Check out the brand new trailer for THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY starring Jim Cummings.
While awaiting the next fuel truck at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, a traveling young knife salesman is thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two similarly stranded bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty—or cold, hard steel—to protect their bloodstained, ill-begotten fortune.
The cast includes Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Sierra McCormick, Nicholas Logan, Michael Abbott Jr., Connor Paolo, Alexandra Essoe, Robin Bartlett, Jon Proudstar, Sam Huntington, Ryan Masson, and Barbara Crampton, with Gene Jones, Faizon Love and Richard Brake.
Check out the fabulous Crampton in Jakob’s Wife playing on SHUDDER and see Cummings (yeah, we’re big fans!) in The Wolf of Snow Hollow.
The film is helmed by Francis Galluppi, who previously wrote and directed several shorts including “The Gemini Project,” “High Desert Hell” and several music videos for the band Mt. Joy.
In 1973, Erica Jong wrote FEAR OF FLYING, a wildly popular erotic novel that introduced us to the term “zipless f**k” – an anonymous, one-time, spur of the moment boink. No names. No thought of repeating the experience. BETA TEST gives a teched-up variation on the concept, raising more questions than answers for those who participate. Each lucky (?) tryster receives an engraved invitation to meet an unknown admirer in a posh hotel. We follow the course of a few who go for it.
The suspenseful drama opens with a woman confessing her recent adventure to her spouse. The disclosure is not at all well-received. We switch quickly to the main story, involving Jordan Hines, a smarmy Hollywood agent (are there other kinds?) played by co-writer and co-director Jim Cummings. He’s scrambling to save his agency in a showbiz era that threatens their relevance. He’s also six weeks away from marrying Caroline (Virginia Newcomb), who seems almost saintly in her patience for his manic, erratic actions. After wrestling with his conscience, Hines meets the mystery lover for a masked roll in the luxury hay, and becomes obsessed with finding out who she was, and why the unknown arranger decided to extend the offer to him.
The rest of the movie focuses on Hines’ quest to find the woman and reasons for what appears to be a large-scale operation with unknown motives. He turns to his agency partner and best bud, PJ (also the other half of the writing/directing tandem, PJ McCabe) to help learn the how and why of this bizarre bit of matchmaking.
Maybe it’s a cult on the order of the masked-and-robed hedonists in EYES WIDE SHUT. Maybe it’s a blackmail scheme. A few references to Harvey Weinstein and the current climate for sexual harassment raise the question of whether it’s the work of one or more grudge holders from perceived peccadilloes past.
The setup is fine, but following its execution is almost exhausting. Director Cummings should have reined in actor Cummings on the level of histrionics deployed to present his character’s growing frustration and paranoia. Actor Cummings should have urged writer Cummings to pay more attention to the coherence of his screenplay. Writer McCabe shortchanged actor McCabe on his share of screen time. The movie is a long way in before some disparate plot lines start fitting into the picture; some never really do. The very attractive cast and upscale sets collectively give us the glamour of Hollywood’s slice of showbiz, complete with the shallowness of everyone’s dreams and tactics for “making it.” What we learn about those whys and wherefores is reasonably satisfying but investment in the characters – especially Hines – may well fade for others as it did for me. Pay attention to teeth. They’re more significant than you’d expect.
BETA TEST opens Nov. 5 in theaters in some locations and streaming on Amazon Prime and other platforms.
“A hilarious skewering of the shallowness of the movie industry and the paranoia and mistrust that afflicts the guilty. Cummings and McCabe’s film touches a raw nerve with sharp, funny, awkwardly prickly provocation.” – Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist
Hitting cinemas this fall is THE BETA TEST starring Jim Cummings, Virginia Newcomb, PJ McCabe, Kevin Changaris, Olivia Grace Applegate, Jessie Barr.
A married Hollywood agent receives a mysterious letter for an anonymous sexual encounter and becomes ensnared in a sinister world of lying, murder and infidelity in this scintillating satire.
