Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland
Michael's Movie Grade: B+
Review: An excellent film that is full of a simple and very effective charm.
There is no better word to describe this movie than charming. There is little in the storyline that we have not seen before. However it is still a good story and it is told so simply and sincerely that I found myself quickly falling for its charms. There is something heartwarming about seeing all these characters together for another movie. They all are still the characters we fell in love with years ago. Each is given proper time to shine. Eeyore in particular made me laugh out loud various times during this movie. Pooh also hasn't changed a bit. Walt Disney once described the appeal of Mickey Mouse, by stating that he was so simple, you couldn't help but like him. The same is true of Pooh. Despite him referring to himself as a "Bear with little brains" there is a profoundness to much of what he says. Lines like "Doing nothing often leads to the very best kind of something", drive home a very important point we too often forget. In many ways the lesson of this story is a very important one. It is not just a simplified, "Always pick your family over work" type of lesson. Rather it is about the importance of doing nothing. Once I think about all the best moments in my life, my favorite memories are always doing "nothing" with the people I love. Simple things like having a conversation, sitting watching TV, or going for a ride in the country are my fondest memories with people, and this movie sends the important message to always remember and cherish these seemingly unimportant times.
The use of CGI here is surprisingly great. I excepted to go into this movie thinking it would have been better with a mixture of live action and traditional animation. However that was not the case. The CGI was extremely expressive and conveyed every emotion for these characters in a very subtle way. They also blended in perfectly with the live action and while watching the film I never doubted they were really there. For those of us traditional animation fans though, the opening credits feature some great traditional storybook animation. This is not only a great delight to see, but it gets you immediately in the mood for what is to come before the story even starts.
This is a very familiar movie, but it is full of so much simple-ness and charm that I found it hard to resist and hopefully you will too.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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