Reviewing - The Hundred Acre Wood
Which media franchise can make the MCU look like small potatoes? What fictional character has a bigger cultural footprint than Darth Vader? Whose overall revenue is enough to bring even Mickey Mouse to his knees?
Winnie the Pooh.
For a Bear of Very Little Brain, Pooh's impact on modern Western society can hardly be understated. Here, you can watch through his complete cinematic adventures, from his 1977 package film to his charming 2011 release. Welcome to the Hundred Acre Wood.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (****)
In which you never can tell with bees
This was pure joy.
1977 was a game-changing year for the film industry. That year, one man’s imaginative world was brought to life onscreen, giving us a cast of characters so iconic that they’re recognizable all over the globe. This film spawned a franchise that covers movies, television, books, video games, theme park attractions, and a mind-boggling number of toys. Over forty years later, that franchise is the third-biggest media franchise of all time.
And no, I’m not talking about Star Wars. I’m talking about Winnie the Pooh.
Surprising as it may seem, Winnie the Pooh is a bigger cash cow than Star Wars, the MCU, or even Mickey Mouse. While MCU’s heroes have earned roughly $35 billion during their career, a few stuffed animals from the Hundred Acre Wood have earned more than twice that amount. Winnie the Pooh is an absolute juggernaut, surpassed only by ‘Hello Kitty’ and ‘Pokemon’ as far as media-based franchises go. Now, it’s true that no Winnie the Pooh movie can compete with the box office numbers of a Star Wars or MCU film. Pooh’s secret is in his merchandising, which makes up roughly 98% of his income. He’s big. He’s not only the greatest accomplishment of Disney’s ‘Dark Age’ era – he’s the most successful Disney character EVER.
Winnie the Pooh’s rise to fame began long before his 1977 film that was released two months before Star Wars. A. A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, published the first Pooh book in 1926. It was a massive success, prompting a sequel “The House At Pooh Corner” two years later. Some four decades after that, Disney released their first short film, “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree”. It was an adaptation of the first two chapters of the original book, and its success prompted the development of other Pooh short films that were played before other feature-length films. Three of these short films were mashed together to make this full-length film: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
There’s a few things that make this film so wonderful. Firstly, the adherence to the original stories is admirable. Many lines of dialogue are taken straight from the pages of Milne’s book, and though Disney weaves several different chapters together, they never stray far from the source material. Secondly, the voice acting is positively iconic. Who could imagine a more lovable voice for Pooh than the one we got from Sterling Holloway? Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore all have such recognizable voices that it’s impossible to separate the character from the voice. Milne’s clever and charming writing mix brilliantly with the incredible work of these voice actors.
Thirdly, the animation is just adorable. In previous reviews of films in Disney’s Dark Age, I’ve lamented the introduction of xerography – a cheaper, scratchier animation technique that explains why 101 Dalmatians looks so much more like sketch work than earlier films like Peter Pan Cinderella. I stand by what I said – I miss Disney’s earlier animation, because it was absolutely jaw dropping. But I think in this rare instance, this cheaper animation style is actually a perfect fit for this movie. Winnie the Pooh is a storybook character, and the movie ensures we never forget this by framing the entire film within a book that is read to us by an unseen narrator. We see pages turn, characters interacting with their own pages, and at one point a gopher remarks that Pooh is inches from “sailing clean out of the book”. Though Pooh’s animation style is no more complex than that of 101 Dalmatians, there’s a simplicity and a childish charm to it that reflect Pooh’s character. Though the animation is obviously much different from the original illustrations of Milne’s works, it just feels like the kind of illustration you’d find in a children’s book. There’s a cozy-ness to the artistic style, and I love it.