Written and Directed by Jim Cummings (“Thunder Road,” “The Wolf of Snow Hollow”) & PJ McCabe, THE BETA TEST opens in Select Theaters, on Digital Platforms and VOD on November 5th.
The film premiered at Berlinale and the Tribeca Film Festival and will screen at the upcoming Fantastic Fest on Monday September 27th. Watch an interview from this summer with the two filmmakers.
Advance tickets for Disney’s “Christopher Robin” are now available for purchase (HERE), and to celebrate the upcoming movie, WAMG is giving away Family Four packs to the advance screening. Starring Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, and directed by Marc Forster, “Christopher Robin” hits theaters August 3, 2018!
In Disney’s heartwarming live action adventure, the young boy who shared countless adventures with his stuffed animal friends in the Hundred Acre Wood has grown up and lost sight of what’s important in life. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into our world and help Christopher Robin rediscover the joys of family life, the value of friendship and to appreciate the simple pleasure in life once again.
“Christopher Robin” is directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder and a story by Perry based on characters created by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard. The producers are Brigham Taylor and Kristin Burr, with Renée Wolfe and Jeremy Johns serving as executive producers. The film stars Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin; Hayley Atwell as his wife Evelyn; Bronte Carmichael as his daughter Madeline; and Mark Gatiss as Keith Winslow, Robin’s boss. The film also features the voices of: Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger; Brad Garrett as Eeyore; Toby Jones as Owl; Nick Mohammed as Piglet; Peter Capaldi as Rabbit; and Sophie Okonedo as Kanga.
ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN FREE PASSES – GOOD FOR FOUR!
Date: JULY 31ST at 7pM in the St. Louis area.
Answer the follow: Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and the other characters – tell us your favorite!
Add you name, answer and email in our comments section below.
NO PURCHASE REQUIRED. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.
Hand-drawn animation, lovable characters, and a timeless story all make WINNIE THE POOH a must for your movie collection!
All is well in the Hundred Acre Wood. Winnie the Pooh is in search of honey. There is no honey left in his house and his tummy will not stop grumbling at him until Pooh finds some. While on his quest he finds Eeyore, who seems more down than normal. Turns out that his tail has gone missing. They gather up the gang and hold a contest to see who can find Eeyore a new tail. While out and about, searching for tails and such, Pooh finds a note from Christopher Robin that says “Gone out. Busy. Back soon.” and brings it to Owl to read. See, there isn’t a lot of reading going on in the Hundred Acre Wood, and Owl is the smartest of them all. Of course, this isn’t exactly Owl’s strong-suit either, and now they are all convinced that Christopher Robin has been kidnapped by some sort of monster called the “Backson”. What started out as a normal day has now become a quest… for honey, Eeyore’s tail, and to rescue Christopher Robin from the “Backson”.
WINNIE THE POOH is presented in 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer, which looks divine. It really captures all of the pencil marks, and the warmth of the hand-drawn animation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is just what it needs to be. It isn’t overpowering and ear shattering. It is just enough to compliment the softness of Pooh, which I appreciate.
They didn’t go overboard on the bonus features on these discs. However, the features they did put on are great. (Well, except for one which I will explain!)
Bonus Features:
Exclusive bonus short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon” – In this charming short, Pooh comes up with a daring plan to get a hold of some honey by fooling a group of bees. It really is quite adorable. I love that they included bonus animations in the packaging!
“The Ballad of Nessie” – The animated short film included in the theatrical release is the heartwarming tale of how Nessie found her new home in the Loch Ness. FANTASTIC! I loved this in the theaters and now I am glad that I own it. (Sidenote: I think Nessie should be friends with the Elliot from PETE’S DRAGON. They would be amazing friends!)
“Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too” – A fun and informative behind-the-scenes look at the film, designed for the whole family. Hosted by John Cleese (narrator of the film), and with occasional help fromPooh himself, this featurette explores Winnie the Pooh’s history from his beginnings as a character in a book, to his continued life in the movies. If you are a fan of Pooh, you will really appreciate the stories in this feature. The filmmakers reveal how they worked to keep the look of the characters and settings in this movie consistent with their first appearances on-screen in1966. Pooh, being a bear of very little mind, finds much of this confusing, but the Narrator and the filmmakers make it all clear to Pooh – and you!
