Some thoughts on 'Pooh'

Winnie-the-Pooh just came out, and if you come over to the Etc. often, you'll know that I was super excited to see it. Some of my favorite moments from any film anywhere reside in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh--it just has so much heart and wonderful animation and is just plain great entertainment.

The new Winnie-the-Pooh, on the other hand, was . . . enjoyable.

Let me start with the biggest positive: the animation. The character acting was superb--watching the reactions and exaggerated movements of the animals in the Hundred Acre Wood was remarkable. I especially appreciated the expressions on Owl and Rabbit and the bouncing of Tigger. But there isn't really any surprise here, seeing as Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg, and numerous other animation greats were involved. The backgrounds were equally beautiful, too.


The story elements of this Pooh, however, were somewhat lacking. While Many Adventures is also in an episodic format, each "episode" has its own arc and layers of conflict and levels of intrigue. The episodes of the new Pooh were too simple and felt like they were playing straight to the littlest of kids. There was just nothing as an audience member to get lost in or focused on; I feel like they had such a great opportunity to put these beloved characters into interesting and entertaining situations, but instead they put them into the barest possible scenarios. Many Adventures has the audience laughing and crying and scared and in suspense, whereas Winnie-the-Pooh is almost impossible to get lost in due to its mind-numbing simplicity.


That being said, there were several times when I found myself laughing uncontrollably. Such as the scene when Piglet is above the hole that all of the characters have fallen into--the dialogue is genius, and I could not stop laughing. It was brilliant. Similarly, Owl was very fun to watch and had some great lines that I really appreciated.

The music was an aspect of this film I was looking forward to, since I'm a huge She & Him fan. The opening Winnie-the-Pooh song was what I had expected, so I loved it. The final song, So Long, was also really, really great--I listen to it almost daily. However, there weren't enough She & Him songs to make me satisfied, but I guess that's probably just because I'm such a big fan of theirs. The musical score was light-hearted and gratifying and makes for great background music, but I still prefer the more melodic score of Many Adventures . . .


Winnie-the-Pooh was a solid movie. It had great character animation, hilarious dialogue, and good music. The story was mildly enjoyable, but crumbles to pieces when you compare it to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I suppose I have my very high expectations to blame . . .

I'll most certainly see Winnie-the-Pooh again, and I'll definitely laugh and enjoy myself while watching it, but I won't be able to stop and think about what could have been.

6 out of 10.

Read More...

'Pooh's Note' Clip

Briefly: There you have a clip just released by Disney, showing off even more humor from their upcoming film, Winnie-the-Pooh.

This movie is looking funnier and funnier . . . I cannot wait for this Friday when it comes out. Songs by She & Him, classic animation by Andreas Deja and other greats, and of course some of the greatest characters of all-time!

Just a few more days . . . few more days . . . few more . . .

Read More...

Andreas Deja has a blog!

The famed Disney Animator (and one of my favorites) Andreas Deja, who headed animation in such films as Hercules, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Frog and the upcoming film Winnie-the-Pooh, has officially set-up his own blog!

It is very interesting and informative for any lover of Disney or animation in general...

Read More...

Five New 'Winnie-the-Pooh' Clips

Hot on the heels of news about Winnie-the-Pooh's soundtrack, I have found five brand new clips from the upcoming film (well, four from the film and one featurette). Rather than embedding all of them here and muddying everything up forever, I will just give you some nice, easy-to-handle hyperlinks . . .

Eeyore's New Tael

Pooh Wanders to the Next Paragraph

Film's Introduction (dubbed in German)

Untitled Clip (also dubbed in German)

Disney movie Preview for Pooh

The film will be released later this year on July 15. Read more about it here.

Read More...

Listen to the 'Pooh' Soundtrack Now!

Here is a link to the French Disney website, on which you can, for a limited time, stream the entire Winnie-the-Pooh soundtrack!! It is a bit finnicky and takes a bit to load, but it is totally worth it!! When before I thought there was no way for me to become more excited for the movie, they have to go and release an amazing soundtrack like this, which makes me exponentially more excited.

Not only does it include Zooey Deschanel, as I giddily and previously reported, but it also includes the musical stylings of M. Ward (the "Him" in the group She & Him)!! This is such exciting news, I can't even explain how exciting it is . . . I listen to She & Him and M. Ward's solo stuff at least twice a week, usually more. Seeing that they are going to be teaming with Disney on Winnie-the-Pooh is making me, in fact, freak out.

