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Why something along these lines wasn't considered could be for a variety of reasons; perhaps because Roo isn't exactly the most marketed or recognizable of the Hundred Acre Wood gang or perhaps because the Heffalump is just such a marketable icon (I am sure that the Winnie The Pooh ride at Disneyland which features Heffalump's prominently factored in strongly). Regardless, this film is Roo's time to shine and he certainly glows bright. You can bet that after this film, we are going to see a lot more of the little kangaroo tyke in Disney Stores and the Disney theme parks for sure. But for now, let's have a look at just what it is Roo is getting up to...
A plan is formed under the dubious leadership of Rabbit, who seems to know the most about these things, but as calculated and precise as his plans are, they are never designed to withstand the bumbling of Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and the others. Someone is going to have to stand up and do things right, and Roo believes that someone is him. Unfortunately, Roo's mother Kanga does not see this the same way as Roo and something about her little baby heading into the darkest part of the Hundred Acre Wood in an attempt to capture the most fearsome of creatures does not sit well with her. But all children think that they know best and it isn't long before Roo has made his decision to go it alone...and without permission.
As luck would have it, Roo makes contact with the terrible Heffalump before the safety of being joined by his friends, and is forced to deal with the confrontation all by himself. But this is not the confrontation he had envisioned after hearing the horror stories of Rabbit and the others. This Heffalump, named Lumpy (after all his real name is so long he can't even remember it all!), is a very small, very nice little fellow who laughs a whole lot more than he should and for apparently no reason at all! Fun seems to follow the purple like guy around and soon he has agreed to be "captured" by Roo; after all, this is the way it was supposed to be, right?
But the other lesson still to be taught to Roo comes when he brings Lumpy back to his friends; friends who still believe Heffalumps to be awful and terrible beings. How can Roo stand between their beliefs and the knowledge he now possesses of the truth about Heffalumps? It certainly isn't going to be easy while his friends are chasing and trapping the poor little fellow...and this is all before his MOM shows up! Perhaps those large, angry Heffalumps DO exist...
Pooh's Heffalump's Movie of course is designed to teach us lessons of acceptance and the toleration of others. It is a warning shot fired across the bow of all those who succumb to the "mob mentality" of today's society, once we have all made up our minds about something. But it is also a story of becoming an adult; of taking a stand when others might treat you differently and doing the grown up thing even when it may mean losing a little of your innocence in the process. But as stated in the opening of this review, these jagged plot device pills are hidden very deeply in a great big heaping spoonful of sugar that really makes them go down easy.
But the lessons taught and Lumpy himself aren't the only parts of this film that have stayed with me since the viewing a few days ago. You see, all day at work, in the car, walking to the mailbox and trash, and of course while in the shower, refrains of "In the name of the Hundred Acre Wood...we claim thee, in the name of the Hundred Acre Wood!" and better yet, "Lumpy bumpity bee, Lumpy dumpity dee, Lumpy lumpity lee, Heffalumpy like me!" can be heard bellowing forth from our mouths or at the very least being hummed madly and repeatedly...over and over. The songs from Pooh's Heffalump Movie are intensely memorable and VERY catching. In fact, I can't remember being affected by a song like this since "Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame bun!". If you know what I am talking about...then you KNOW what I am talking about!
Carly Simon again shows up for some Winnie The Pooh style songwriting and this time she hits it RIGHT on the head. Her last attempt left me with a bad taste in my mouth and to be honest the songs were immediately forgotten after having heard them... Oh, those were the good ole days! These new tunes will plague you forever and ever as your kids insist on clicking to the Sing-A-Long portion of the extras. And by kids, I mean your 27 year old partner!
But the best extra feature of them all is one that I don't see on all that many DVD releases...a really good movie. To coin a phrase, "You'll laugh, you'll cry..." and you will probably do both. One thing I can guarantee you will do is enjoy yourself! Not to be missed!
-aaron-
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When I first heard about Heffalump I was startled to see
that the series of "character movies" had drawn to an end. The
Tigger Movie (2000)and Piglet's Big Movie (2003)made it clear
that Disney intended to release as many of these vehicles as they could
while audiences would still have them, but here they were changing
formula mid stream. Given the success and general quality of the
two previous films, I couldn't understand why this change had been
made...but as it turns out, nothing at all had changed. Heffalump
could as easily have been called Roo's Heffalump Adventure or
A Big Day For Roo. 
The Hundred Acre Wood is shaken awake one day by a terrible
rumbling trumpet blast, and as the gang assembles to compare notes, it
is revealed that the responsible party could be nothing other than the
most feared creature in the woods...a creature so terrifying in its
demeanor that it's name should be spoken only in whispers and with
reverence to its great power! This creature is a Heffalump!
Huge, hulking beasts of extreme ferocity, these Heffalumps cannot be
allowed to roam free through the forest; and as it now seems there is
one amongst them, it must be captured and dealt with swiftly.
And this is where the real meat of the story begins to take
shape, as Roo learns that his preconceived notions of Heffalumps were
not only untrue, but very unfair. But he learns a few other
lessons as well. First is the fact that Lumpy is just as
frightened of Roo's friends as they are of him; after all, he has heard
the stories of the striped tiger who pounces on you when you least
expect it, and the tall yellow creature with the pointy ears who yells
at you all the time, and frightening tales of many other denizens of the
forbidden area of the Hundred Acre Wood which Roo now seems to be
heading towards.
The relationship of Roo and Lumpy is absolutely adorable and will
make children and girlfriends squeal with delight the world over (I can
attest to the latter one). Lumpy is a real treat of a character,
simultaneously being very different and fitting right in. As a
character design, Lumpy is simply perfect and to this I can also attest,
as I was in a Disney store purchasing a Lumpy plush toy the same evening
as having watched this great film with my fiancé. In fact, my own
little Lumpy is currently residing on the couch to my right where he sit
while my fiancé watches TV...with him.
Besides
these sing-alongs, there are a few other quality extras included here,
although to be honest, I could, without reservation, recommend this disc
to you right now without them. But in the interest of complete
coverage, let's take a look. For the very first time I was tempted
and caved into loading the DVD-ROM materials when I saw that there was a
recipe within for Heffalump Rumpledoodles, a cinnamon, raisin and
oatmeal cookie which I learned that Heffalumps love when I watched the
Backstage Disney featurette, "Welcome To The Family, Lumpy". This
making-of featurette takes more of a look at character design and
history than it does at really "making" the film. We learn why
Heffalumps are Heffalumps and even a bit about why Woozles are Woozles,
but most importantly we find out what makes Lumpy tick (which I can tell
you right now is his EXCEPTIONALLY talented voice actor, British
first-timer Kyle Stanger). There is a hide and seek game which
gets really old for us adults, but I am sure will keep the youngsters
fighting for the DVD remote and some coloring book material printable
off the aforementioned DVD-ROM.