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Winnie the Pooh 2011
Release Date July 15th,
2011
SYNOPSIS:
Walt Disney
Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with "Winnie the
Pooh," the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney's feature animation
studios in more than 35 years. With the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the
original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the
philosophical "bear of very little brain" and friends Tigger, Rabbit,
Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo-and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost
his tail.
FUN FACTS:
Winnie the Pooh is a 2011 American animated
musical comedy film inspired by the A. A. Milne stories of the same name. The
film is a reboot of Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise and is the fifth
theatrical Winnie the Pooh film released. It is the 51st animated
feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. In the film, Winnie the
Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo embark on a quest to
save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit while Pooh deals with a hunger
for honey. The film is directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall, written by A.
A. Milne and Burny Mattinson, produced by Peter Del Vecho,
Clark Spencer, John Lasseter, and Craig Sost, and narrated by John Cleese.
The film was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and was
released on April 15, 2011 in the United Kingdom, and on July 15, 2011 in the United
States. The film was originally planned to be released theatrically in Australia,
but after a very brief run in limited cinemas in September 2011, it was instead
released direct-to-video on October 5, 2011. Production for the film began in
September 2009 with John Lasseter announcing that they wanted to create a film
that would "transcend generations." 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.
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". Some elements, such as the gang thinking that
Christopher Robin has been captured by a monster, are based on events from the
film Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin.
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 a replacement for 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 Bizy 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". Rabbit plans 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's imagination combined with his hunger get the better of him, and
accidentally falls into the pit meant for the Backson. Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Owl
and Eeyore (who had found an anchor whilst he was hiding to replace his own
tail) try to get him out, but fall in themselves. Piglet attempts to get Pooh
and friends out of the trap (though continuously irritating Rabbit with over
interpretations of his instructions who is even more miffed on realization that
Owl would have gotten them out), 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.
In a post-credits scene, 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 to whoever owns them. He ends up falling into
the pit that was originally meant for him and waits for someone to arrive and
help him out. He adds, "I sure hope that fellow will be back soon".
Cast
- Jim
Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger
- Travis
Oates as Piglet
- Tom Kenny
as Rabbit
- Craig
Ferguson as Owl
- Bud
Luckey as Eeyore
- Jack
Boutler as Christopher Robin
- Kristen
Anderson-Lopez as Kanga
- Wyatt
Hall as Roo
- Huell
Howser as the Backson
- John
Cleese as the narrator
Production
Like Fantasia 2000 and The Rescuers Down Under it is the
third and last sequel in the Disney canon.It is also the second Winnie the Pooh
sequel after Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie. 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. 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. Supervising animators for the film included Mark
Henn (Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin), Andreas Deja (Tigger), Bruce W.
Smith (Piglet, Kanga, Roo), Randy Haycock (Eeyore), Eric Goldberg (Rabbit) and Dale
Baer (Owl). Similar to The Princess and the Frog, the film
also uses Toon Boom Animation's Harmony software. 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. Lasseter had also announced that Rabbit's friends and
relatives would be in the film, but they appear only in a deleted scene.
Release
Short films
The movie was 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. In some international screenings, the episode "Cubby's
Goldfish" from the Disney Junior series Jake and the Never Land Pirates
also appeared.
Home media
The film was released in UK on DVD on August 22, 2011. In
the US, it was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Download on October 25,
2011. The releases included animated shorts The Ballad of Nessie and Mini-Adventures
of Winnie the Pooh: "Pooh's Balloon", as well as deleted scenes.
Reception
Critical response
Winnie the Pooh received very positive reviews, despite
its very short film length. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91%
of 118 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of
7.2 out of 10. Its consensus states "Short, nostalgic, and gently
whimsical, Winnie the Pooh offers young audiences – and their parents –
a sweetly traditional family treat." 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 CinemaScore
polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film an A minus on an
A plus to F scale.
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." The film has been praised for not only being able to
charm the children audience but the parents as well. 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."
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 more of an 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 it's over, and you’re left
wanting more."
Box office
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 $7,857,076 in its opening weekend from
2,405 theaters, averaging about $3,267 per theater, and ranking #6 for the
weekend. The film closed on September 22, 2011, with a final domestic gross of
$26,692,846, with the opening weekend making up 29.44% of the final gross. It
also has made $6,460,000 overseas, bringing its worldwide gross to $33,152,846,
according to Box Office Mojo. The international grosses include $4.13 million
in Japan, $1.33 million in Germany, $1.29 million in Poland, $1.18 million in
the UK and $1.14 million in Russia. It is currently the lowest-grossing Winnie
the Pooh film to date.
Accolades
Award
|
Category
|
Recipient
|
Result
|
Annie Awards
|
Animated Effects
in an Animated Production
|
Dan Lund
|
Nominated
|
Character
Animation in a Feature Production
|
Andreas Deja
Mark Henn |
Nominated
|
|
Directing in a
Feature Production
|
Don Hall &
Stephen Anderson
|
Nominated
|
|
Music in a
Feature Production
|
Zooey
Deschannel, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Henry Jackman, Robert Lopez
|
Nominated
|
|
Production
Design in a Feature Production
|
Paul Felix
|
Nominated
|
|
Storyboarding in
a Feature Production
|
Jeremy Spears
|
Won
|
|
Writing in a
Feature Production
|
Brian Kesinger,
Kendelle Hoyer, Don Dougherty, Clio Chiang, Don Hall, Stephen Anderson,
Nicole Mitchell, Jeremy Spears
|
Nominated
|
|
Chicago Film
Critics Association Awards
|
Animated Film
|
Nominated
|
|
Online Film
Critics Society
|
Best Animated
Film
|
Nominated
|
Soundtrack
Hoping to find the right songwriters for their film, Winnie
the Pooh directors Stephen Anderson and Don Hall sent visuals to five
songwriting teams. The duo instantly fell in love with the demos returned by Robert
Lopez and his wife Kristen. Hence, the Lopez's wrote seven songs for the film,
including "The Tummy Song", "A Very Important Thing to Do",
"Everything Is Honey", "The Winner Song", "The Backson
Song", "Pooh's Finale", and "It's Gonna Be Great". Zooey
Deschanel performs three songs for the film, including a take on the
Winnie the Pooh theme song, "A Very Important Thing to Do" and
an original end-credit song "So Long," which was written by Zooey
Deschanel and performed with She & Him band mate M. Ward.
The film was scored by Henry Jackman, with additional music by Christopher Willis.
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. The song by Keane is not included on the soundtrack. All musical scores and songs were composed by Henry Jackman, except as noted.
The song "So Long" was nominated for Grammy
Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 2012 ceremony.
Track listing
No.
|
Title
|
Length
|
|
1.
|
"Winnie the
Pooh" (She & Him)
|
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" (She & Him)
|
3:28
|
|
9.
|
"Main Title
Sequence / Winnie the Pooh" (She & Him)
|
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"
|
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