Pooh and his pals are back on DVD with Disney’s release Pooh’s Grand Adventure - which just also happens to be in time for Pooh’s 80th Anniversary. This marks the first ever DVD release of this 1997 straight to video production, and as an added bonus this release also has the Disney classic 1969 Oscar winning short Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.
Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a bear with very little brain. So naturally when his best friend Christopher Robin (Brady Bluhm) has something to tell him, Pooh is more interested in playing than listening. Christopher Robin is trying to tell Pooh that he’s going away to school and won’t be able to play everyday. Not being able to tell Pooh this on the last day of summer, as I said Pooh was more interested in play, he leaves a note attached to a honey pot outside of Pooh’s house.
Pooh is a honey fiend and opens the jar not noticing the note and gets honey all over it - drenching the note. He can’t read it so he takes it to Owl (Andre Stojka) and Owl misinterprets “school” as “skull.” So Owl whips up a map and Pooh and his gang, Piglet (John Fiedler), Eeyore (Peter Cullen), Rabbit (Ken Sansom) and Tigger (Paul Winchell), set out to “rescue” Christopher Robin from the great skull cave braving the dangers of Heffalumps, Woozles, Jag-ulars, and the dreaded Skullasaurus. Narration is provided by David Warner.
Pooh’s Grand Adventure is not a bad film, but falls a little short compared to the classic Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (which was just a compilation of 3 Disney shorts, one of which is on this DVD). It seems more like a continuation of the Disney channel TV show The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh than a sequel to Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
Pooh is a honey fiend
There are some new songs, but I found them largely forgettable unlike the Sherman Brothers’ contribution (see special features). Needless to say the kids will enjoy it whatever my nitpicks may be. However, the late greats Fiedler and Winchell add gravitas to the project since they’ve been voicing these characters since the 1960s.
Pooh’s Grand Adventure is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.66:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include the Disney Fastplay feature which basically plays the movie and the video based bonus features (see a full explanation on my Bambi II review) if you don’t select the main menu.
Other features include a 6 minute featurette called “Backstage Disney: Pooh’s Symphony” and is about the music of Pooh’s Grand Adventure. This is definitely aimed at the kiddies since they do not identify any of the participants and narrate as if they’re talking to children (the composer is Carl Johnson by the way).
The final video based feature is the most welcome. It’s the 25 minute short “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” and features fine vocal work by Fiedler, Winchell, Sterling Holloway (Winnie the Pooh), Clint Howard (Roo) and narrated by Sebastian Cabot. It also features the wonderful song by the Sherman Brothers about Heffalumps (reminiscent of the Pink Elephant song from Dumbo). There are also previews for other Disney features and the booklet in the DVD case double as a storybook.
Christopher Robin and the gang
Although Pooh’s Grand Adventure doesn’t come close to the classic status of the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, it’s still one that the kids will enjoy. Adults may also find something to enjoy, don’t get me wrong, but as with all of Disney’s direct to video sequels it falls short of the classic. Certified Disney collectors may want to add it to there collection (and the original short makes it more appealing) but otherwise rent it for the kids.
Pooh’s Grand Adventure - The Search for Christopher Robin is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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