Deleted Scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 5 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit’s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”. What is neat about these scenes is that they are not fully animated, so we get to see some rough sketches and the beginnings of the animation.
Sing-Along with the Movie – Follow the red balloon and changing word colors to seven song lyrics featured in the film.
Disney Song Selection – “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” “The Tummy Song, “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “The Backson Song,” “It’s Gonna Be Great,” “Everything is Honey” and “The Winner Song Finale”
WINNIE THE POOH is out on Blu-Ray, DVD and Combo Packs now. This film is a must for any film library!
Journey back to the 100 Acre Wood for a heart-warming adventure with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore and Christopher Robin in WINNIE THE POOH! WAMG loves this “silly old bear” so much that we are giving away copies of WINNIE THE POOH on DVD.
Bonus material includes the EXCLUSIVE short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon,” deleted scenes and more!
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE A U.S. RESIDENT WITH A U.S. MAILING ADDRESS. 2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED. 3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Who is your favorite WINNIE THE POOH character? Why?
WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.
Inspired by the beloved stories from A.A. Milne’s books and crafted in Disney’s classic style, “Winnie the Pooh,” is the most critically-acclaimed animated film of 2011*. It is narrated by the voice of John Cleese and features the vocal talents of legendary voice actor Jim Cummings (over 350 voices including Gnomeo & Juliet) and a host of other distinctive actors including Craig Ferguson (TV’s ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’), Tom Kenny (TV’s ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’), Bud Luckey (Toy Story 3) and musical performances by Zooey Deschanel (indie folk band “She & Him”).
* RottenTomatoes.com, as of 9/9/2011
Social Media:
Stay connected with the latest news and information on Winnie The Pooh.
As National Honey Month comes to a close, we are keeping the celebration going with these WINNIE THE POOH-themed recipes and a honey-loving clip! The world’s most beloved bear spends his days in search of the naturally delicious nectar, and now you, too, can enjoy some honey-flavored treats with Pooh.
POOH BEAR TAKES CARE OF HIS TUMMY
RECIPE & COOKING ACTIVITIES
And on October 25th,Disney releases WINNIE THE POOHon Blu-ray & DVD! Journey back to the 100 Acre Wood for a heart-warming adventure with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore and Christopher Robin! Bonus material includes the EXCLUSIVE short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon,” deleted scenes and more!
Walt Disney Studios proudly invites families and audiences of all ages to return to the HundredAcre Wood with some of the world’s most beloved characters, as “Winnie the Pooh,” the delightful all-new animated feature film comes home to Blu-ray Combo Pack for the very first time, as well as DVD and Movie Download on October 25, 2011. Reuniting audiences with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore (who has lost his tail), “Winnie the Pooh” is a honey of an in-home release containing hours of immersive bonus features, including exclusive animated shorts “The Ballad of Nessie” and “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon;” a sing-along viewing option; an informative behind-the-scenes featurette for the whole family and deleted scenes with director commentary – all available on Blu-ray Combo Pack.
Inspired by the beloved stories from A.A. Milne’s books and crafted in Disney’s classic style, “Winnie the Pooh,” is the most critically-acclaimed animated film of 2011*. It is narrated by the voice of John Cleese and features the vocal talents of legendary voice actor Jim Cummings(over 350 voices including Gnomeo & Juliet) and a host of other distinctive actors including Craig Ferguson(TV’s ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’), Tom Kenny (TV’s ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’), Bud Luckey (Toy Story 3) and musical performances by Zooey Deschanel (indie folk band “She & Him”).
* RottenTomatoes.com, as of 9/9/2011
The all-new “Winnie the Pooh” brings back to life the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes and characters. Sure to become a family favorite for every household, it is directed by Stephen Anderson (Meet The Robinsons) and Don Hall (The Princess and The Frog) and Executive Produced by John Lasseter.
