This article is about the 2011 film. For the 1977 film, see The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
| Winnie the Pooh | |
|---|---|
 US theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Stephen J. Anderson Don Hall |
| Produced by | Peter Del Vecho John Lasseter (executive producer) |
| Story by | Stephen Anderson Clio Chiang Don Dougherty Don Hall Brian Kesinger Nicole Mitchell Jeremy Spears Kendelle Hoyer |
| Based on | Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne |
| Narrated by | John Cleese |
| Starring | Jim Cummings Tom Kenny Craig Ferguson Travis Oates Bud Luckey Jack Boutler Kristen Anderson-Lopez Wyatt Dean Hall |
| Music by | Henry Jackman |
| Cinematography | Julio Macat |
| Editing by | Lisa Linder |
| Studio | Walt Disney Animation Studios |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 15, 2011 (UK) July 15, 2011 (USA) |
| Running time | 69 minutes (shorts included)/ 61 minutes (without shorts) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[1] |
| Box office | $32,009,543 [2] |
The film was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and was released on April 15, 2011 in the United Kingdom,[11] and on July 15, 2011 in the United States.[6][12] Production for the film began in September 2009 with John Lasseter announcing that they wanted to create a film that would "transcend generations."[13] The film also features six songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, as well as a rendition of the "Winnie the Pooh" theme song by actress and musician Zooey Deschanel.[14][15][16][17] The movie is preceded by two animated shorts, one of them being the Regular Show short, Mordecai and Rigby: Ringtoneers, which was only played in Regal First Look. Another one was The Ballad of Nessie, which was about a friendly Loch Ness Monster named Nessie and how she and her best friend MacQuack, the rubber duck, came to live in the moor they now call home.[18][19][20] In some international screenings, the episode "Cubby's Goldfish" from the Disney Junior series Jake and the Never Land Pirates appears.[21]
Plot
The film is based on three stories found in the Milne books. Two stories are from Winnie-the-Pooh: "In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One," and "In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump." The other story is found in The House at Pooh Corner: "In Which Rabbit Has a Busy Day and We Learn What Christopher Robin Does in the Mornings."Pooh wakes up one day to find that he is out of honey. While out searching for more, Pooh discovers that Eeyore has lost his tail. Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Roo come to the rescue, and Christopher Robin decides to hold a contest to see who can find Eeyore's tail. The prize for the winner is a fresh pot of honey. After many failed attempts for what would replace Eeyore's tail (such as a cuckoo clock), Kanga suggests they use a scarf, but it unravels.
The next day, Pooh goes to visit Christopher Robin and he finds a note that says "Gon Out Bizzy Back Soon." Because Pooh is unable to read the note, he asks for Owl's help. Owl's poor reading comprehension skills lead Pooh and his friends to believe that Christopher Robin has been abducted by a ruthless and mischievous monster they call the "Backson." Pooh and his friends plan to trap the Backson in a pit, which they think he'll fall into after following a trail of items leading to it. Meanwhile, Tigger, wanting a sidekick to help him defeat the Backson, recruits Eeyore to be a second Tigger. He dresses up like the Backson and tries to teach Eeyore how to fight. Eeyore, who is doing this against his will, escapes from Tigger and hides underwater.
After a failed attempt to get honey from a bee hive, Pooh begins to imagine that he is surrounded by honey, and accidentally falls into the pit meant for the Backson. Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Owl, and Eeyore try to get him out, but fall in themselves. Piglet attempts to get Pooh and friends out of the trap, but he runs into Tigger, still in his Backson outfit, and mistakes him for the actual monster. Piglet escapes from Tigger on a red balloon, which knocks some of the storybook's letters into the pit. After the chase, Tigger and Piglet fall into the trap as well, where Eeyore reminds Tigger that he, being "the only one", is "the most wonderful thing about Tiggers." Eventually, Pooh figures out to use the fallen letters to form a ladder, and the animals are able to escape the pit. They soon find Christopher Robin, and tell him about the Backson, but he clarifies, saying he meant to be "back soon."
Later, Pooh visits Owl only to find that Owl was the one that took Eeyore's tail, not realizing it belonged to Eeyore. Owl had been using Eeyore's tail as a bell pulley for his door. Pooh chooses to leave and return the tail to Eeyore instead of sharing a pot of honey with Owl. Christopher Robin is proud of Pooh's kindness and rewards him with a large pot of honey.
