DVDizzy Forum

Sweet as Hunny
http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/07151 ... hFilm.html

23 Questions with the Directors of Winnie the Pooh
http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/07141 ... ctors.html

Classic Comics: Winnie the Pooh
http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/07131 ... sPooh.html

A Wonderful Morning with Winnie the Pooh
http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/07111 ... hFilm.html

Blu-ray.com is listing the US Blu-ray release date as Dec. 20. This is probably just an estimation, but I thought it would be necessary to share.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Winnie-th ... ray/26838/

zackisthewalrus wrote:Blu-ray.com is listing the US Blu-ray release date as Dec. 20. This is probably just an estimation, but I thought it would be necessary to share./

Yeha I doubt Disney would wait till THAT close to Christmas. I'd expect it a tad before then.

-Skyler

I saw Winnie The Pooh today, and I love it. The movie is charming and hillariously funny. It started out rather tradititionally, but it grew into a wonderful comical musical romp through innocent childhood that felt very adult-appropriate at the same time.

I haven't genuinely laughed out loud as much during a movie in a long time. The characters and comical bits are fantastic. The songs are very good, although not terribly memorable, but they add to the vibe of the movie greatly.

My only criticism were a few transitions that seemed rushed (a few more minutes of film time to smooth out some of them would have been beneficial), and at the end I wished for longer final scene between Pooh and Christopher Robin. The final scene feels especially short. A movie that was ten minutes longer would have been perfect. Despite that, it's a fantastic film that any adult should enjoy tremendously.

JiminyCrick91 wrote:

zackisthewalrus wrote:Blu-ray.com is listing the US Blu-ray release date as Dec. 20. This is probably just an estimation, but I thought it would be necessary to share./

Yeha I doubt Disney would wait till THAT close to Christmas. I'd expect it a tad before then.

-Skyler

With it being released in other countries in the next few months (or already out... Mexico) I think we will see it before Dec. However the 20th isn't a bad release date. A lot of people will be crowding the stores doing last minute shopping. A new release like this would do very well right before the holidays.

DarthPrime wrote: However the 20th isn't a bad release date. A lot of people will be crowding the stores doing last minute shopping. A new release like this would do very well right before the holidays.

I'd agree if the week before. I know few people who wait till the last second and if there are people like my family out there a Dec. 13th release may catch the end of a few peoples shopping time. I know not everybody is like that however.

-Skyler

So, does this count as a remake of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh?

Semaj wrote:So, does this count as a remake of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh?

No silly. It's the first real sequel to it.

-Skyler

No, it's a direct sequel - in one sense it could even be seen as an erasure of the DTV/other theatricals sequels.

It tells three new Milne stories, no re-hash from Many Adventures.

zackisthewalrus wrote:Blu-ray.com is listing the US Blu-ray release date as Dec. 20. This is probably just an estimation, but I thought it would be necessary to share.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Winnie-th ... ray/26838/

So then days before Christmas?

I just read that it has made about $20 million. So about $10 million more to break even.

milojthatch wrote:I just read that it has made about $20 million. So about $10 million more to break even.

$20 493 000 worldwide, with $14 033 000 in the domestic box office.

Winnie the Pooh dropped only 35% on its second weekend, so it appears to be holding on nicely, just as I predicted. It's close to $18 million domestically, so $30 million shouldn't be that unrealistic an overall total.

I have yet to got watch this movie : ( I really want to support 2D animation but the quality at the my local movie theaters is pretty shitty. I recently went to see Cars 2 and it looked so blurry and grainy. I might have to just blind buy the blu-ray when it comes out. You can't go wrong with Winnie the Pooh!

Just saw it

What I liked

- genuine humor, I actually laughed out loud atleast twice
- the musical scenes, the animation really surprised me
- spoiler the Tigger and Eeyore bromance
- spoiler the Backson scene, he was really cute!

What I didn't like

- the new Christopher Robin. His eyes were freaky, his voice was especially jarring at the beginning, but by the end of it it sounded somewhat closer to the original 3 voices.
- How short it was I was sort of expecting separate segments like the original. I wish they could've incorporated atleast one more story to make it feel longer than an average TV show.

