A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories were ones I adored as a child and I similarly loved his various films throughout Dinsey’s history. Even now as an adult, the Winnie the Pooh stories are ones I find comfort in, and still funny even after all these years. So, I was of course looking forward to re-watching The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Disney’s twenty second Animated Classic.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh brings several of A.A. Milne’s original Pooh Bear stories to life in perhaps Disney’s most faithful adaptation of any story to date. So faithful in fact that it is presented in the style of a book, with the characters aware of the fact that they are living within the confines of pages and chapters. This fourth wall breaking behaviour happens frequently and it’s certainly a little weird coming from a Disney film, particularly one that was made in the 70’s when the studio was still making relatively quaint and simple animated tales. It gives it a timeless feel, and whilst many of Diney’s animated films can be deemed as timeless, I mean that Winnie the Pooh is more inventive with the medium of animation than a lot of modern films are, especially in comparison to other Disney films.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh brings several of A.A. Milne’s original Pooh Bear stories to life in perhaps Disney’s most faithful adaptation of any story to date. So faithful in fact that it is presented in the style of a book, with the characters aware of the fact that they are living within the confines of pages and chapters. This fourth wall breaking behaviour happens frequently and it’s certainly a little weird coming from a Disney film, particularly one that was made in the 70’s when the studio was still making relatively quaint and simple animated tales. It gives it a timeless feel, and whilst many of Diney’s animated films can be deemed as timeless, I mean that Winnie the Pooh is more inventive with the medium of animation than a lot of modern films are, especially in comparison to other Disney films.
The actual plot itself isn’t anything to particularly rave about, because there isn’t really a clear point to the story. It’s more a series of vignettes featuring the antics of Pooh (Sterling Holloway) and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. But the characters are brought to life brilliantly through some fantastic vocal performances. So perfect in fact that even almost fifty years since this film’s release the performances by newer voice actors are replications of these original performances.
The look of the film does differ from E.H. Shepard’s original illustrations quite significantly, but I feel that the Disney animators gave the characters an extra level of detail and personality in their designs. Whilst I do love the original designs, I would be lying if I didn’t say that the Disney designs have become more iconic and recognisable. But despite these changes it does feel very much in the spirit of Shepard’s illustrations, it doesn’t ever feel like Disney have thrown it away in favour of something that they think looks cool, and they still very much feel like the characters from the books.
I don’t have anything more to say about The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, I know this is a very short review, but I don’t feel like there’s an awful lot I need to say. The stories are enjoyable, the way the stories are told is genius, the voice performances are outstanding, and the animation is superb. It’s without a doubt one of the best Animated Classics in the entire series and one that’s so often overlooked because it isn’t a grand tale of good vs evil or filled with musical numbers. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a film that absolutely should not be missed and will be a hit with adults and children alike.
The look of the film does differ from E.H. Shepard’s original illustrations quite significantly, but I feel that the Disney animators gave the characters an extra level of detail and personality in their designs. Whilst I do love the original designs, I would be lying if I didn’t say that the Disney designs have become more iconic and recognisable. But despite these changes it does feel very much in the spirit of Shepard’s illustrations, it doesn’t ever feel like Disney have thrown it away in favour of something that they think looks cool, and they still very much feel like the characters from the books.
I don’t have anything more to say about The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, I know this is a very short review, but I don’t feel like there’s an awful lot I need to say. The stories are enjoyable, the way the stories are told is genius, the voice performances are outstanding, and the animation is superb. It’s without a doubt one of the best Animated Classics in the entire series and one that’s so often overlooked because it isn’t a grand tale of good vs evil or filled with musical numbers. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a film that absolutely should not be missed and will be a hit with adults and children alike.