Movie Alert: 'Winnie the Pooh'

Winnie the Pooh , an animated feature-length film from Disney, arrives in U.S. theaters on July 15, the first big-screen Pooh story since Pooh’s Heffalump Movie in 2005. The film takes place in the fabled Hundred-Acre-Wood and is based on three original Pooh stories by A.A. Milne: In Which Eeyore Loses His Tail and Pooh Finds One and In Which Christopher Robin Leads an Expotition to the North Pole ,both first published in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926); and In Which Rabbit Has a Busy Day and We Learn What Christopher Robin Does in the Mornings , which appeared in The House at Pooh Corner (1928). The movie is directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall, with John Cleese narrating, Jim Cummings voicing the roles of Pooh and Tigger, and Craig Ferguson as the voice of Owl. The movie features music throughout, including three songs performed by actress Zooey Deschanel, and is animated in the classic hand-drawn style of older films like The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), though some segments also feature the use of CGI. In book news, Disney launched a new Pooh publishing program in May with titles geared toward both children and collectors. Disney Press released A Day of Sweet Surprises , a retelling of the film with an audio CD; Party In the Wood , a sticker storybook; two Winnie the Pooh readers— Forever Friends and Pooh’s Honey Adventure —as well as A Hundred-Acre-Wood Treasury , based on the film, and a touch-and-feel book called Surprise Tails . Disney Editions has also updated the keepsake book Winnie the Pooh: A Celebration of a Silly Old Bear (2000) to include information about the new movie. New licensed Pooh titles from other publishers include Winnie the Pooh: Play-A-Sound from Publications International and DK’s Winnie the Pooh: The Essential Guide, which pubbed in May; a Winnie the Pooh Record-a-Book arrives in July from Reader’s Digest. Disney reports that its Winnie the Pooh publishing programs “have remained strong globally over the years,” with Pooh books and magazines sold in 86 countries and in 40 languages. Sales on Pooh products have also spiked in advance of the movie, with Surprise Tails as the biggest seller.

Winnie-the-Pooh Soundtrack Giveaway : An Island Life

He’s a bear of very little brain. She’s half of the indie folk band She & Him. This year, they come together on the big screen in “Winnie the Pooh,” which hits theaters in select international markets in Spring 2011, and in the U.S. on July 15, 2011. Actress/Musician/Singer/Songwriter Zooey Deschanel (“Almost Famous,” “(500) Days of Summer”) joins Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, performing three songs for the film, including her own take on the classic “Winnie the Pooh” theme song, “A Very Important Thing to Do” and the original end-credit song “So Long,” which was written by Deschanel and performed with She & Him bandmate M. Ward.

“This has been one of the most fun experiences that I’ve ever had,” says Deschanel. “And I’ve just been thanking my lucky stars that I was able to work on this movie, because it’s delightful.”

Filmmakers were drawn to Deschanel’s signature style. “She was the perfect choice to do the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ song—a classic theme from the Sherman Brothers,” says director Don Hall. “Her music actually embodies the underlying spirit of the movie. We’re taking something that has vintage roots in the sixties, but spinning it in our own way and updating it. If you listen to Zooey’s music with She & Him—that’s their sound to a tee.”

Adds director Stephen Anderson, “It’s a perfect way to start the movie, letting the audience know right off the bat that this is Winnie the Pooh like you know him, but it’s something for today. We wanted to keep the same charm as the original, but give it a fresh spin, a contemporary feel, and she opens the movie with so much freshness, so much energy.”

“It’s always fun to have a contemporary artist rediscover a classic and that’s exactly what Zooey did,” says producer Peter Del Vecho. “She brought her own personality to the song—when she sings about introducing the individual characters, it’s as though she’s known them her whole life—and she has.”

“I’m a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and all his friends,” says Deschanel, who also plays the ukulele in the song. “It’s really hard to pick a favorite: Winnie the Pooh is so special, he loves honey and he’s just cool. Eeyore is amazing, I love Eeyore. And Piglet is so small. It’s really a four-way tie between Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger.”

Among the songs Deschanel performed for the film is “A Very Important Thing to Do”—a song that helps illustrate the contest the friends from the Hundred Acre Wood take on to find Eeyore a new tail. She also lent her voice to “Everything is Honey” and “Pooh’s Finale,” joining Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger), Tony Award®-winning songwriter Robert Lopez (“Avenue Q”) and other cast members.

Winnie the Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh Songs, Up, Down and Touch the Ground, Little Black Rain Cloud, House at Pooh Corner, Heffalumps and Woozles, Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh CD storybook

Pooh - Songs from Classic "Winnie the Pooh" Featurettes