FA+
Shop
Winnie the Pooh '2011' ( I wish it had an actual title).
14 years ago
I went to see the new Pooh movie today, saturday, and despite a stressed drive to deliver my brother to his girlfriend de jour on time, I really enjoyed it. Its was a fun, clever film that felt just as timeless as previous iterations.
Its also rather hard for me to think of it in a critical light. Its strange to me and although it has characters, a plot, and production values, its does not feel right to discuss it the same way one analyzes any of the other summer releases. I dont usually take the stance that something is immune to critiscm due to theme or intended purpose, but I cant see it in any other way. It does what it does (be an hour and 9 minutes of happiness) and to think of it any further doesn't feel justified.
Thats not to say that there isn't anything to talk about. Having not seen a Pooh film since I was a tot, coming to see one at an older age with actual critical knowledge of film and such, I was honestly surprised at the work that goes on. The characters are based around single personailty traits (Ego, fear, diligence, depression, ect.), a useful way of ingraing said characters in popculture and marketing, but are rounded enough that they can play off each other. Its a wonderfull synergy that keeps the pace, and its no wonder the cast has stayed the cultural icons they are.
Of course, it also helps that its running off of downright beautifull character animation. I cant say if that always been a constant (I'll probably be digging up as many of the older films as I can in the coming weeks), but its just top-notch work here. Its work like this that just brings a whole levels of exubrance to an animated feature.
Now, I know I said er... typed that dont feel like this film needs to be discussed beyond pure amusement, and its not like it doesn't have its flaws. The story doesn't really add up to much, the rotoscoped pieces of animation look damn out of place with everything else, and the whole conflict arises because no one knows reading and grammer comprehension beyond the 2nd grade. Also, to nitpick, I like Tom kenny, and while I felt he filled those big shoes well enough, I couldn't help but feel him as "that voice" instead of simply Rabbit.
But like I said, I dont think any of that truly matters in the end. Its doesn't feel like some arbitrary score sums up what this film does. Its an amusing tale told by some lovable characters and thats all that could possibly matter in a discussion of this film. I have a feeling thats what Winnie the Pooh has been as a series for a long time.
If your an animation junkie, if your a long time fan, if you've got kids, or if you simply want to watch an hour long piece of innocence, wimsy, and glee unfold before your eyes, then I highly recommend you just see it. You know, if you have any moolah left after the Harry Potter show.
If I had a scale, I would give it a :)
Its also rather hard for me to think of it in a critical light. Its strange to me and although it has characters, a plot, and production values, its does not feel right to discuss it the same way one analyzes any of the other summer releases. I dont usually take the stance that something is immune to critiscm due to theme or intended purpose, but I cant see it in any other way. It does what it does (be an hour and 9 minutes of happiness) and to think of it any further doesn't feel justified.
Thats not to say that there isn't anything to talk about. Having not seen a Pooh film since I was a tot, coming to see one at an older age with actual critical knowledge of film and such, I was honestly surprised at the work that goes on. The characters are based around single personailty traits (Ego, fear, diligence, depression, ect.), a useful way of ingraing said characters in popculture and marketing, but are rounded enough that they can play off each other. Its a wonderfull synergy that keeps the pace, and its no wonder the cast has stayed the cultural icons they are.
Of course, it also helps that its running off of downright beautifull character animation. I cant say if that always been a constant (I'll probably be digging up as many of the older films as I can in the coming weeks), but its just top-notch work here. Its work like this that just brings a whole levels of exubrance to an animated feature.
Now, I know I said er... typed that dont feel like this film needs to be discussed beyond pure amusement, and its not like it doesn't have its flaws. The story doesn't really add up to much, the rotoscoped pieces of animation look damn out of place with everything else, and the whole conflict arises because no one knows reading and grammer comprehension beyond the 2nd grade. Also, to nitpick, I like Tom kenny, and while I felt he filled those big shoes well enough, I couldn't help but feel him as "that voice" instead of simply Rabbit.
But like I said, I dont think any of that truly matters in the end. Its doesn't feel like some arbitrary score sums up what this film does. Its an amusing tale told by some lovable characters and thats all that could possibly matter in a discussion of this film. I have a feeling thats what Winnie the Pooh has been as a series for a long time.
If your an animation junkie, if your a long time fan, if you've got kids, or if you simply want to watch an hour long piece of innocence, wimsy, and glee unfold before your eyes, then I highly recommend you just see it. You know, if you have any moolah left after the Harry Potter show.
If I had a scale, I would give it a :)
