Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Seems Frog Princess really was a harbinger of handdrawn cinema resurgence.

I was never that big of a Pooh fan, but this is all kinds of great. Doesn't seem as puerile as the more recent Tigger and Piglet films (which I haven't seen for myself, so correct me if I've misjudged).

Not exactly sure how I feel about the indie-style music just yet, but I doubt anything contemporary could fit any better.

[Senbei]

Having watched a significant amount of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with a younger sibling, I'm pretty burnt out on both the silly and the old. The fact that there have been a number of movies, both theater releases and TV-movies, also contributes to my opinion that Pooh's seen his day. (Also, it's hard to get excited for anything set to a kwik-e-mart song.)

On the other hand, it does look very pretty, and the retro aesthetic is naturally appealing. And, hell-yeah, another 2D film, right?

Still, can't say I'm that interested, but maybe I'd feel different if I had a kid!

[Crazy Penguin]

Seems Frog Princess really was a harbinger of handdrawn cinema resurgence.

I was never that big of a Pooh fan, but this is all kinds of great. Doesn't seem as puerile as the more recent Tigger and Piglet films (which I haven't seen for myself, so correct me if I've misjudged).

That does look great! Not sure if I'll end up seeing it, but I'm thrilled that Disney are still making hand drawn films. The Princess and the Frog was thoroughly entertaining throughout and looked gorgeous, so I was more than a little disappointed when I heard that Tangled would be CG.

Not exactly sure how I feel about the indie-style music just yet, but I doubt anything contemporary could fit any better.

It's Keane. I doubt it'll be used in the actual film.

[Crowbar]

Yeah, my little sister used to love the shit out of Pooh, too, so I don't have much love for the character. The colours in that trailer looked nice, though, better than what I saw of Princess and the Frog, I think.

[Delphine]

Why is Keane playing in a Winnie the Pooh trailer. What is this.

I loved Pooh when I was a kid. I remember the collected stories being among my first solo reading, and the old school cartoons kept me entertained for far too many hours. My brother loved the cartoons too (and still does, natch). I think I was too old to have more than a passing interest when they started in on the newer stuff. I doubt I'll see this, but I'm glad they're making a new one.

This reminded me of And is there Honey Still for Tea?, an apocalyptic Pooh fanfic. Seriously. It's fairly well done. (If you see a blank white screen, scroll down.)

[Radrappy]

Oh hell they put whites in Christopher Robin's eyes. Now he looks like aladdin or every other shitty 90's disney character.

In all seriousness though I'm interested to see where they take this movie. Judging from that sequence of pooh in the honey, it's safe to assume this is a musical. I know that the people in charge at disney were upset by how little Frog Princess made at the box office and that really leaves me puzzled as to how this got the green light in the first place. Do they really think there's more money to be made with a pooh bear film? It's not as if he's been absent from the cinema that much is for sure. The hufflelump movie was what, 2005?

[Senbei]

That fanfic was fun. It dragged a bit once I realized the whole thing was just them walking and moping, but the atmosphere -- the most important aspect of an apocalyptic piece, I think -- made it worth the read.

[Green Gibbon!]

Well, Pooh's a pretty safe bet, isn't it? It'll make money one way or the other.


Different topic now, but I just watched Toy Story 3 last night. That shit was intense. I don't know how it got off with a G rating. That old bear is one of the most terrifying villains in animation history.

Awesome movie, though!

[Senbei]

If you ever want to reduce a grown adult to a blubbering bag of tears, tell them that all the toys die in this one. The arc of the victim's emotions leading into and past that scene is a strong representation of human beauty. If you're, y'know, evil.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

There's already a Toy Story 3 topic, you greedy grease-stained dress shirt.

[gr4yJ4Y]

Talk of Winnie the Pooh always reminds me of this.

[Green Gibbon!]

If you ever want to reduce a grown adult to a blubbering bag of tears, tell them that all the toys die in this one.

Shit, I almost cried anyway. I've yet to see the film that actually moves me to tears, but Pixar routinely comes alarmingly close, especially the opening montage of Up and I think the whole goddamn second half of Toy Story 3.

There's already a Toy Story 3 topic, you greedy grease-stained dress shirt.

I didn't feel like unearthing it. Also, I think that's the first time I've ever been called that.

[Esrever]

Fun fact: Winnie the Pooh merch generates more revenue for Disney than Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and all the other classic characters combined.

[Dr. Watson]

The fact that they are basing this film on stories from the original Milne books gives it all potential to be the best Pooh-related thing Disney has produced since the 70's. Short, clever, comedic stories mixed with just the right amount of sweetness is what Pooh is really all about. The half-assed "dramatic" adventures of other recent Pooh films like The Search For Christopher Robin simply doesn't fit the Pooh universe.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Ah, see, if I was told there was new movie about just about anything these days, I'd've assumed it was some awful CGI & live action bullshit.