Getting back to that “sailing clean out of the book” bit, I loved the frame narrative of keeping these characters as characters in a literary story. The bit where the narrator turns the book sideways to help Tigger out of a tree is clever, funny, and outside-the-box. It’s a very unique style of storytelling that you don’t usually get to see. I also liked how the gopher was constantly aware that he wasn’t an original character. When he says, “I’m not in the book, you know,” he’s making a double entendre. On one hand, he’s saying that as a contractor for hire, he can’t be found in the phone book. But to the knowing audience, we know he’s really saying that he doesn’t technically belong in this story. It’s cheeky and brilliant.
There’s really not a thing not to love about this movie. It’s simple, heartwarming, fun, and it gave us unforgettable characters that we all plaster our children’s bedrooms with. Even if you don’t have kids, I dare you to avoid smiling for the duration of this film.
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (***1/2)
During this mission I’ve undertaken to watch every theatrical film released by Disney Animation Studios as well as every traditionally animated sequel or spin-off, I’ve decided that when it comes to TV shows, I’ll only watch the first five episodes. I figure that’s enough to get a general feel for the show, and it saves me a considerable amount of time. The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is only the second such show I’ve tackled, but it was the very first Disney property to get its own TV show after a feature film. It’s clear why they chose this direction to take the character next - Pooh lends himself naturally to television. His movie is basically a bunch of short stories smushed together, and a TV program would be perfect for short episodic stories that don’t need a whole lot of linear cohesiveness to them. To be honest though, I didn’t anticipate this being as competent as it was.
I remember watching this show as a kid, although I have no memories of it apart from the theme song. The theme song, by the way, is great. You know how you can skip the theme song when you’re streaming? Not once did I skip it. Maybe that’s the nostalgia kicking in, but I had no problem hearing that track again and again. Once the stories began, I found that this was a quality production. The animation was nearly on par with the original movie, and all of the voice actors nailed their roles. It’s always the worst when a voice actor gets replaced for a sequel or spin-off, but if any replacements actually took place, it’s impossible to tell. Beyond the animation, the episodes themselves were cute, warm-hearted, and just the perfect amount of cheesy. More than that, they actually had good lessons in them. It’s important to me that family entertainment be more than just mindless fun, and this definitely manages to do more than that. There was an episode I watched where Rabbit had to learn to let go of a loved one, and it easily rivalled the quality of many direct-to-video sequels that Disney made.
If you’re in the mood for a smackerel of Pooh, skip the direct-to-videos and give this a shot instead.
Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search For Christopher Robin (*1/2)
In which the cutest characters you've ever seen get lost in the bleakest wilderness ever - and subsequently lose all hope
This was just too heavy for a Winnie the Pooh flick.
So Christopher Robin has disappeared, and Owl discerns that he's gone off to a terrible place called "Skull" (spelled S-C-H-O-O-L). Our Hundred Acre Wood friends go off to look for him. Sounds like a good time, right?
Wrong. Pooh and his friends get hopelessly lost in a grey, bleak, foggy, ominous wilderness, where some sort of unseen monster is always hot on their heels. Things get worse and worse, with our heroes moving from a state of constant fear to one of growing dread and hopelessness. For a moment, most of the characters genuinely believe that Pooh is dead. DEAD! Winnie the Pooh!
Eventually, things work out. And it turns out that the characters were not nearly as lost as they thought they were. All the grey and lifeless landscape was just their imagination. But why on earth couldn't you let us in on that a while ago? Why make a kid feel like their favourite characters are going to get picked off one by one? That's a bit frightening for a Pooh movie!
That aside, the music sucked and I don't remember any good jokes. Skip this!
The Tigger Movie (***)
In which we see female Tiggers and it's a bit unnerving
If ever there was a supporting character in film who could carry a spinoff movie on their own shoulders, it would be Tigger.
Virtually every single character in the Hundred Acre Wood is iconic, but Tigger has always been a fan favourite. He's exuberant, good-natured, ludicrous, and self-confident in the best possible way. The movie's premise is pretty logical: nobody can keep up with Tigger's antics, which prompts him to find his original Tigger family in the hopes that he can have fun with them instead. The highlight of this film is the song "Round My Family Tree", where Tigger fantasizes what it would be like to reconnect with the other Tiggers. The song is fine, but it's the brilliance of the animated sequence that makes this worth the watch. Picture "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin, and replace the Genie with Tigger. That's what this song is. It's Tigger just being all over the place, spoofing major works of art and dancing up a storm. I loved that bit.
