Release Date: February 11, 2005
The Voices of: Jim Cummings, John Fiedler, Nikita Hopkins, Ken Sansom, Kyle Stanger
Directed by: Frank Nissen
Written by: Brian Hohlfeld, Evan Spiliotopoulous
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
MPAA Rating: G
Pooh’s Heffalump Movie is so harmless and innocent, you may wonder why a review is even necessary. Of course, no five-year-old is going to read this, but it may satisfy the curiosity of parents or Winnie the Pooh fans. Regardless of which category you fall into (I’m a Pooh fan myself), know that this movie is certainly clever and heartfelt, but not to the delightful extent of the Pooh movies from the 1970’s and 80’s.
For one thing, it’s a very brisk 65 minutes long, which isn’t enough time for all of the characters -- Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeorye, Tigger, Kanga and Roo -- to shine (each has their own unique and adorable charm). No doubt, this short running time will be perfect for those of you with toddlers, but as it is, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie feels out of place as a major theatrical release.
Disney’s original intent was to send the film straight to DVD, but it was eventually upgraded to a theatrical release. The reason was surely financial because, as I said, the scale of the film’s story remains unfortunately small.
Don’t tell that to the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood, though, because there are some very serious adventures to be had there. Recently, they’ve been disturbed by an unusual elephant-like noise, along with giant footprints and a couple of other abnormal occurrences (most of which were caused by the silly characters themselves). But not until Rabbit (voiced by Ken Sansom), the self-proclaimed leader of the group, declares that they have a Heffalump problem do they really know what they’re up against.
For the uninitiated, Heffalumps are known to Pooh and his friends as monstrous creatures with trunks, horns, and a love for mischief and stealing honey (Pooh’s favorite food). Previously in Pooh stories, Heffalumps had been confined to the characters’ dreams and were never physically real. This movie changes that mythology a bit, as we soon discover the creatures are indeed very real.
Rabbit and the others decide to set out on “the first Heffalump expedition in history,” in order to capture the Heffalump and stop it from disturbing the Hundred Acre Wood. Roo (Nikita Hopkins), the youngest character of the bunch, is the most excited about the adventure, but Pooh (Jim Cummings), Piglet (John Fiedler), Tigger (Cummings again), and Rabit leave him out of the fun because of he’s so small. Determined to grow up quickly, Roo decides he’s going to go on his own expedition and happens upon a young Heffalump nicknamed Lumpy (Kyle Stanger).
This Pooh tale is at its cleverest when the characters first set out on their quest, and each of them is either wearing or carrying some sort of silly equipment. Pooh is dressed in a pilot’s hat and holds a butterfly catcher, Tigger is bouncing around with a baseball catcher’s mask strapped to his chest, and Piglet has a measuring cup on his head and carries a bag of pink jelly beans to track their path. (Of course, absent-minded Pooh assumes the candy is a snack for him.) Eeyore joins the game, too, solemnly carrying a huge load of unnecessary tools on his back.
These are the real stars of the movie, but unfortunately we get to see very little of them compared to Roo and his friend Lumpy. These two are funny in their own right, but not nearly as much as the other group, due to the nature and theme of the story. Roo and Lumpy take up the majority of the film’s abbreviated running time and deliver the timely and wholesome lesson of getting to know people before you judge them.
It could have been just as effective on video, but then again, Winnie the Pooh has a large and well-deserved following. So maybe even when he doesn’t get the most screen time, Pooh and company belong on the screen -- and in children’s hearts -- anyway, no matter how small their roles are.
-- Andy Zientek (zfilm@earthlink.net)