Saturday, July 16, 2011

Winnie the Pooh-review

Is this what you would call a Kangaroo court?
Well it’s good a see that Disney is taking things back to its roots.  “Winnie the Pooh” is a cute bit of nostalgia that is worth seeing to remember the times when we loved the characters of A.A Milne. I was impressed that they continued the stories of Milne in order to create a fresh movie that is actually very likeable and cute. 

First off I want to give the short at the beginning of the movie the attention it deserves.  It was a great short called “The Ballad of Nessie.” This short actually has a lesson in the form of showing a Loch Ness monster having a hard time with her life that it IS okay to cry in life.  I think that is a good lesson for kids.

I am Roger Rabbiting the hell out of this performance.
As for the main feature “Winnie the Pooh” brings a lot of the same charm we’ve come to expect from the original movie.  There are some things that have changed of course.  Many of the voices are different.  Christopher Robin has an almost cockney English accent which is outright obnoxious.  Rabbit is super over the top to the top now.  He almost seems to be channeling the spirit of Roger Rabbit for his performance.

It has some odd choices too in terms of script as well.  They break the fourth wall a lot in talking with the narrator, played by John Cleese.  Eeyore has taken his depression to new heights when he tells his friends, “We’re all gonna die.”   That’s pretty dark for a stuffed donkey.
  
One weekend a month my ass.
Finally, and I think this a big change.  I always found the friendship between Pooh and Piglet a lot more enduring in the original movie.  In this one Pooh is sort of a dick to Piglet.  Especially if it means he can score some honey.  Bottom line is that this a cute movie that is fun to watch and is probably a lot better for little kids than people with nostalgia goggles.  The original is still more heartwarming and more a testament to youth than this one which seems to just want to ride on the other's coattails. 

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