It's time for another visit to the Hundred Acre Wood, and the problems faced by our friends feel somewhat familiar. Winnie the Pooh's honey has gone missing. Then, Eeyore's tail has gone missing. Worst of all, Christopher Robin has gone missing, and the gang has to pull together to solve all three mysteries and return their world back to normal. Winnie the Pooh is a welcome relief from much of what Hollywood has been (force) feeding us. We don't have to worry about 3-D, speakers rattling from the extreme volume, inappropriate jokes about bodily functions and more. However, Winnie the Pooh needs to embrace simplicity and quaintness throughout the entire movie.
At times, co-writers/co-directors Stephen J. Anderson and Clio Chiang try too hard to be meta by having Pooh interact with the overly involved narrator (John Cleese) and stumble across the book's text in animated sequences to make us feel like a story is being read to us, but the world of the Hundred Acre Wood and the words on the page are colliding (was this a big thing in Winnie the Pooh books and I forgot?).
While I have my concerns about Winnie being portrayed as being a little too dumb, kids didn't seem to mind, and the film is full of cute laughs, proving Winnie the Pooh clearly was made for little children who will be happier than Pooh swimming in a pot of honey. In many ways, it is a good movie for the little one who is ready for his or her first cinematic experience.
2 ½ Waffles (Out of 4)
Winnie the Pooh is rated G
While I have my concerns about Winnie being portrayed as being a little too dumb, kids didn't seem to mind, and the film is full of cute laughs, proving Winnie the Pooh clearly was made for little children who will be happier than Pooh swimming in a pot of honey. In many ways, it is a good movie for the little one who is ready for his or her first cinematic experience.
2 ½ Waffles (Out of 4)
Winnie the Pooh is rated G