Imagine Seth Rogen as Pooh and whatever prepubescent child star from whatever twee comedy's hot on the Disney Channel at the time, sophomoric double entendre and party music blended together into schlock only trailer-dwellers would find entertaining.

[Sniffnoy]

Given the context, at first there I read "trailer-dwellers" as meaning "people who only watch trailers"...

[Dr. Watson]

Here is to hoping that Disney has the balls this time around to make a proper adaption of the story where Rabbit gets Winnie to help him kidnap Roo in order to extort Kanga into leaving Hundred Acre Woods. Yes, that actually does happens in the book. And understandably, it was by far my favorite chapter in it as a kid.

[Rob-Bert]

They did variants of that in both the New Adventures TV show and Piglet's Big Movie, but mainly the part where Piglet gets mistaken for Roo and Kanga bathes him.

The half-assed "dramatic" adventures of other recent Pooh films like The Search For Christopher Robin simply doesn't fit the Pooh universe.

1. I liked The Search for Christopher Robin.

2. It wasn't really that recent.

[Dr. Watson]

They did variants of that in both the New Adventures TV show and Piglet's Big Movie, but mainly the part where Piglet gets mistaken for Roo and Kanga bathes him.

I know, which is why i said a proper adaption of the story. "Kidnapping" a kid in order to save him from having to take a bath isn't nearly as funny as kidnapping him out of sheer hatred towards his mom, don't you agree?

1. I liked The Search for Christopher Robin.

2. It wasn't really that recent.

Hey, im just following the golden rule; anything that didn't already exist when i was under the age of 12 counts as "new crap".

[Frieza2000]

Maybe it's just the marketing, but it looks like this is being aimed more at us than at our kids. The dialogue, from what little is there, seems a tier above what I remember of Disney's pooh.

While I grew up with and loved the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, I had never read (or even heard of) Milne's stories until I was 20. They're the most brilliant children's stories I'm aware of. I limited myself to one chapter a night over the course of a few months to imitate the experience of having it told like a bedtime story, and almost the whole way I was astonishingly tempted to gorge on it all at once. It was sublime. Part of it might be that I was listening to this the on an endless loop during all but 2 chapters.

If they ever make an adaptation of chapter 10 of the last book I'd definitely go see it. I think I sat awake for 3 hours after reading it in profound reflection. I'm sure they'd sweeten it up, but as long as they kept the outcome intact I'd be fine with that.

[Dr. Watson]

If they ever make an adaptation of chapter 10 of the last book I'd definitely go see it. I think I sat awake for 3 hours after reading it in profound reflection. I'm sure they'd sweeten it up, but as long as they kept the outcome intact I'd be fine with that.

I take it that you haven't seen The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (you know, Disney's original Pooh feature film). It has an very faithful adaption of precisely that chapter (i suppose that at the time of that films making, nobody though they would produce anymore Pooh movies). In fact, with the exception of the presence of musical numbers and that annoying gopher, all of the stories in the film are very close to their source material. Which of course means that it's miles ahead of anything Pooh related that Disney has produced since. With a hopeful exception of this new movie, that is...

[cjmcray]

Maybe it's just the marketing, but it looks like this is being aimed more at us than at our kids.

I hope so! I love Pooh bear, and I really want to see this movie, but it'd be a shame if they filled it with a bunch of musical numbers nobody over the age of 9 could tolerate. They need to make this movie appeal to both kids and adults. (I'm not saying put in "edgy" humor and hidden innuendos like Dreamworks does, (yuck) i'm just saying, keep the childish musical numbers to a minimum, don't beat the viewer over the head with some dumb moral, and try not to put in any corny dialogue)

While I grew up with and loved the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, I had never read (or even heard of) Milne's stories until I was 20.

Same here. I grew up with New Adv. of Winnie the Pooh, but never read a Milne book. Movie looks pretty darn good. Though Christopher Robin's voice is a little too high-pitched for my tastes.

I realize now that yellow was Rabbit's original color, but the 5-year old in me who grew up with green rabbit on New Adv. of Winnie the Pooh wants green rabbit back.

[Rob-Bert]

It seemed to fluctuate. Sometimes he'd look a little more green and other times he'd look a little more yellow. The promotional art would alternate between depicting him as green and yellow as well.

[Delphine]

It's as if they couldn't decide how realistic to color him, which is a bit silly with a honey-yellow bear and a bright orange striped tiger running around.

[Tsuyoshi-kun]

That does look great! Not sure if I'll end up seeing it, but I'm thrilled that Disney are still making hand drawn films. The Princess and the Frog was thoroughly entertaining throughout and looked gorgeous, so I was more than a little disappointed when I heard that Tangled would be CG.

Really? I remember my sister and I seeing The Princess and The Frog in theaters when it came out and lambasted it as being no better than the direct-to-video movie Disney chrurned out for 15 years. I honestly think it might be one of their worst animated features in their 72-year animated feature history.

That said, I am looking forward to the new Winnie-the-Pooh movie.