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A.A. Milne introduced the beloved characters of Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, Piglet and others to the world in the late 1920’s when he penned two children’s books about the residents of The Hundred Acre Woods. The animal characters were mostly based on stuffed toys belonging to his son; the very same son who served as inspiration for Christopher Robin, the human boy who interacts with these lovable and loyal friends. Each and every one of these unique personalities represented an attribute found in us all; while Christopher Robin epitomized the childhood innocence and wonder that we have all left behind. Pooh’s ultimate simplicity and sincerity, Tigger’s overbearing and frantic aloofness, Eeyore’s doom and gloom and Piglet’s timid meekness...all traits that you may recognize in those who surround you in your life. But seldom are these attitudes laid so bare, offered up without judgment and presented with a sense of value; even Rabbit’s constant nit-picking and irritating “know-it-all” attitude is found to be a source of wisdom occasionally. Where else can you find characters representing all of your strengths and weaknesses, joining together and discovering that it takes ALL of them to accomplish their goals? This well-rounded view of humanity is priceless...but beyond the importance of the message is the enjoyment of experiencing life lessons with truly special partners...even if they may be fictional residents of a storybook forest. In 1966, Walt Disney set about creating his first animated shorts of Milne’s already beloved characters and found that his mission was twofold. First and foremost he felt it absolutely necessary to do the existing works justice, but also wanted to add his personal style to the tales and bring them into the spotlight in the United States where they were all but unknown at the time. Like most of Mr. Disney’s dreams and ambitions, this one proved to be successful and insightful as Winnie the Pooh and his friends are now amongst the most recognizable characters in not only literature, but film as well. While it is hard to say if A.A. Milne would be jumping for joy over the success of his characters (the Pooh books caused him much distress when their popularity began to rise), it is a safe bet that many a fan will be jumping for joy when they see this release heading back to DVD stores far and wide. Considered the “true” and “classic” Pooh by most hardcore and casual fans alike, The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh is actually a collected work of animated shorts (experiments, really) which were produced by the Disney Studios and drawn straight from the pages of Milne’s brilliant books. Not coincidentally, this means that most of your favorite Pooh moments are found here. Remember Pooh Bear tied to a balloon and floating into the tree-tops to retrieve a “smackeral” of honey? How about Piglet clinging for his life against a very, blustery day? Maybe your fond memories are of Eeyore losing his tail, or Pooh getting stuck in Rabbit’s door...regardless, all of these wonderful moments, plus so many more, can be found on this one DVD. I know, I know...I can hear some of you now. “Why would I want to buy this...I already own it?” Well, for you folks it’s this simple...if you own it already...then DON’T buy it! But I can assure you that there are many families out there who have a copy of both Pooh’s Heffalump Movie and Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween, but whos kids haven’t even heard of the best Winnie The Pooh release to date. For these fans, this is the perfect time to add some classic Pooh into your collection (no base jokes people!); and for those of you who own an earlier release of this film yet are still reading, perhaps the addition of a few spiffy bonus features and a revamping of the picture and sound will be enough to warrant an update. This time around the whole kit and caboodle has been digitally restored and remastered, and if I am being perfectly honest, I am not the sort of movie watcher who cares all that much about such things. That being said however, the film looks great for being over four decades old, and the charming songs have never sounded better. There is a handful of the usual Disney DVD special features...the old standby inclusions such as a DVD game and a Sing Along Song of “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers”. But there are also a few extras which I was really looking forward to... The making-of featurette entitled “The Story Behind The Masterpiece” was tops on my list of must-sees, and while not exposing a bevy of new information or delving particularly deep into things, the bonus feature did manage to capture my attention and deliver a decent look into the history of Pooh and friends, and how they came into the hands of Walt Disney. I grinned from ear to ear when I saw that the 1983 short “A Day For Eeyore” was also included in this set. The first Pooh animated short since the original three (now compacted as this film), it is also my absolute, hands-down favorite! Who can resist Eeyore’s charm as he floats down river after being “bounced” in by Tigger? In fact, any fan of the depressed donkey should revel over the short which stands as his most involved role to date and is full of his sarcastic and dry-delivered one-liners. All of this fun is followed closely by an art gallery, A Disney Storytime installment, and more fun stuff to play around with. The only real disappointment is the “Pop-Up” trivia facts that can be selected as an alternate viewing option. Not only are they just large subtitles (no pop-up to be found), but the trivia supplied is very basic and not informative to anyone with access to Wikipedia. All said and done, The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh is a timeless classic of a childhood everlasting, and is filled with the wide-eyed wonder and a genuine innocence that simply cannot be found in today’s world of Bratz dolls and Dragonball Z. Treat yourself, or someone you love to a couple hours of memories; old friends and new laughter. A timeless Disney masterpiece, built from the foundation of a timeless literary classic, brought back better than ever...what’s not to love? -aaron-
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