Obviously, this film is heaped with jokes and zany Tigger moments, but what might surprise you is the heart behind it all. Whereas I think "Pooh's Grand Adventure" struggled in finding a healthy amount of stress to put our characters through, this film kept our characters in the safety of the Hundred Acre Wood while still testing them emotionally. Roo's relationship with Tigger becomes more poignant than it's been in the past. Tigger's longing for family stops being a joke and becomes an ache that you can actually feel. And the climactic moment when Tigger finds his family is actually heartwarming. Considering that most of the Disney sequels I've watched have been decidedly less than stellar, it's always nice to get pleasantly surprised with something like this.
Last thing. Early on in the film, Tigger is trying to figure out how to find his family. He can't find them anywhere, so he decides to send them a letter. As an adult, I thought "How will you send them a letter if you don't know where they are?". Tigger's solution was to place the letter in his mailbox, and then just watch as the wind blew in and carried the letter away. I guess that's how mail works in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (***)
In which Eeyore spontaneously develops a full set of teeth
This is definitely a kid's movie, but Winnie is so charming you won't care.
Not too long ago I reviewed "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" because the original "The Lion King" is my favourite movie of all time, and I didn't want people thinking I wasn't committed to that statement in every sense of the word. I said in that review that there's a difference between family movies and kid's movies. A family movie has poignance and heart for kids and adults alike. There are things that adults will pick up on that the kids will miss, but there's plenty of stuff for the kids to enjoy. While I'd classify "The Lion King" as a family movie on that basis, "The Lion Guard" is for kids in that there isn't much of anything for adults to take in.
This Christmas special is a kid's movie because there's nothing in here that an adult will find particularly remarkable. Nothing, that is, except for the charm and delight of the character of Winnie The Pooh. The plot is simple and the moral is obvious, but Winnie is just so darn adorable that I actually had a good time watching this. Jim Cummings, the voice of Pooh, has such an iconic timbre to his voice. Pooh is an enigma because he sounds simple-minded just as often as he sounds very wise. There's just something about his cadence and intonation that makes you feel right at home. And although Winnie steals his own show, the same can be said of all of the characters. Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore all add their signature flair, resulting in a kid's Christmas story that is greater than the sum of its parts. I was surprised at how much I genuinely enjoyed my time watching this.
If Winnie the Pooh doesn't do anything for you, then I guess this is thoroughly skippable. But if you're looking for a small smackerel of something sweet, this will do the trick.
Piglet's Big Movie (**)
In which Piglet don't get no respect
This should've been better than it was.
The next entry in the world of Winnie the Pooh focuses on Piglet, the franchise's smallest and cutest critter. What I liked about this flick is that it was the first one in a while to draw from A. A. Milne's original books. The movie basically retells several chapters from his works in the form of flashbacks while a central narrative moves forward. It's a good idea to rely on the formula that made you successful in the first place - but in this case, I think the execution was a bit sloppy.
The 1977 Pooh movie wove together several chapters of Milne's books into one story. Although there wasn't necessarily one consistent story arc from beginning to end, the story moved in chronological order, and some stories blended together and overlapped a little bit. Here, there's a central narrative where Piglet is lost and his friends are trying to find him. They search by reminiscing on past experiences with him, turning the movie into a kind of 'clip show' (except we haven't seen these clips before). The problem with this structure is that the main story keeps getting interrupted, and as a result it loses its own significance. The flashback sequences are better than the central plot, and that's a problem. Why couldn't they have presented these chapters in chronological order, with a gradual build-up to Piglet getting lost? We would've sensed Piglet's growing disappointment while keeping the narrative moving forward.