Following the credits, it is revealed that the rumored Backson actually exists deep in the woods, but is much friendlier than imagined. He discovers the trail of objects that the animals left, and picks up each one, planning to return them. He ends up falling into the pit that was originally meant for him and waits for someone to arrive and help him out.
[edit] Cast
- Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger
- Tom Kenny as Rabbit
- Craig Ferguson as Owl
- Travis Oates as Piglet
- Bud Luckey as Eeyore
- Jack Boutler as Christopher Robin
- Kristen Anderson-Lopez as Kanga
- Wyatt Dean Hall as Roo
- John Cleese as the narrator
- Huell Howser as the Backson
[edit] Production
Burny Mattinson, a Disney veteran who worked as the key animator on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, served as lead storyboard artist for the film, with Stephen Anderson and Don Hall directing.[8][22] Director Stephen Anderson is best known for his effort on Meet the Robinsons, Journey Beneath the Sea, Brother Bear, The Emperor's New Groove, and Bolt. Director Don Hall also has veteran status at Walt Disney Animation Studios, significantly contributing to The Princess and the Frog, Meet the Robinsons, Brother Bear, Home on the Range, The Emperor's New Groove, and Tarzan.[8] Supervising animators for the film included Mark Henn (Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin),[23] Andreas Deja (Tigger),[24] Bruce W. Smith (Piglet, Kanga, Roo), Randy Haycock (Eeyore), Eric Goldberg (Rabbit) and Dale Baer (Owl).[25][26] Similar to The Princess and the Frog, the film also uses Toon Boom Animation's Harmony software.[27] Instead of using live-action book scenes (in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh), the book scenes are CGI-animated with the characters interacting with the text (such as when they escape the pit they wanted to trap the backson in).Originally, the film was supposed to feature five stories from the A. A. Milne books, but the final version ended up drawing inspiration from three stories.[28] Lasseter had also announced that Rabbit's friends and relatives would be in the film, but they never appeared.[5]
[edit] Reception
Winnie the Pooh received widespread critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 90% of 111 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.2 out of 10.[29] Its consensus states "Short, nostalgic, and gently whimsical, Winnie the Pooh offers young audiences – and their parents – a sweetly traditional family treat."[29] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 74 based on 26 reviews.[30] CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was an A minus on an A plus to F scale.[1]Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times says the film "proves a fitting tribute to one of the last century's most enduring children's tales."[31] The film has been praised for not only being able to charm the children audience but the parents as well.[32] Roger Ebert, giving it 3 stars out of 4, said in his review "In a time of shock-value 3-D animation and special effects, the look of the film is gentle and pleasing. It was hand-animated, I'm told, and the backgrounds use a subtle and reassuring watercolor style. It's a nightmare-proof experience for even the youngest viewers."[33]
While Platform Online stated that Winnie the Pooh's "handdrawn animation is such a welcome relief", it found the film's runtime length to be the only issue, which it stated "At just 70 minutes, even aiming at kids this could have been longer – Pixar have been pushing films well over 90 minutes for years now, and it’s clear the children can handle it. Just as you really get into the film its over, and you’re left wanting more."[21]
The film has been a moderate success at the box office, considering its opening being the same weekend as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, earning roughly $3 million on opening day and $8 million for its opening weekend, ranking sixth and being on par with expectations. It has also earned $6.5 million overseas for a worldwide total of roughly around $30 million, the film's exact budget, as of August 4, 2011.[2]
[edit] Soundtrack
| Winnie the Pooh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | July 12, 2011 |
| Recorded | 2011 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Label | Walt Disney Records |
The film was scored by Henry Jackman, with additional music by Christopher Willis.[36]
In the trailer, the song "Somewhere Only We Know" by English alternative rock band Keane was used instead of the music written by Henry Jackman.[37] The song by Keane is not included on the soundtrack. All musical scores and songs were composed by Henry Jackman, except as noted.