Blu-ray ™Bonus Features:
Exclusive bonus short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon” – In this charming short, Pooh comes up with a daring plan to get a hold of some honey by fooling a group of bees.
“The Ballad of Nessie” – The animated short film included in the theatrical release is the heartwarming tale of how Nessie found her new home in the Loch Ness.
“Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too” – A fun and informative behind-the-scenes look at the film, designed for the whole family. Hosted by John Cleese (narrator of the film), and with occasional help fromPooh himself, this featurette explores Winnie the Pooh’s history from his beginnings as a character in a book, to his continued life in the movies. The filmmakers reveal how they worked to keep the look of the characters and settings in this movie consistent with their first appearances on-screen in1966. Pooh, being a bear of very little mind, finds much of this confusing, but the Narrator and the filmmakers make it all clear to Pooh – and you!
Deleted Scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 5 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit’s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
Sing-Along with the Movie – Follow the red balloon and changing word colors to seven song lyrics featured in the film.
Disney Song Selection – “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” “The Tummy Song, “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “The Backson Song,” “It’s Gonna Be Great,” “Everything is Honey” and “The Winner Song Finale”
DVD Bonus Features:
“Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon”
“The Ballad of Nessie”
Deleted scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 3 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit’s Friends and Relations” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
Movie Download Bonus Features:
“Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon”
“The Ballad of Nessie”
Deleted Scenes introduced directors. Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 3 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “Rabbit’s Friends and Relations” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
Disc Specifications:
STREET DATE: October 25, 2011
Direct prebook: August 30, 2011
Distributor prebook: September 13, 2011
Suggested retail prices: 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)
$44.99 U.S. and $51.99 Canada
2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD)
$39.99 U.S. and $46.99 Canada
1-Disc DVD
$29.99 U.S. and $35.99 Canada
High-Definition Movie Download
$39.99 U.S. and $44.99 Canada
Standard-Definition Movie Download
$29.99 U.S. and $35.99 Canada
Feature Run Time: Approx. run time 60 minutes
Rated: G
Aspect Ratio: 1.78, 16×9
Sound: 5.1
Languages: English, French and Spanish
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Stay connected with the latest news and information on Winnie The Pooh.
Directed by Stephen Anderson (Meet The Robinsons, The Emperor’s New Groove) and Don Hall
(The Princess and the Frog, Meet The Robinsons), the film was supported by a variety of industry and highly-creative Disney veterans including Producers Peter Del Vecho (The Princess and the Frog, Chicken Little) and Clark Spencer (Bolt, Meet The Robinsons), Executive Producer and two-time Academy Award®-winning director John Lasseter (Toy Story franchise, WALL●E, Bolt) and senior story artist Burny Mattinson (Academy Award®-nominee for Best Animated Short Film, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, 1983 and key animator on the 1974 Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!).
About The English Language Voice Talent:
The “Winnie The Pooh” movie is narrated by funnyman John Cleese (Shrek Forever After, A Fish Called Wanda) and voiced by the talents of Jim Cummings (Gnomeo & Juliet, The Princess and the Frog, Shrek) as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Craig Ferguson (TV’s ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’) as Owl, Tom Kenny (TV’s ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’) as Rabbit, Travis Oates (TV’s ‘My Friends Tigger & Pooh,’ ‘Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too’) as Piglet, Bud Luckey (Toy Story 3) as Eeyore,
Kristen Anderson-Lopez (TV’s ‘The Wonder Pets,’ Off-Broadway’s ‘In Transit’) as Kanga, Wyatt Hall (seven-year-old son of director Don Hall) as Roo and Huell Howser (this was his first role as an actor) as Backson and Jack Boulter (this was his first role as an actor) as Christopher Robin.
About The Music:
The amazing musical scores featured throughout the film were created by Tony® Award-winning songwriter Bobby Lopez, and his wife Kristen, who wrote all of the six spirited new songs for Pooh and his pals, including “The Tummy Song,” “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “Everything Is Honey,” “The Winner Song,” “The Backson Song,” and “It’s Gonna Be Great.” Lopez is behind the Broadway hits “Book of Mormon” and “Avenue Q” and together they’ve written for Nickelodeon and Disney, including the stage version of “Finding Nemo” and composed songs for several episodes of “The Wonder of Pets,” which earned him two Daytime Emmy® Awards in 2006 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.
