Piglet's BIG Movie 2003 Buena Vista Home Entertainment   Buy It Now

There are few Disney characters as beloved as those from the Hundred Acre Woods.  Perhaps it is because Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and friends came with their own history, even before they were brought to the screen by Disney in 1966.  The original A.A. Milne stories have been translated into nearly every known language, and have sold a combined total of more than 20 million copies, NOT counting those sold in the United States or in the 25 other translated languages around the world.  In 1993, Disney admitted that Winnie the Pooh was their second most popular character next to Mickey Mouse, and by 1996, Pooh was on top.  

Due simply to this amazing popularity and adoration for the characters, Disney must surely be walking on egg shells each and every time work begins on a film involving these characters.  And I must say, their attention to detail has paid off.  The first of these original tales, cast with Pooh and his beloved friends, was The Tigger Movie; which proved quite successful and pleased audiences of all generations and familiarity with the characters. But can lightning strike twice; especially when there have been so many quickly thrown-together sequels coming from this particular studio? I am happy to announce the answer is YES. 

Creating a Pooh story is no easy task, let me assure you.  The characters are so incredibly defined and identifiable, that any slight deviation from their norm would prove disastrous!  If Disney wants to produce a film starring Donald Duck, in which he does not burst into one of his patented, furious, quacking tirades, it would not provoke dismay in most viewers.  But image that Eeyore suddenly was no longer sullen and that Rabbit no longer stressed out over the slightest scenario!  It would not be tolerable.  Even the movements and voices of each character are so pronounced and recognizable, that there is no room for error without casting some serious shadows over the enjoyment of the film...if Pooh doesn't sound like Pooh, then all bets are off.

It is because of these reasons that I am so very pleased to give the Disney studio credit with Piglet's Big Movie.  Every detail and every heart-warming feeling of the older Pooh films is present here, with the added bonus of some new laughs thrown in as well.  Each and every character is at their very best, whether it is another grand scheme to gather some hunny, or another gloomy day for Eeyore.    

The story itself is done in the new Disney favorite (no doubt cost effective and creatively easy) style of three short stories tied together.  Most recently, this technique was used on Atlantis 2, Cinderella 2, and Belle's Magical World.  While I did not enjoy the format for these sequels, and still consider the idea to be a major cop-out for the studio, Disney got really lucky with Piglet's Big Movie, because all of the Winnie the Pooh tales have always been divided into short story format (a product of the books they were based on).  In this case, the format seems to fit in just fine.

Coincidentally, and without any prior planning towards this by Disney I am sure; the format will also make this film more accessable to a younger audience. A sort of pre-cutting of the story into more easily managed "bite sized bits" for younger audiences to digest.

The basics of the story this time around, of course revolve around Piglet, the smallest and most timid of Pooh's friends.  As usual, Piglet is feeling a little less important then the rest of the gang, and this fear is reinforced when everyone else sets a honey-gathering scheme into motion...without him.  Convinced that he is destined to forever remain the figure on the sidelines of everyone else's activities, Piglet decides that a little time alone is in order and wanders alone into the woods for some good thinking.

Of course, the gang soon discovers him to be missing and is convinced that the little guy is in some sort of perilous trouble and needs rescuing.  But where should they start looking in a wood of a hundred acres?  Having discovered a book full of Piglet's artful renderings of his past experiences, they decide to begin looking for Piglet at the sight of each memory; hoping that he may have returned to one of these scenes.

It is here that the "trilogy of short tales" format takes over and we go back with the characters to three separate events, each one a fuzzy-feeling remembrance of a classic Pooh tale: Christopher Robins expedition to the North Pole, Eeyore's house built at Pooh Corner, and the arrival of Kanga and Roo to the neighborhood.  As the pals head to each of these locations, they revisit each memory and begin to realize that Piglet has always played a much larger part in their activities than anyone ever noticed.  But before they can locate Piglet and share with him their new realization, they find themselves in exactly the sort of trouble they were worried Piglet had found.  Who can possibly save them in their moment of need?  Oh yeah, Pink Pig Power to the rescue!

As always, there are the usual mix of cheery and catchy Pooh ballads, which share their time with new, original songs from Carly Simon.  The songs used throughout the movie went one of two ways.  If they were performed by the voice actors of the characters, then they were loveable tunes that you could easily find yourself singing along with.  However, if they were sung by Carly Simon, they were included only to attract an older audience by including a "name"; and while they are fitting to the realm of Pooh, they are not easy for little viewers to sing along with, nor what I would call "good".  But that is just one reviewers opinion, and if you have enjoyed Carly Simon's music in the past, then you will like her songs here equally as much.  Your kids on the other hand...

A delightful mix of new and old, that will both fulfill your expectations and raise the bar a little.  Disney better watch out making films that are this enjoyable!  We may just go back to expecting ALL their releases to be this good!  And as much as asking for another sequel from Disney scares me to death, I simply must demand that Eeyore gets his proper dues on screen next!

-aaron-