Listen to the soundtrack (which will be available to purchase on July 12) now while you have the chance, and then go and see the sure-to-be-awesome Winnie-the-Pooh this July 15!

Read More...

Deschanel Meets Pooh

The above video is a short featurette recently released by Walt Disney Animation Studios discussing the music for their upcoming film Winnie-the-Pooh. Songs for the film will be provided by one of my favorite actresses and singers, Zooey Deschanel. You may remember her as the female lead of Elf and (500) Days of Summer, and the lead singer of the super awesome band She & Him.

Listen to a preview for the brand new song So Long, by Zooey made just for Pooh, in the video above. Never-before-seen footage from the film can be seen in the video, too!

The film will be released on July 15 later this year, and now I am even more excited to see it since one of my favorite musical artists is providing the music... Oh boy!

Read More...

New 'Pooh' Clip

Above you'll find a new clip released for the upcoming WDAS film Winnie-the-Pooh... And it is awesome! Great animation, funny jokes, and the same old characters we all know and love.

Is it July 15 yet?...

Read More...

'The Ballad of Nessie' details, images

The Ballad of Nessie is an upcoming, traditionally-animated Disney short. The film will be a take on the classic Loch Ness Monster story, and will be attached to Winnie-the-Pooh on July 15 later this year.


Above and below you will find the brand new, hi-res stills from the short, which is being headed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton and Kevin Deters (How To Hook Up Your Home Theatre and Prep and Landing). Some of my favorite animators are involved in the project, including Andreas Deja and Mark Henn.


This looks great! As if I didn't need another reason to be excited for Winnie-the-Pooh!! I am so glad that Disney is re-embracing the wonderful art form of traditional animation. It is just so great to look at and watch . . . Is it July yet!?


For more info on the interesting production methods behind the short, check out this great post from Cartoon Brew.

Read More...

Brilliant New Pooh Poster

Above you will find yet another stunning poster for the upcoming animated feature Winnie-the-Pooh. The animators did brilliant work on this poster and this one, but the newest poster is quite simply brilliant--and the best. It is very minimalistic and tells a wonderful story while also showing off lots of characters and their familiar personalities. I really hope the awesome set of posters speak to the film itself.

I think I have stated how thoroughly excited I am for this movie before, but it bears repeating... I am excited for this movie!

Read More...

'Pooh' Wrapped

As of this past Friday, February 10, Walt Disney Animation Studios' newest hand-drawn film Winnie-the-Pooh is in the can! Production has been wrapped, and now all that's left is a bunch of marketing and several months of waiting...

Although I don't entirely agree with their decision to release the film on the same day as the sure-to-be-blockbuster Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I think it's still gonna be a smash hit--everybody loves Winnie-the-Pooh and Eeyore and Piglet, and seeing the refreshing return to the classic animation of the beloved Pooh cartoons of decades ago will lure both young and old audiences to theaters. Even so, the film cost under $40 million to make, and therefore its apparent that Disney doesn't need (or, frankly, expect) it to come out number one at the box office; a modest opening will easily make the film's budget back.

As if the film by itself wasn't super awesome enough, John Cleese will be narrating, Tom Kenny (Spongebob) will be providing the voice of Rabbit, and everyone's favorite elderly Pixarian, Bud Luckey, will be doing the voice for Eeyore! This is a great cast. This movie cannot come out soon enough...

The film is being directed by Stephen Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) and Don Hall and is set to be released on July 15, 2011.

Read More...

Another New 'Pooh' Poster

Although I still love the simplicity of the first Winnie-the-Pooh poster, this new one is great. Still minimalistic and beautifully-drawn; and we get some reassurance that they aren't drastically changing (or getting rid of) any of the characters that we all know and love.

Kudos to Mr. Lasseter. It is a breath of fresh air to see something so timeless and universally-loved being revived in such a classy and wonderfully-straightforward manner.

Just a few more months...can't wait to see it...can't wait...can't...

Read More...

'Winnie-the-Pooh' Poster

To the left you will find the newly-released poster for WDAS' upcoming film Winnie-the-Pooh.

Awesome. Just great. This poster is very minimalistic, yet tells a story all in itself. It is well-drawn, simple, and makes me want to see the movie even more. This is easily one of my favorite movie posters, well, ever!

Winnie-the-Pooh, which will be the last film out of Walt Disney Animation Studios for a few years (expect the next in 2013 or so) and the last hand-drawn film from them for even longer (2014/15), will be released this summer! I am very excited to see it; not only do I love all of the Pooh characters, but I just adore the animation style that this film is going to be re-embracing. Boy am I glad that Lasseter took the reigns on this one and prevented a straight-to-DVD, CG disaster of a film and turned it into something that I know I will love . . .