The original score, a special rendition of the beloved “Winnie the Pooh” theme song for the film was composed by Henry Jackman (“The Da Vinci Code,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Monsters vs. Aliens”) and sung by actress, musician, singer and songwriter, Zooey Deschanel (Indie folk band, “She & Him”). Deschanel also provided vocals for
“A Very Important Thing To Do” and “So Long.”
About Disney Blu-ray Combo Packs:
To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney classics, in 2008 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment pioneered the Combo Pack – a Blu-ray Disc plus a DVD and in some cases plus a Digital Copy of the movie in a single package. To date, the company has released almost all their films as Combo Packs. Recent Disney titles released as Combo Packs include Tangled, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Bambi, Santa Paws, Beauty and the Beast and Fantasia.
About The Walt Disney Studios:
For morethan 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which TheWalt Disney Company (DIS: NYSE) was built. Today, the Studio brings qualitymovies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under four banners: Walt Disney Pictures, which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, Touchstone Pictures and Marvel. Through the Home Entertainment division, innovative distribution methods provide access to creative content across multiple platforms. Original music and motion picture soundtracks are produced underWalt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, while Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Broadway theatrical productions, Disney on Ice and Disney LIVE! For more information, please visit www.disney.com.
Well, hello all of you crazy kids out there! It’s your nerd with the word, Melissa here, and I have a treat for you…
Recently, I got to attend the WINNIE THE POOH junket at Disney Animation Studios. I was like a kid in a candy store! Not only do I love movies… but I love to draw! Hooray!
We started the day with a screening of the movie WINNIE THE POOH with an introduction by the Producer, Peter Del Vecho.
Next, I got to go into the recording booth and attempt to do a voiceover for Piglet. They showed me a clip from the new film, and then I had to read the script while attempting to also see when Piglet’s mouth was moving. It was really hard, but super fun! (So, if anyone wants to hire me… I am tooootally available! Hint, Hint… Wink, Wink!) Even though I look like a complete dork… here is a clip of me attempting to do the voiceover. Just don’t make fun of me too much! LOL
After that. we were whisked away to a drawing demo with Eric Goldberg, who is the Supervising Animator for Rabbit and the Backson Song. He showed us how he draws Rabbit, and talked about his work at Disney. He actually closed his own studio to work at Disney Animation Studios. There is first film was ALADDIN, where he took on the role of lead animator for Genie and Aladdin. In the clip below, we here Goldberg talk about the animation process, his excitement for hand drawn animation, and we even get to see him draw! I am sorry that it is not clearer… the room was dark and I need to get an HD camera. Still, you can really start to see the drawing about 4 minutes in.
The next venture was a drawing demo with Mark Henn, the Supervising Animator for Winnie The Pooh and Christopher Robin. When we walked into the room, there were drawing benches and newsprint tablets sitting out. I am guessing that there were some people there who were displeased, since they very audibly started complaining with such malarkey as “I can’t draaawww….!“. I, on the other hand, could not contain my “Yesssssssss!” as I took my seat in the front row. Henn gave us step by step instructions on how to draw Winnie The Pooh while demonstrating on an overhead projector. Here is my completed drawing.
Mark Henn even signed it and gave me a gold star (after I took this picture). I love to draw! I could have stayed in that art room all day. In a way, I am a little jealous of the people that get to go through their instruction courses. That would be amazing!
Following the second drawing demo we went to a quick presentation and roundtable where Disney Consumer Products, or DCP, gave us a rundown on how they pick the images for their products. This is a full day! Whew!
The last thing that I did before leaving Disney Animation Studios was sit down and talk to some of the people involved with the film one on one. Below, you will find my interviews with Jim Cummings (Voice of Winnie The Pooh and Tigger), Tom Kenny (Voice of Rabbit), and Burny Mattinson (Senior Story Artist).
