Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Few Disney properties have had the same staying power and sense of evolution as Winnie the Pooh. Based on the A. A. Milne character of the same name who made his debut in 1925, Disney released their first Winnie the Pooh project, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, in 1966 and has since continued to release a steady stream of features, shorts, and television shows based around the adventures of the Hundred Acre Wood. The newest of these theatrical releases is 2011's Winnie the Pooh. Directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall, Winnie the Pooh was a pleasant return to form for Walt Disney Animation Studios both in style and subject.
The animation industry of the 2010s is undeniably one defined by new emerging technologies. The rise and increased quality of computer-animation allowed creators to create visuals unlike any other with a wide array of textures and movements that simply would have been impossible even a decade earlier. Disney themselves used this technology to create an array of new stories and worlds that became instantly iconic and breathtaking. Within all this progress, there was a sense of tragedy however. The old ways of hand drawn animation became more and more obsolete. While there is undeniable value and worth to this evolution of the industry, there is also something noticeably disappearing within the medium as a result. Winnie the Pooh is possibly one of the last traditionally animated features that Disney will ever release and in this there is an unmistakable charm. Playing wonderfully against the already nostalgic soul and identity of a Winnie the Pooh feature, the animation throughout the film is warm and creative with plenty of heart and passion. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, Winnie the Pooh is wise to maintain its core visual identity and iconography to create a film that is timeless and fits right in with the Winnie the Pooh projects to come before.
This charm continues onto the film's cast which sees the return of Jim Cummings and Travis Oates. These key performances are brought back to life with these iconic actors being the only ones who truly can voice these characters in a manner that is not jarring or noticeably off. No one can capture the wholesome dumbness of Pooh or the energetic attitude of Tigger like Cummings and no one can give the meek honesty of Piglet like Oates. The new-coming cast are all worked in rather well with the only dark spot on the production being Tom Kenny who is distractingly giving the exact same performance to Rabbit as he will to the Ice King in Adventure Time, which was already airing at the time. When a voice is so distinctive and well known, it can be a mistake to use them as whenever it is heard, the audience will likely be more concerned trying to place where they know it from rather than what it is actually saying in the moment.
While Winnie the Pooh overall nails its technical identity, it possibly even more impressively also nails its thematic identity. Rather than transforming the film to match the other animated features releasing at the time, Winnie the Pooh remains dedicated to its core identity. The narrative structure is incredible similar to 1977's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with the only difference being some of the stories and plots reaching wider over the entire feature rather than being contained in their own little shorts. The playing around with the narrator and in-film identity of the movie being a story from a book are better than ever. The film also boldly takes on an only 63-minute runtime which, while out of place for modern animated features, is perfect for a Winnie the Pooh project. It allows the film to play around and have room to breathe without ever needing to drag itself out too long to the point where audiences might feel bored. It is a wonderful decision that is one of many reasons why the film ends up as strong as it does.
For any fan of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, 2011's Winnie the Pooh is a wonderful new adventure. Truly capturing a nostalgia and style that no longer is seen in wide releases, the film is a breath of fresh air and is a golden gem against Disney's modern filmography.
The animation industry of the 2010s is undeniably one defined by new emerging technologies. The rise and increased quality of computer-animation allowed creators to create visuals unlike any other with a wide array of textures and movements that simply would have been impossible even a decade earlier. Disney themselves used this technology to create an array of new stories and worlds that became instantly iconic and breathtaking. Within all this progress, there was a sense of tragedy however. The old ways of hand drawn animation became more and more obsolete. While there is undeniable value and worth to this evolution of the industry, there is also something noticeably disappearing within the medium as a result. Winnie the Pooh is possibly one of the last traditionally animated features that Disney will ever release and in this there is an unmistakable charm. Playing wonderfully against the already nostalgic soul and identity of a Winnie the Pooh feature, the animation throughout the film is warm and creative with plenty of heart and passion. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, Winnie the Pooh is wise to maintain its core visual identity and iconography to create a film that is timeless and fits right in with the Winnie the Pooh projects to come before.
This charm continues onto the film's cast which sees the return of Jim Cummings and Travis Oates. These key performances are brought back to life with these iconic actors being the only ones who truly can voice these characters in a manner that is not jarring or noticeably off. No one can capture the wholesome dumbness of Pooh or the energetic attitude of Tigger like Cummings and no one can give the meek honesty of Piglet like Oates. The new-coming cast are all worked in rather well with the only dark spot on the production being Tom Kenny who is distractingly giving the exact same performance to Rabbit as he will to the Ice King in Adventure Time, which was already airing at the time. When a voice is so distinctive and well known, it can be a mistake to use them as whenever it is heard, the audience will likely be more concerned trying to place where they know it from rather than what it is actually saying in the moment.
While Winnie the Pooh overall nails its technical identity, it possibly even more impressively also nails its thematic identity. Rather than transforming the film to match the other animated features releasing at the time, Winnie the Pooh remains dedicated to its core identity. The narrative structure is incredible similar to 1977's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with the only difference being some of the stories and plots reaching wider over the entire feature rather than being contained in their own little shorts. The playing around with the narrator and in-film identity of the movie being a story from a book are better than ever. The film also boldly takes on an only 63-minute runtime which, while out of place for modern animated features, is perfect for a Winnie the Pooh project. It allows the film to play around and have room to breathe without ever needing to drag itself out too long to the point where audiences might feel bored. It is a wonderful decision that is one of many reasons why the film ends up as strong as it does.
For any fan of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, 2011's Winnie the Pooh is a wonderful new adventure. Truly capturing a nostalgia and style that no longer is seen in wide releases, the film is a breath of fresh air and is a golden gem against Disney's modern filmography.