Read More...

Two Trailers: 'Pooh' and 'Cars 2'

Briefly: Below, you will find two new Disney trailers, Winnie the Pooh and Cars 2.



I am so excited for Winnie the Pooh. The 51st animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios is looking great--I am very glad that they kept with the original style of animation. I've got nothing negative to say...



Cars 2. Oh, Cars 2. What will we do with you? Your animation looks exquisite, I am very excited that Michael Caine will be voicing one of your characters (Finn McMissle), and John Lasseter is even directing you. Still, this movie seems to be missing that certain Pixar "edge." It seems too predictable and generic. Sure, it'll be really funny and entertaining, but I don't see how they can possibly fit any heart into the plot. Every Pixar movie thus far has had heart. I don't see any potential for it in Cars 2, but I'm willing to give Pixar and Lasseter the benefit of the doubt.

I think they've earned that at the very least.

Read More...

'Wookiee the Chew': Best Mash-up Fan Art Ever

James Hance, whom I just decided is one of the best artists on the planet, has recently released the above set of images (courtesy of BoingBoing) depicting Han Solo as Christopher Robin, Chewbacca as Pooh, R2D2 as Piglet, and an AT-AT as Eeyore.

Genius.

In my opinion, two of the greatest human creations to come out the past 100 years are Star Wars and Winnie-the-Pooh. To see both of them combined so flawlessly and artistically makes me wish I had thought of doing it first. But, then again, I could never draw as well as Mr. James Hance. Man, I could look at these illustrations all day long.

The main reason, is that the illustrations are in the wonderful, classic style of E.H. Shepard and the original A.A. Milne volumes of Winnie-the-Pooh.

He will be selling the first volume of Wookiee the Chew here on his site soon. I'm definitely getting one. What a brilliant, well-executed idea. After I receive my copy, I'll post my thoughts...

Source: BoingBoing

Read More...

Lasseter-Endorsed Pooh Feature in the Works

Winnie the Pooh has humble beginnings and then exploded into popularity when a little company named Disney picked up the little furry bear and his friends. As of late, however, Disney hasn't been doing the original stories or even their original 'Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' toons justice. The terrible Playhouse Disney adaptation and the poorly done theme park ride are examples of the lack of quality Pooh things produced by Disney.

Now, things are starting to look up. Lasseter, as you know, knows something good when he hears it. Well, he has just heard a pitch for a straight-to-DVD Pooh film, and, he liked the story concept so much, that it is now going to be released as a theatrical release! The last film this happened to was Toy Story 2 which was set to be a straight-to-DVD film but was becoming so great during development that it moved to the big screen. Read much more about the film and its 2011 release at Blue Sky Disney.

Read More...

Winnie-the-Pooh Returns to the Hundred Acre Wood

It was over 80 years ago that A.A. Milne wrote The House at Pooh Corner, his second book based upon a lovable bear (which, in turn, was based on his son's stuffed bear). It was the two original books written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shepard that created the characters we know most commonly today as Disney's. But the only true spirit of Pooh and his friends are found in the original, wonderful books from the 1920s.


Now there will be another Pooh book. No not a cartoon-y Disney commissioned sequel, but one authorized by Milne and Shepard's estates; it is the first authorized sequel that will continue the original storyline created by Milne. It is tentatively titled Return to the Hundred Acre Wood and will be written by David Benedictus (who has converted the Pooh books to audio CD) and illustrated by Mark Burgess. According to the Telegraph, the man in charge of Milne's estate has said the following:

We have been hoping for a good many years that we might one day be able to offer the world a sequel which would do justice to the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

We believe that David Benedictus and [illustrator] Mark Burgess have captured the spirit and quality of those original books.

We hope that the many millions of Pooh enthusiasts and readers around the world will embrace and cherish these new stories as if they had just emerged from the pen of A. A. Milne himself.

I hope that this new book will do the original Pooh books justice, as they are very good stories. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney and their depictions of Winnie the Pooh, but with their recent CG attempt at Winnie the Pooh with Christopher Robin being replaced with a girl is, quite frankly, terrible. I love the original series The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, but I don't think that anything will replace Milne's classic Winnie the Pooh stories.

The book is planned for release on October 5, 2009, setting it up for potentially lucrative Christmas sales.


Source: The Telegraph

Read More...