WARNING: I DO CURSE IN THE TOM KENNY INTERVIEW… JUST ONCE, BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
Melissa From WAMG Talks With Jim Cummings (Voice of Winnie The Pooh and Tigger : WINNIE THE POOH
Jim Cummings was (is) so fun! Not only was he very nice, but he even recorded a special birthday message for my best friend Molly (kickin’ it since age 5 son!). He went all out too! I left it in at the end for you crazy kids to enjoy. You can also hear him slip into Darkwing Duck, the Tasmanian Devil, and other voices occasionally. He will be on THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (Who is the voice of Owl in the film). Zooey Deschanel will also be a guest tonight, which makes this a “WINNIE-TASTIC” lineup!
Tom Kenny is one fun guy! We talked about music, the difference between voice acting and being on screen, and of course (and this is his term) the “POOHNIVERSE”. Such a down to Earth, cool guy!
Burny Mattinson has been at Disney Animation Studios since 1953 when he took a job in the mail room. He worked alongside Walt Disney’s “9 Old Men”, a core group of 9 original Disney animators. His stories are amazing.
Here is a picture of Burny Mattinson with the WINNIE THE POOH doll that is featured in the opening credits of the film. His wife made this doll for use in another of the Pooh films, but the opening scene had already been shot. It’s a beautifully handcrafted doll!
At the end of the day they handed me a lovely gift bag with a plush Tigger popping out. Inside was:
DISNEY WINNIE THE POOH: A CELEBRATION OF THE SILLY OLD BEAR (Hard Cover) By Christopher Finch
WINNIE THE POOH Soundtrack Featuring Zooey Deschanel (Advanced Copy)
A Tigger 12″ Plush Toy
DISNEY POOK-A-LOOZ NEW POOH KEYCHAIN
LIMITED EDITION WINNIE THE POOH LITHOGRAPH
It’s even numbered!
Here is the envelope that it came in. Figured I would show that too!
That is one fun giftbag!
I had a great day at DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS and would like to thank everyone for such a delightful day!
Hand-drawn animation, lovable characters, and a timeless story all make WINNIE THE POOH a must see in the theaters!
All is well in the Hundred Acre Wood. Winnie the Pooh is in search of honey. There is no honey left in his house and his tummy will not stop grumbling at him until Pooh finds some. While on his quest he finds Eeyore, who seems more down than normal. Turns out that his tail has gone missing. They gather up the gang and hold a contest to see who can find Eeyore a new tail. While out and about, searching for tails and such, Pooh finds a note from Christopher Robin that says “Gone out. Busy. Back soon.” and brings it to Owl to read. See, there isn’t a lot of reading going on in the Hundred Acre Wood, and Owl is the smartest of them all. Of course, this isn’t exactly Owl’s strong-suit either, and now they are all convinced that Christopher Robin has been kidnapped by some sort of monster called the “Backson”. What started out as a normal day has now become a quest… for honey, Eeyore’s tail, and to rescue Christopher Robin from the “Backson”.
I cannot express to you how much I enjoyed this film. I, of course, have to start out with the fact that they went back to hand-drawn animation. WINNIE THE POOH doesn’t need 3D, crazy effects, or a CGI makeover. One of the biggest appeals to the story of Pooh is that it is classic. Timeless even. Animating it by hand and being able to see the individual drawing marks move gave the film, and the characters in it, the warmth that they deserve. Plus, I have always been a fan of classic, hand drawn animation. Sure, I have some CG animation favorites, but they don’t have the same feel as the hand drawn films.
Jim Cummings, as the voices of both Winnie The Pooh and Tigger, was simply phenomenal! Cummings took on the voice of Pooh after Sterling Holloway, the original voice, retired. He later took on the voice of Tigger when Paul Winchell, also the original voice, retired. There is a reason that he (Cummings) has been chosen to take on not one, but two legendary Winnie The Pooh characters… he is unbelievably talented! He really brings both characters to life, giving them a sense of warmth and charisma. His work in this film is nothing short of amazing!
