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Details of new Winnie the Pooh animated feature revealed

In the recent thread on Disney parks merchandise someone noted that it’s been years since Disney has done a feature film starring Mickey Mouse. So it’s no wonder that today’s youth is not acquainted with him. I think they’re forgetting Mickey Clubhouse on Disney Channel. Which was a good attempt to re-introduce Mickey. But it still hasn’t show cased him as the big star that we know he is.

The same thing can be said for Winnie The Pooh. He had a Disney Channel Show, which was really a mis-guided attempt to remake the lovable bear by excluding his best friend. But now Disney is bringing back Christopher Robin, and Pooh’s other forest friends, for a feature length movie.

The “Winnie the Pooh” movie features hand-drawn 2D animation. It appears to be very true to the original character designs if these frames from the movie are accurate. One of the best pieces of news is that the score and songs for the film are being written by Bobby and Kristen Lopez, who turned Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” into a stage musical (which I love!). “Winnie the Pooh” hits theaters July 15, 2011.

More details below the jump:

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh,” the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years. With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Well a tail is either there or it isn’t there,” said Pooh. “And yours isn’t… there.” Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some hunny. Inspired by five stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, “Winnie the Pooh” hits theaters July 15, 2011.

Notes:

  • Veteran Disney animator/storyman/director Burny Mattinson (a key animator on the 1974 featurette “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!”) serves as senior story artist, with a dynamic young directing duo—Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall—at the helm.
  • Director Stephen J. Anderson helmed animated films “Meet the Robinsons” and “Journey Beneath the Sea,” among others; he worked as a story supervisor on “Brother Bear” and “The Emperor’s New Groove,” and as an additional story artist on 2008’s award-winning “Bolt.” Director Don Hall is a veteran story artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios with credits including “The Princess and the Frog,” “Meet the Robinsons,” “Brother Bear,” “Home on the Range,” “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Tarzan.”
  • “Winnie the Pooh” welcomes a few new voices to the Hundred Acre Wood: Craig Ferguson (“The Late Show with Craig Ferguson”), Tom Kenny (“SpongeBob SquarePants”) and Bud Luckey (director of the Pixar short “Boundin’”).
  • Actress/musician/singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel (Indie folk band, “She & Him”) provides the vocals for a special rendition of the beloved “Winnie the Pooh” theme song.
  • London-born A.A. Milne (1882-1956), a noted writer and playwright, penned two books and several poems about the beloved Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin (named after Milne’s son). His books are actually collections of stories, five of which inspired the film.
  • A.A. Milne’s son’s teddy bear inspired the beloved character. The child named his bear after Winnie, a Canadian black bear from London Zoo. Pooh was the name of a swan they encountered together.
  • Filmmakers visited Ashdown Forest where Milne wrote the books and the real Christopher Robin spent his summer vacations.
  • Tony® Award-winning songwriter Bobby Lopez, and his wife Kristen, wrote the seven spirited new songs for Pooh and his pals, including “A Pooh Bear Takes Care of His Tummy,” “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “Everything Is Honey” and “The Winner Song.” Lopez is composer on several episodes of “The Wonder Pets,” which earned a Daytime Emmy® in 2006 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.

WINNIE THE POOH

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Genre: Animation

Rating: TBD

U.S. Release Date: July 15, 2011

Voice Cast: Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson, Tom Kenny, Travis Oates, Bud Luckey

Directors: Stephen J. Anderson, Don Hall

Producer: Peter Del Vecho

Score Composer: Henry Jackman

Lyrics by: Bobby Lopez , Kristen Lopez

Screenplay by: TBD

8 thoughts on “Details of new Winnie the Pooh animated feature revealed”

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  3. This looks great! The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was one of my favorite films as a kid, and applaud Disney’s efforts to return to more traditional animation.

  4. Great update on the film — just saw the trailer and am SO excited! I had no idea that Bobby and Kristen Lopez worked on this, and I LOVE Finding Nemo the Musical, so that is extra encouraging. It looks fantastic.

  5. Pingback: Winnie The Pooh Trailer | The Disney Blog

  6. Hurray! I can’t wait to take my little girls to see this! I think of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh as one of the only totally safe Disney movies to show my girls. All of the other ones have really scary villains that sometimes lead to bad dreams. Winnie the Pooh is sweet and comforting, and it’s beautiful to look at. The animation is excellent.

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