-shirted bear, Pooh (also voiced by Cummings). And they’re all friends of local English boy Christopher Robin (Jack Boulter), whose parents don’t seem to be very concerned that he’s running about in the forest with wild animals.
Pooh Bear wakes one morning to find that his tummy is making a weird sound. Upon further inspection, he comes to the conclusion that it is rumbling due to a craving for a certain food, which is, of course, honey (misspelled “hunny” in the film). This is in spite of the fact that his stomach consists of fluffy stuffing, but let’s not overanalyse anything here.
As he searches for the deliciously sweet tummy-filler, he discovers that the down-in-the-dumps Eeyore is missing his tail, which is usually held on by a pin on his backside. Seeking help from the other familiar animals of the Hundred Acre Wood, Pooh and Eeyore go to try and find the latter’s absent tail while trying on some temporary substitutes, including a balloon and a cuckoo clock.
As well as the tail-searching and the grumbling of Pooh’s honey-starved belly, Owl misreads a written message from Christopher Robin, misinterpreting the words “back soon” as “backson,” a monstrous creature which Owl believes has kidnapped dear Christopher. And so, the gang goes off in pursuit of the hideous ogre, shivering their way along the wooded forest, Pooh getting hungrier and hungrier with each step he takes.
As you can probably tell, “Winnie the Pooh” caters to an especially loose and episodic narrative, one that is narrated fluently by “Monty Python” veteran John Cleese. However, with the film running at around 60 minutes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome, the small snippets of a plot more than satisfying for the brief runtime. No need to worry, your kids won’t be getting bored and restless and running up and down the aisles of the cinema screen.
The film is animated in a traditional hand-drawn style instead of the computer-generated approach that seems to have overtaken animated movies nowadays. This only enhances the film’s natural charm, unspoilt by the dulled-down visuals that come hand in hand with the current 3D phase. In fabulous 2D, it really is a treat for the eyes on the big screen, showing that pesky 3D glasses are not necessary for an animation to look spectacular.
Amongst the many joys that “Winnie the Pooh” delivers are the singing talents of actress Zooey Deschanel, who you may know from “Elf“ and “(500) Days of Summer.“ Here, she supplies much of the film’s soundtrack, from the well-known theme song to the tantalising “So Long,” which plays over the end credits -- I’d stick around for it if I were you.
The movie’s sense of humour is refreshingly clever, from Owl’s obliviousness to the fact that he can simply fly out of a pit in which he’s trapped, to Pooh’s desperate attempts to get a lick of scrumptious honey -- which comes with a perilous threat of bee stings. The film’s comedy is very wry and sharp, dealing with slapstick and character-based humour, the kind that should prove uplifting for both youngsters and adults -- I could certainly hear many chuckles from the parents in my screening.
Director Stephen J. Anderson’s “Winnie the Pooh” is an absolute must-see for kids, and is the kind of family film that remembers grown-ups will be in the theatre too. It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s uplifting and it is charming, animated wonderfully and is as sweet as the sticky food the titular bear so craves. A load of Pooh this is not.
9/10
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