2011 Children's Animated Film, Directed by Stephen J. Anderson & Don Hall
If you want to see a 22 year old gush about Winnie the Pooh, you're in the right place. If you want to make fun of me for it, hit the comments below. I have a personal connection to the character, so I might be biased, but this movie was great. Don't get turned off because it looks too kiddie or you think you're above it. I'm telling you right now, disregarding it's short running time, it should have been nominated for and taken home the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture. A fresh update to what had become a stale film franchise for only the preschool set, Winnie the Pooh is actually a witty, funny, beautifully animated film that will surprise many adults. It follows the usual cast of characters in a variety of adventures.
Works
Classical Characterizations with Self-Awareness: Pooh characters are very two-dimensional, in both senses of the meaning. Pooh only cares about eating, Piglet is always scared, Owl is the know-it-all, etc. This is poked fun at here. The 2011 film interpretation of Winnie the Pooh completely acknowledges this and has some fun with it, like when Owl realizes he is wrong about something, but perpetuates a made up story anyway, or when always depressed Eeyore is trying to hide from an over-enthusiastic Tigger. The movie also continues the classic real-life "story-book" trend seen in other films, however it takes it further in a great end-credits sequence.
Overall Cuteness/Humor: Yep, this movie is adorable, but not in a kiddie way. It's as if the cute factor is consciously being exploited for laughter, and frankly, I think much of the humor is directed towards adults, anyway. Not that it's dirty or anything, but some of the situational/visual humor is not something kids would necessarily pick up on.
Zooey Deschanel's Sultry Voice/Musical Numbers. I love Zooey, and her voice is perfect for the songs she sings in the film. There is this 1960′s quality to it that is nostalgic, yet modern at the same time, and in a film that is trying to re-define a franchise that started decades ago, she is a great fit. The actual musical numbers that involve the cast are fun, too, especially the chalkboard-style "Backson" number.
Doesn't Work
Plot. There is no plot in the movie. There are events, sure, but it is ADD story-telling at its best. All a bunch of "and then" scenes that loosely link to Christopher Robin not being present. I was fine with it, considering the short length of the film (63 minutes), but I'm wondering if an episodic approach might have been better.
Rabbit. Not that I like the character too much, but he was given nothing in this movie. Even Kanga, who is never important, had a bigger role (not that I'm complaining at all about that). It was just odd to see him do so little in what otherwise is a pretty strong ensemble.
Honey CGI. One scene employs CGI in what seems like an odd addition for a movie with such a distinct art style and animation direction. The CG honey was probably easier to deal with, but it felt out of place in what is a beautifully-made 2D animated film.
Here's an example of the CG
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