Winnie The Pooh - The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh (Animated) (DVD)

...week. The many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was one of the films that would appear every now and again, and I would sit down to watch it with great delight. I was such a huge fan, that my parents bought me Winnie The Pooh print dresses from the local Sears department stores, and I would have that identical dress again and again as I grew to the next size until at last, alas, I was too old to fit in the smaller children's sizes. This film was responsible ...
...shorts were:

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974)

Based upon the works of A.A. Milne, they were nonetheless Disneyfied versions of the stories and characters, so not completely faithful to the books. The film opens with a book being read by a narrator, and the pictures come alive as he reads. Winnie the Pooh and the ... more

Ahh...memories. When I was a small girl in America, The Wonderful World of Disney would show films in the evening one night a week. The many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was one of the films that would appear every now and again, and I would sit down to watch it with great delight. I was such a huge fan, that my parents bought me Winnie The Pooh print dresses from the local Sears department stores, and I would have that identical dress again and again as I grew to the next size until at last, alas, I was too old to fit in the smaller children's sizes. This film was responsible for my great love of Pooh; it was many years before I had the good fortune to get my hands on the A.A. Milne classic stories with their original illustrations. I have to admit to still having rather a soft spot for this film above all other animated Pooh.

First released in 1977, this is actually an anthology style film. It consisted originally of 3 shorter films, interconnected with dialogue from the narrator and animation featuring the characters. The three original shorts were:

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974)

Based upon the works of A.A. Milne, they were nonetheless Disneyfied versions of the stories and characters, so not completely faithful to the books. The film opens with a book being read by a narrator, and the pictures come alive as he reads. Winnie the Pooh and the Hunny Tree focuses on Pooh Bear desperately trying for honey to refill his pot and stomach, and getting into trouble. Blustery Day follows Pooh and his friends during an extremely wet and windy day. It threatens to blow Piglet away, and there is a mishap with Owl's house. ...and Tigger too recounts the tale of Tigger's first day at the Hundred Acre Wood, and the stir he caused after arrival. In 1983, Disney made another short, Winnie the Pooh and a day for Eeyore, and it became included on DVD and VHS releases of this film. It is a second feature, rather than being edited into the anthology. A day for Eeyore focuses on Eeyore's birthday and his friends attempts to lift him out of his melancholy by helping him celebrate. I won't go into more plot details on the stories, as that would somewhat spoil your viewing!

The DVD runs for only 71 minutes, making it ideal for younger viewers who will be attracted to it as it is that childhood favourite, Pooh Bear. Digitally remastered, the charming pictures are clear and bright, and the mono sound enhanced with its conversion to Dolby Digital 5:1.During set up, you get to choose from 3 language options, all with or without subtitles. These are English, Norwegian, and Danish. I thought that rather a nice touch by Disney, as many times you see a multilingual release but subtitles only in English, which makes me feel sad as then hearing impaired children in other areas miss out. There are also a few well thought of extras. Pooh bear fans can select a trivia options, Find Out Fun Facts About Pooh As You Watch The Film, which basically puts related trivia at the bottom of the screen as the film plays. There is also a fascinating extra, "The Story Behind The Masterpiece", which gives a unique peek back at the early Disney studios and why walt had these commissioned before his death, and a look at the animators' work. Chidden will also enjoy the short read aloud story on the DVD, "Pooh's Shadow", which I will leave as a surprise, but suffice it to say, it is utterly Pooh Bearish lol. Finally, there is a much used in this house option...the "Sing A Long to Heffalumps and Woozles", which shows the clip from the film, and features the words of the song at the bottom so your child can read them (if they can read, of course!) and have fun singing along. I have to say here I have had to put a strict 3 times in a row limit on this bit!

Utterly charming, with the turning book pages of the A.A. Milne book being turned as the story is narrated, it pays homage to a fine classic and yet has its own personality stamp finely imprinted upon it. The somewhat sly humour with the addition of Gopher, who tellingly pops up and says "I'm not in the book", during one scene. puts the Disney stamp firmly on this, yet the stories follow closely to Milne's originals generally. Children familiar with the classic stories will recognise Pooh in the original stories in this incarnation, and those who are like myself, and meet Pooh here first, will delight to see him again in the original books. The gentle stories and the droll scenarios are richly played out here for the modern child, and adults can also sit here and remain charmed. The songs within bounce and you find yourself wanting to sing along. Despite the current bargain band pricing, it is obvious that great care went into the crafting and scripting of this film and its subsequent DVD release, making truly worthy of its Disney Masterpiece designation. It has earned a cherished place on our shelf, and it should on yours as well. 

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