All in all, I enjoyed it as I enjoy almost all Pooh material (he's my kind of humor), but I have actually enjoyed New Adventure episodes/DTV sequels more thoroughly. But hey, it's new Pooh and not shit either

Winnie the Pooh’s Directors Stephen Anderson and Don Hall: Back to the Hundred Acre Wood (Interview)
http://animatedviews.com/2011/winnie-th ... acre-wood/

Q: I also noticed Christopher Robin has a new look.

Don Hall: We looked at all the versions of Christopher Robin through the past. We decided not to go with the “dot” eyes, because we felt that made him almost doll-like. He’s not a doll; he’s a real boy. Pooh is a doll; Piglet is a doll. Also, with the “school boy” look, we liked that it gave him an identity, almost an occupation. It was a look we could manipulate. In the morning, he’s got his jacket on, and he’s ready to go. When he comes back in the afternoon, he’s a little bit more rumpled; his shirt tail is out. It was a way we could show passage of time.

Q: When I saw Meet the Robinsons, at the end, I don’t think there were many dry eyes in the theater. So I want to ask you a little about it. During its production, you worked under David Stainton and then John Lasseter. How did that change in supervision affect your direction on the film?

Stephen Anderson: By the time John came in, I think we were about 80% of the way through animation. We were pretty far down the pike, prior to John coming. What John really gave us was the chance to objectively look at the movie and find places we could strengthen. We weren’t going to be able to do too much to it, because it was still about a year from release. But things like strengthening the sense of antagonism in the film and bringing the character Doris the bowler hat more to the forefront, making her the primary villain, really helped raise the stakes for the film and give it more of a threat. That was one specific note John and the Pixar team had given. We were able to go through and enhance some of the moments in the film for emotional impact as well as dramatic impact.

Q: Did you have any involvement with the sequel that was planned?

Stephen Anderson: I had gotten the pitch, while we were still making the first film. But it was really early in development. It was just more of a notion – not really much involvement in creating it.

Q: The sequel had something to do with a “first date”, didn’t it? I think even the subtitle was First Date.

Stephen Anderson: It might have. I can’t remember, that was so long ago. It was only one meeting. We were so busy at the time, I don’t have much of a recollection of it.

Q: For my final question, I want to ask what a lot of folks have wondered: What was the idea behind opening Winnie the Pooh against Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? I understand the idea of counter-programming, but it seems like more people would see Pooh if Potter weren’t an option.

Don Hall: Yeah, it’s a bit of an experiment. I don’t think anybody in their right mind would relish going, opening weekend, against Harry Potter. Obviously, I don’t think anybody is expecting us to win the weekend. [laughs] I think, ultimately, they are for different audiences. Potter has gotten much darker as the series winds down and appeals to a little bit older crowd. We’re just trying to go for a more general audience.

I think Steve and I both relish it a little bit. It puts us smack-dab in this summer full of superheroes, robot cars, explosions and all that kind of stuff. We kind of like being this little rebel, gentle movie that comes out amidst all that chaos. I think Tom Kenny referred to us as “punk rock”. We’re like “the Ramones of the summer movies”. I thought that was brilliant. That was so funny.

Stephen Anderson: We firmly believe, too, that it was the studio reacting based on the faith they had in the movie. It was less about, “Can we take down Harry Potter?”, and more about, “When is the best time to open it. When is the opportunity for the most amount of people to see the movie?” They felt, you put it in the thick of the summer. July is the month where everybody is off from school. Most people take off from work to go on family vacations. It’s the widest possible window we could have to build an audience and to have a steady life out there in the theater. That was really the method behind it. It was less about competition and more about how can we get the movie in front of the most amount of people.

As Disney Consumer Products's second largest franchise with massive global appeal, Winnie the Pooh will return to the big screen in the United States next month. DCP has already seen a positive lift in product sales from the theatrical release in Europe earlier this year and anticipates solid sales in the fall during the DVD's release. Already a hit in the digital and social media realm, the new Winnie the Pooh: What's A Bear To Do? Puzzle Book app instantly topped the sales charts for iPad and iPhone in 12 countries. This continued exposure and the investments with Disney Baby will be key drivers for growth of the franchise going forward.

