Pooh's as sweet as his favourite honey.
Honey: Pooh spies his favourite fare.Honey: Pooh spies his favourite fare.
WINNIE THE POOH (U) Verdict: HHHII IN HIS own words, he's a bear of very little brain and long words bother him.
He's been a children's favourite since A A Milne turned a stuffed teddy into an adorable bear who loves honey, publishing the first stories - along with illustrations by E H Shepard - in 1924.
Pooh is a very British institution, though he became American when he made his Disney film debut in 1977.
It still sounds odd to hear an accent from across the pond, though the latest - and fifth - Disney movie tries in some ways to return to traditional roots.
It features old-fashioned hand-drawn animation rather than fancy CGI effects and it's narrated by John Cleese.
Most effectively, it returns, literally, to Milne's books. Our animated friends walk over the pages and the words come to life, jumping off the paper and, in one inventive scene, making a ladder of letters up which the animals can escape.
With any luck, it will remind audiences where the stories came from and encourage them to open a book. The story cleverly links five Pooh tales, including Eeyore losing his tail and his friend - Rabbit, Owl, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga and Roo - trying to find him a new one.
They also search for a terrifying creature they've invented called the Backson, which arises when they misread a note left by Christopher Robin in which he says he'll be ''back soon''.
Talking of Christopher Robin, I found his babyish voiced really grated. And though some new songs are rather jolly, some are superfluous.
But it's hard not to be charmed by the animals' adventures and simple philosophy.
Their amiable bumbling is fun and I laughed quite a few times.
I reckon little kids will love this film, which is as sweet as Pooh's favourite honey.
It's short enough for little ones - and their parents - not to get too bored.
The running time is boosted by two short cartoons beforehand, the second of which is a touching story about the Loch Ness Monster.
CAPTION(S):
Honey: Pooh spies his favourite fare. Honey: Pooh spies his favourite fare. Honey: Pooh spies his favourite fare. Honey: Pooh spies his favourite fare.
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Publication: | Birmingham Mail (England) |
|---|---|
| Date: | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Words: | 377 |
| Previous Article: | Royal romp's a bad taste sword thriller. |
| Next Article: | A wolf, cloak and dagger of a fairy tale; BigMovie. |
| Topics: | |