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Pooh's Heffalump Movie By David DiCerto Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- "Pooh's Heffalump Movie" (Disney) will leave you feeling, to borrow a phrase from its cuddly cartoon star, "as happy as a tummy full of honey." The delightfully sunny and family-friendly movie, which runs just 63 minutes, marks only the third feature-length foray into the whimsical world of Winnie the Pooh. The other two were "The Tigger Movie" (2000) and "Piglet's Big Movie" (2003). A.A. Milne's "tubby little cubby" also appeared in three classic Disney shorts (packaged in 1977 and released as "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh"), as well as in a long-running TV series and numerous video releases and holiday specials, securing his place as one of the most beloved characters in children's animation. In the new adventure, Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings) and his pals -- Tigger (also voiced by Cummings), Piglet (John Fiedler), Eeyore (Peter Cullen), Rabbit (Ken Sansom) and Roo (Nikita Hopkins) -- set out to capture a Heffalump, a much-feared creature who has invaded their idyllic home in the Hundred Acre Wood. The ominous intruder turns out to be no threat at all, but a harmless and playful creature (voiced by Kyle Stanger) who resembles a grape-colored elephant, and is himself scared, lost and alone. He befriends Roo, who was left behind because he was too young to take part in the "dangerous" mission into Heffalump Hollow, and who helps him find his mother, Kanga, (voiced by Brenda Blethyn). Together they teach the Pooh crew an important lesson about acting with kindness toward those who are different, a lesson of equal value to our war-torn world where those who are different are often treated with hostility. The Heffalump represents fear of the unknown, and in that sense we all have a Heffalump in our own lives. Like Pooh, the challenge is to overcome ignorance and prejudice with compassion. Director Frank Nissen's tender tale stays true to the gentle spirit of Milne's storybook creations, combining traditional hand-drawn animation and a buoyant score -- which features songs by Carly Simon -- to create a heartwarming parable about friendship and acceptance, which celebrates family and childhood innocence. In our age-inappropriate society, that is nothing to pooh-pooh. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G -- general audience. - - - DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. END Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
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