Winnie the Pooh (Stephen J. Anderson, Don Hall, 2011)
I have to preface this review saying I grew up with all things Disney, and that most definitely included The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I watched it again before I watched this film, and I think I could have recited it by heart. It is one of my favorite Disney films. It has such a warmth and heart that I think isn't around as much. Animated films now seem to want to cram in pop culture references or appeal to the adults. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is simple and sweet. So, this new Winnie the Pooh film had big shoes to fill, and I have to say I was excited about watching it, considering the trailer made me practically cry when it was all over the television this past summer.
The new Winnie the Pooh followed the same formula as the first film, except there is just one story instead of three. Eeyore's tail (tael) is missing, and everyone must find it. The story felt a bit rehashed, like I had seen it before. I mean, Eeyore loses his tail all the time, it's what he does. I just thought they would make the main storyline more inventive than that. That being said, it had a lot of fun moments, with a few zingers from Pooh, which are always cute. Still it felt a bit cold for me. Probably because I love the original so much. This lacked a bit of the heart that the first one has. It sounds like I am being a bit hard on it, but I did enjoy it, it's hard not to given the characters. I think I just expected more.