Source: https://www.disneyconsumerproducts.com/ ... 911&forPri

Note: This post may contain some mild spoilers.

I saw Winnie the Pooh for the THIRD time today! I must say that on each viewing, I've enjoyed it even more than the previous ones, and I LOVED it the first time I saw it! For me, it holds up REALLY well for repeat viewings!

A few more observations after 2 more viewings:

* Just as I expected, I like the songs even more now than after one viewing, and I didn't have any problems with them, then. They are definitely very catchy and after 3 viewings all have gotten stuck in my head where I can hear them in my head from memory, which for my taste, is a Very Good Thing. I really like how in "The Tummy Song", Pooh's rumbly tummy is used as another instrument! This adds an extra layer of cuteness to the song. My other favorites musically are "Everything Is Honey" and "A Very Important Thing To Do", but they are all very good.

Just as with Finding Nemo: The Musical at Animal Kingdom, I think the Lopez's did a great job with the songs. They come up with something fresh and original that clearly pays homage to the arrangements and whimsy of the Sherman Brothers originals. Like Randy Newman's excellent songs for Princess and the Frog (which perfectly captured the "New Orleans sound", and I would know, as I'm from there), I feel that Pooh has an excellent (if underrated by some fans) songscore. (I don't have the soundtrack CD yet because I haven't seen it in the few stores I've been in since the movie has been out, but I WILL be getting it!)

The "So Long" end credits song written and performed by Zooey Deschanel is very good as well. I'm not exactly up-to-date with contemporary pop music, but if the rest of her stuff is this good, I'll have to check it out!

* All the other things I've said in my original review (found here ) still stand. The animation and humor are top-notch, and the runtime felt neither padded or too short.

* The end credits are fantastic. Do NOT leave before they are completely over! They have three phases to the credits. Before the main "roll" starts, there are some nice shots of Christopher Robin's stuffed animals in his room. One thing I didn't pick up on completely on the first viewing is that all the poses of the animals are recreating moments from the film, which creates a great link to Christopher Robin's imagination and the idea that the stories are things he imagines while playing with his stuffed animals.

During the main credit roll, there are some really cute and clever gags with the characters, and one of my favorite credit lines ever: "No stuffed animals were harmed in the making of this film"!

I won't say what the third phase of the credits is. If you haven't seen it or heard, it's best to find out for yourself!

Winnie the Pooh is, without a doubt, my favorite movie of 2011 and going back even further than that. This sweet, gentle, charming, and heartwarming film is a welcome breath of fresh air in the climate of contemporary cinema.

If you haven't seen it yet, run, do not walk, to your nearest cinema!

Well done, WDAS!

PS. The Ballad of Nessie moved me on the first viewing, and this too has increased even more by the third viewing with my affection for it growing even stronger! It's gentle tone and profound message are absolutely beautiful! Hopefully the "Academy" will remember both Pooh and Nessie when it's time for the awards.

Disney's "Winnie The Pooh": Bobby Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez Tell How a Horrible Summer Vacation Led to a Really Funny Song
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-hill/ ... 06244.html

Victurtle wrote:Just saw it

What I liked

- genuine humor, I actually laughed out loud atleast twice
- the musical scenes, the animation really surprised me
- spoiler the Tigger and Eeyore bromance
- spoiler the Backson scene, he was really cute!

What I didn't like

- the new Christopher Robin. His eyes were freaky, his voice was especially jarring at the beginning, but by the end of it it sounded somewhat closer to the original 3 voices.
- How short it was I was sort of expecting separate segments like the original. I wish they could've incorporated atleast one more story to make it feel longer than an average TV show.

All in all, I enjoyed it as I enjoy almost all Pooh material (he's my kind of humor), but I have actually enjoyed New Adventure episodes/DTV sequels more thoroughly. But hey, it's new Pooh and not shit either

I finally was able to see it today, and I agree with your feelings. I loved it, it was the best "Pooh" film since the original, and the first to "feel" like a true sequel. But, I do understand why it has not done as well. It doesn't appeal to the general Summer movie crowd and I understand that most almost 30-year-olds wouldn't see this without a kid. But I hope it does well anyway, I think it may end up making profit yet!