Another impressive voice actor, Tom Kenny, who joins the “Poohniverse” (Hey! It’s his word, not mine!) by lending his voice to Rabbit, following Junius Matthews, the original voice, Will Ryan, and Ken Sansom, who was the voice of Rabbit for the longest run. Kenny is very talented in his voice-over work. There are very few voice actors that have the ability to disguise their voice so the character really comes to life.
MELISSA RANT: Today, most films cast big named actors who sound like themselves. I can’t tell you how many times I have been pulled out of a movie because I recognized who was doing the voice. Once this happens, it’s hard to focus on just the character. There are very few exceptions. One is listed below.
Kenny, like Cummings, has the ability to throw themselves into their work, and can convince the viewer that their character is real. When you watch (or, as I should say… hear) their work, you aren’t thinking about who is doing the voice. You aren’t even thinking about the fact that someone IS voicing the animation. Like magic, they add to the illusion. Simply AWAZING! (For those of you that don’t have your Melissa Vernacular Handbooks at the ready, that is a AWESOME and AMAZING combined. It’s a Melissa “super word”!)
Craig Ferguson is an exception to my rant above. He is perfect as the wise, yet opinionated voice of Owl. His quick-witted sense of humor matches up rather nicely with the (self-declared) smartest creature in the Hundred Acre Wood.
The thing that I appreciate, more than anything, about this film is that they didn’t try to update it, or make it modern. There is one modern moment in the film (you will know it when you see it), but it only lasts a few minutes. There are no cell phones in the Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh doesn’t need to be made to have more edge. They kept to the classic origins for the story, as well as the characters, and I couldn’t be more pleased. There are some things that just do not need to be reinvented or remade by Hollywood. Sure, they made sure that there was a little more humor in it than its predecessors, but it stuck to the clean, good-natured spirit of the original tales like honey in Pooh’s tummy.
I think that they were extremely smart with the telling of this tale. There are three different stories going on, so that it keeps the attention of little ones, people with ADHD, that one random guy in the theater that can never stay awake (but still feels the need to spend his money on movie tickets) etc. Now, I have heard a few people complain that it is too short in length, but I disagree. Too often, movies are made to be entirely too long and end up dragging on because they feel like a movie has to hit a certain length in order to be taken seriously. This is false! Stop wasting my time with drawn out, boring scenes. This film tells it’s tale, tells it well, and cuts out at around the 70 minute mark (with the credits). I didn’t feel like I missed something, or that they left something out. I was more than pleased with their use of time.
Zooey Deschanel adds to the timeless tale as a bit of a “musical narrator”. She lends her voice to the soundtrack, which includes the original “Winnie the Pooh” Theme song, as well as as “So Long”, which she wrote with fellow She & Him cohort M. Ward. She has a folk-y, classic tone to her voice that really meshs well with this film. Plus, the songs are fun! I really enjoyed (“A Very Important Thing To Do”.) I don’t think they could have picked a better person to take on the songs for this film.
So, long story short… WINNIE THE POOH will melt your heart!
WINNIE THE POOH is getting ready to melt the hearts of the world again, and we here at WAMG can’t wait! So, here’s a brand new clip from the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios film WINNIE THE POOH.
SYNOPSIS:
Inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Winnie the Pooh” reunites audiences with the honey-loving, philosophical bear and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and Eeyore in a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit.
WINNIE THE POOH Makes His Way To Theaters July 15th
Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh.” Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original short films, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Ever have one of those days where you just can’t win, Eeyore?” asks Pooh. 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 honey. Inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, “Winnie the Pooh” hits theaters in the U.S. on July 15, 2011.
Notes:
· Veteran Disney animator/storyman/director Burny Mattinson (a key animator on the 1974 short film “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!”) serves as senior story artist, with a dynamic young directing duo—Stephen Anderson and Don Hall—at the helm.
· Director Stephen 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 (acclaimed 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, three 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 bearfrom 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 six spirited new songs for Pooh and his pals,including “The Tummy Song,” “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “Everything Is Honey,” “The Winner Song,” “The Backson Song” and “It’s Gonna Be Great.” 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.
