The Book of Pooh - Stories From the Heart

Starring:Jim Cummings, John Fiedler, Ken Sansom, Peter Cullen, Andre Stojka, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Paul Tiesler, Tyler Bunch, Noel McNeal, Peter Linz, John Pavlik, Carol Binion, Kath Soucie, Nikita Hopkins, Amanda Maddock, Victor Yerrid, Eric Jacobson (II), Paul McGinnis, Andrew Sabiston, Matthew Brooks (II)
Director: Dean Gordon, Mitchell Kriegman
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

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While Disney didn't invent Winnie the Pooh, nor first animate him, it certainly has Americanized the British bear into a cartoon character hardly resembling A.A. Milne's original 1924 creation. Although Disney's four Storybook Classics titles (from 1966) were somewhat faithful to Milne's concept, subsequent titles (especially in the Playtime and Learning series) descended into second-rate TV fare. All this to say that Disney has redeemed itself with The Book of Pooh, a fresh batch of Pooh stories evoking a nostalgic nod to the original. The Disney Channel's full-length film Stories from the Heart is a puppet rendition of Pooh, set in a sparkling world of computer animation (not unlike Bear in the Big Blue House, which shares the same executive producer and director, Mitchell Kriegman). The puppets (by Shadow Projects) may take some getting used to by viewers accustomed to animated cartoons, yet they'll appreciate the characters' lifelike personalities. The 77-minute program is a collection of six tales focusing on Pooh, Piglet, Owl, and the gang (though Kanga and Roo are noticeably absent). Mark Zaslove deserves writing kudos for subtle humor (reminiscent of Milne) and storytelling restraint uncharacteristic of Disney. Highlights include "Eeyore's Tailiversary," in which Eeyore receives a surprise party to celebrate the day he and his tail became attached, and "Tigger's Replacement," which chronicles Tigger's attempts to teach Piglet how to be a Tigger. (Lessons in bouncing and Tiggerisms are part of his Rigorous Tiggerous Training Program.) Many of the puppets' voices are familiar, such as Jim Cummings (The Tigger Movie) as Pooh and Tigger. Six musical numbers round out this welcome entry in Disney's Winnie the Pooh collection. --Lynn Gibson

Description

Get ready for the most wonderful, most special Pooh adventure ever! The beloved bear and his playful pals meet up in Christopher Robin's room, where they discover Christopher's treasured storybook filled with endearing tales written about them! These amazing stories come magically to life and the whole cast of Pooh characters appears in a fresh new way in chapter after enchanting chapter! "The tubby little cubby never looked so wholesomely cuddly," raves Child Magazine. See what happens when Tigger believes he's lost his bounce; when Kessie and friends get lost in the Hundred Acre Wood; when Eeyore experiences a most exciting day -- and much, much more! THE BOOK OF POOH: STORIES FROM THE HEART features innovative, lifelike puppetry and computer animation, six great new songs, plus the wonderfully familiar voices you've grown to love. For learning, fun, and imagination that never ends, join Winnie the Pooh and his lovable friends!

Customer Reviews:

Super Super Wonderful.......2007-01-27

My 17 month old absolutely loves this DVD. I have other Pooh DVDs, but the baby would only watch this one.

Avoid this Pooh movie!.......2007-01-26

My 18 mo. daughter and I watch lots of Pooh movies (more than 12 now) and this one is the worst by far. The animation is annoying and cheesy and did not hold her interest at all like the other Pooh films. Piglet's Big Movie, The Tigger Movie, Adventures of Winnie the Pooh are her favorites. Very Merry Pooh Year is a good one as well.

Get a REAL book about Pooh.......2006-03-17

Sorry, but this movie had me almost grinding my teeth the whole time I was watching it. I was tempted to turn it off a number of times, but thought, "I'll at least give it a chance." Well, it had its chance, and it failed miserably.

Why did they get rid of Kanga and Roo and replace them with some annoying little bird named Kessie? Was it so Owl could have a bird companion? I have no idea what the logic behind that decision was, but I think it was a very poor one. Kanga and Roo added a lot to the original "Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" and I miss Kanga's mothering influence (the only female in the whole story) and Roo's childish innocence. Kessie sticks out like a sore thumb, and though she's a female, she doesn't have the warmth and sweetness of Kanga.

I haven't even mentioned the puppets and backdrops. Ug. That's about all I can say. The puppets don't move in even a remotely convincing way and the backdrops are way too bright and blurry. It doesn't even look like the Hundred Acre Wood.

The dialogue is, in keeping with other recent Pooh failures, dull and lacking humor. The stories themselves, if re-written with a more witty dialogue, would maybe be okay, but not done with puppets. If they took those stories (except for the one about Tessie -- they would have to replace that one with a story about Kanga and Roo), and animated them in the same style as the original Pooh shorts, that may be something.

The American Christopher Robin is all wrong. I always loved to hear that sweet, gentle voice with the delicate British accent he had in the original movie. Making him an American makes him seem just like any other American boy, not Pooh's Christopher Robin. His mother in "The Book of Pooh" is ridiculous. One minute, the room is obviously a mess, and the next minute it's clean. Any mother would have been like, "How the heck did that happen?" Instead, she says, "Oh, I must have made a mistake." Yeah right! She must have short-term memory loss! And what's with cutting their heads off? Why is it so terrible to see their faces?

I did like how reading was emphasized in this movie, but the cons far out-weighed the pros, and I'm sure I can find another much better movie that illustrates how important reading is. Or, I could just do what I've always done and read actual paper books to my kids. Doesn't that illustrate the same point much better? There are lots of very cute Pooh books out there, and my son has quite a few and loves them. My advice to you is to skip this "Book of Poo" (purposely miss-spelled) and instead spend your money on a real paper book, or a few, about Pooh.

WONDERFUL POOH DVD!!!!.......2006-01-07

My 19 mnth. old daughter watches this every day and LOVES it. She is even trying to sing the very catchy songs. I love it also, they really do come to life, the colors are so bright, and the songs are adorable. Highly recommended!!

A nice replacement to the now cancelled show........2005-12-03

With Playhouse Disney turning ever more away from traditional Disney (such as cancelling this charming show), I highly recommend this DVD. Your child can play at least a few episodes again and again. Not as rambunctious and hyper as some of the newer shows on the channel. This show has a lot of the heart of the original "Many Adventures" movie unlike the "New Adventures" cartoon which was moved outside of the Playhouse Disney environment and loaded with all of their self promotional commercials.

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