I also think they kind of botched one of Milne's stories. There's one from the book where Kanga and Roo enter the forest. Rabbit is highly suspicious, so he crafts a plot where they kidnap Roo by swapping him with Piglet with the intent to use him as a bargaining chip to get them to leave the Hundred Acre Wood. In the book, Kanga realizes that Piglet has been swapped with Roo, but maintains the facade in order to give Piglet a very rough bath. Piglet gets humiliated for being part of a cruel trick, and Kanga comes off looking pretty clever. It's a funny chapter. In the movie, Piglet still gets washed, but it's set to a sugary-sweet song about mothers. This is supposed to be a FUNNY scene, and you're trying to make it poignant or something. It just comes across as a total misfire, and a wasted opportunity.
On that note, who is Carly Simon? Is she a big deal? Because the songs in this movie don't do a thing for me. I've written in the past about how I hate when Disney sequels put their character through some sort of montage set to the sound of an unseen woman singing some overly cheesy track. This movie is 75% cheesy music. Ugh.
Last thing and then I'll let you go. I get that this is a kid's movie, but that doesn't mean we can throw continuity out the window. A big element of the film is Piglet's scrapbook. At one point, a drop of rain falls on a page, completely spoiling the image that Piglet's drawn. So it's shown how this book (like any book) is highly susceptible to water. So when we later see the book tossed into a river, we think "Okay, so that book is toast. It's over." Even if they get the book out, it's ruined.
EXCEPT they start finding pages of the book in PERFECT shape all over the place, and THEN they rescue the book as though it's somehow salvageable. What?!
S-s-s-skip this.
Pooh's Heffalump Movie (**1/2)
In which Pooh and his friends briefly strangle an infant elephant
It's fine - it's just unremarkable.
I suppose 'unremarkable' is not the best word, given that I'm about to make a few remarks about the film. What I'm trying to say is that there's really nothing worth talking about here. It's not the worst Pooh flick I've ever seen, but there's nothing particularly memorable about it. If you're looking for a Hundred Acre Wood adventure, I suppose you could do worse. There's a neat bit where Pooh and his friends capture a Heffalump and it's a bit more ominous than you'd anticipate, but that's about it.
Skip!
Winnie the Pooh (***1/2)
In which a stuffed imaginary bear hallucinates that his stuffed friends are actually inanimate honey pots come to life
Apart from the original, there isn't another Pooh movie as good as this one.
This movie knows what makes a good Winnie the Pooh story. It draws inspiration from the original books. The voice acting is as charming as ever. In an era of CG animation, they chose to kick it old school. They found creative ways to have the narrator interact with the characters, and for the characters to interact with the storybook they inhabit. Most importantly, they told one cohesive story while also giving us smaller stories sprinkled throughout.
Zooey Deschanel provides a charming soundtrack that I feel the need to defend given my track record in previous Disney reviews. I've spoken often of my disdain for unseen women singing disgustingly cheesy songs while our characters do something of relative unimportance. It's the worst. But I think Zooey is great here, for one key reason. None of her songs are intrusive. You'll hear her voice here and there, but it's never for long and it never interrupts the plot. What's far more common is hearing the CHARACTERS sing, which I've always preferred. Even if the song is a crummy song, having the characters sing it keeps the focus where it's supposed to be - on their development and their feelings. The music in this story is cute, and it always furthers the plot. Good work!
Although it's not much of a complaint, I want to point out that one of the central conflicts of this film is basically a re-hash of "Pooh's Great Adventure". In that flick, Owl misreads a note left by Christopher Robin. Christopher's off to school, but Owl thinks he's somewhere called "Skull". In this movie, Christopher Robin leaves another note, and Owl reads that he's been kidnapped by a monster. While I didn't enjoy "Pooh's Great Adventure", I wonder why they deliberately chose such a re-tread.
As I come to the end of the Hundred Acre Wood, I have to say that the highlights were the 1977 film, the 1988 TV show, maybe 'The Tigger Movie', and this movie. Though there's plenty of skippable Pooh adventures, he's too much fun to rule out entirely.