[edit] Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Winnie the Pooh" (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) | 2:32 |
| 2. | "The Tummy Song" (Jim Cummings, Robert Lopez) | 1:07 |
| 3. | "A Very Important Thing to Do" (Written by Robert Lopez, Performed by Zooey Deschanel) | 0:47 |
| 4. | "The Backson Song" (Cast of Winnie the Pooh) | 2:55 |
| 5. | "It's Gonna Be Great" (Written by Robert Lopez, performed by Bud Luckey and Jim Cummings) | 2:05 |
| 6. | "Everything Is Honey" (Jim Cummings, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez) | 2:00 |
| 7. | "Pooh's Finale" (Robert Lopez, Zooey Deschanel, and the Cast of Winnie the Pooh) | 1:05 |
| 8. | "So Long" (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) | 3:28 |
| 9. | "Main Title Sequence / Winnie the Pooh" (Zooey Deschanel and M Ward) | 2:24 |
| 10. | "Pooh Greets the Day" | 2:46 |
| 11. | "Get You Tiggerized!" | 2:08 |
| 12. | "Woods and Words / The Backson Song" | 3:41 |
| 13. | "Eeyore Needs His Tail / The Winner Song" (Cast of Winnie the Pooh) | 2:08 |
| 14. | "Picnic and Beehive Chase" | 2:26 |
| 15. | "Hundred Acre Spy Game" | 3:34 |
| 16. | "Stuck in the Pit/Balloon Chase" | 4:04 |
| 17. | "A Honey Happy Ending" | 2:44 |
| 18. | "Winnie the Pooh Suite" | 4:38 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Kaufman, Amy (17 July 2011). "Box Office: Final 'Harry Potter' film has highest-grossing domestic opening of all time". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ a b Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=winniethepooh.htm. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ Bond, Paul (2009-06-02). "Disney embraces Pooh for animated feature". Reuters Canada. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
- ^ a b Soteriou, Helen (18 April 2011). "Winnie the Pooh Returns to Animates Cinemas". BBC. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ a b Tilly, Chris (2009-09-10). "Winnie the Pooh Returns". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- ^ a b c Orange, Alan (11 November 2010). "Winnie the Pooh Trailer and Photos". MovieWeb. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- ^ Fischer, Russ (11 November 2010). "Movie Trailer: Winnie the Pooh". SlashFilm. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- ^ a b c "Disney’s New ‘Winnie The Pooh’ Movie Gets Release Date, Production Details". Geeks of Doom. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (7 January 2011). "New Posters for CARS 2, WINNIE THE POOH and RIO". Collider. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Patta, Gig (25 February 2011). "Poster for Winnie the Pooh Animated Movie". Latino Review. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ "Launching Films". UK Film Distributors' Association. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
- ^ Stewart, Andrew (2010-05-13). "Disney sets toon dates". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
- ^ Brown, Mark (10 September 2009). "Disney Brings Back Winnie the Pooh". Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ a b Orange, Alan (31 March 2011). "Winne the Pooh Gets Zooey Deschanel Soundtrack". MovieWeb. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Schwartz, Terri (31 March 2011). "Zooey Deschanel Serenades 'Winnie The Pooh' In This Behind-The-Scenes Video". MTV. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Graham, Bill (10 November 2010). "First Images and Synopsis from New Animated WINNIE THE POOH Movie; Zooey Deschanel Performing Theme Song". Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Disney Dreaming. 7 April 2011. http://www.disneydreaming.com/2011/04/07/winnie-the-pooh-movie-soundtrack/. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ McCue, Michelle (14 March 2011). "First Look: Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Short The Ballad of Nessie". We Are Movie Geeks. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ "First Images From The Ballad of Nessie". Coming Soon. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Gallagher, Brian (5 April 2011). "The Ballad of Nessie Photos and Concept Art". MovieWeb. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Review: Winnie the Pooh". Platform Online. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Connelly, Brendon (24 March 2011). "Mickey Mouse’s First Feature Length Film Being Developed At Disney". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Noyer, Jérémie (2010-01-30). "Down in New Orleans with Princess Tiana's supervising animator, Mark Henn". DLRP Magic!. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- ^ "Deja Views". The Northern Echo. Newsquest. January 30. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
- ^ "http://www.daemonsmovies.com/2011/02/17/winnie-the-pooh-2011-character-photos/winnie-the-pooh-24/".
- ^ "Winnie The Pooh". www.bcdb.com Jan. 3, 2011
- ^ New Winnie The Pooh movie created using Toon Boom Harmony
- ^ "Disney begins work on Winnie the Pooh film". Entertainment Daily. 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- ^ a b "Winnie the Pooh (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ "Winnie the Pooh Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Winnie the Pooh". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Armstrong, Josh (2011-07-25). "Winnie The Pooh’s Directors Stephen Anderson and Don Hall: Back to the Hundred Acre Wood". AnimatedViews.com. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- ^ Hill, Jim (3 June 2010). "Disney’s Going Back to the Future with Winnie the Pooh". Jim Hill Media. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1449283/fullcredits#cast
- ^ Knight, Chris (19 May 2011). "Trailer Tracker: When Bears Attack". National Post. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
