A.A. Milne’s Pooh books and characters have been around since 1926. It wasn’t until the 1960s before the Walt Disney Company got their hands on those characters and made them into the megastars that they are today. Generations of kids have loved these characters growing up, and most remain fans as adults. But back in 2005, Disney decided that Winnie the Pooh and all of the other characters from the 100-Acre Wood were better suited for the pre-school demographic. That is when only the third (and still most recent) theatrical film, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie got released. Later that year, a direct-to-DVD sequel called Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie was immediately released. It’s 4 years later and Disney has decided to re-release this DVD with a limited edition gift set that included a stuffed plush Winnie the Pooh dressed in a Tigger Halloween costume.
In Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie, the 100-Acre Wood gang is preparing for Halloween. Roo (Jimmy Bennett) and his Heffalump friend Lumpy (Kyle Stanger) are looking forward to spending their first Halloween together. Over at Piglet’s (John Fielder) house, Pooh (Jim Cummings) loses control of his appetite and eats all the Halloween candy and it looks like the holiday is not going to happen. Tigger (Cummings again) tells the two youths about the legend of the Gobloon. If you catch this particular spookable you’ll get your wish but if he catches you you’ll be transformed into a Jaggedy Lantern. Roo and Lumpy then decide to hunt down the Gobloon and wish all the candy back. Along the way Roo tells Lumpy about the time that Piglet’s being scared nearly ruined Halloween for all his friends.
Almost half of Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie is made up of a CBS 1996 television special called “Boo To You Too!” from the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh series. This is the entire Piglet story that is in the middle of this film. Only some new narration from Roo is added to it to make it seem new. Now most people, especially kids, probably won’t know this fact and for them, they won’t be able to tell a difference. The two separate stories were edited together in a near flawlessly way. They both teach the same lesson of facing your fears, so it really doesn’t detract a whole lot from the overall film. It just feels like a cheap marketing ploy to extend the length of this sequel.
Long time Pooh fans will probably enjoy this film for the most part. They will especially love hearing John Fielder voice Piglet for the last time. But Piglet, Pooh, Eeyore, Rabbit, and Tigger are really only supporting characters in this film, getting a few lines here and there. Roo and Lumpy are the real stars. They are likable enough for kids to enjoy. But most of elements that adults liked about the earlier Pooh works are absent or reversed in this film, including the creative wordplay, unpredictable naive misunderstandings, subtle humor, and adult characteristics that exist in all the 100-Acre Wood characters. Instead there is plenty of comedic visual gags, predictability, simple language, and cartoon caricatures of these characters that will surely entertain young children. That being said, though, some of the stuff about the Gobloon could actually scare some young children.
The video is presented in 1.66:1 widescreen, which means the film was stretched to fit the entire screen. Colors are mostly vibrant and details look pretty sharp. The animation is hand-drawn, so that makes everything feel familiar. The older material in the middle doesn’t look as bright or vibrant as the newer material, though.
The audio is available in either English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, or Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound.
Stuffed Winnie the Pooh in a Tigger Costume –
The main draw of this limited gift set is, of course, the stuffed Winnie the Pooh doll in a Tigger Halloween costume with Tigger printed across the chest. Pooh’s face fully shows through the head part of the costume, which can even be pulled back to reveal Pooh’s ears. Why Pooh is dressed as Tigger is still a mystery, since he never dresses as Tigger in the film.
“Trick Or Re-Treat” Game –
This is a three-level game in which you help Roo and Lumpy track down candy that has fallen out of their bags. You do this alternatively by guiding them through path mazes and finding the sugary snacks among a scene of objects they could be hiding behind.
“Pass The Pumpkin” Game –
This is basically the classic “hot potato” game, only play ensues with a tiny pumpkin being passed around the circle of participants. For its part, the DVD plays music and stops it without warning, making players exit the game one at a time, whoever is left holding the pumpkin when the music stops is delicately informed that they are out. Of course, you need a pumpkin to pass around to play this game.
“Pooh’s Boo! Bingo” Game –
This is like the classic Bingo game. The balls that pop up feature a Hundred Acre Wood character and number, though. A few game cards are included in the back of the DVDs coupon booklet and more can be printed off the computer. You will have to make your own placemarkers, though. The pace of the game might be too fast for younger kids, though.
“Heffalump Halloween Party Planner” –
This is a series of brief instruction videos for parents that totals 5 minutes. They are just text screens narrated in full without animated graphics. These screens inform you how to create your own Pooh-themed Halloween party and how the preceding games are designed to entertain partygoers.
DVD-Rom Features –
You can access these features on an enhanced DVD-ROM player like Interactual. There are two dozen printable pages that you can’t view or preview beforehand. The pages include a materials list, five recipes from Kanga’s Kitchen, Pooh’s Boo! Bingo cards, five pages of instructions, a ten-page guide to Make Your Own Jaggedy Lantern, and invitations with customizable fields.
Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie falls somewhere in the middle of the filmography of Pooh. Certain to entertain children under the age of seven, but not required viewing for Pooh aficionados. The only extra treat this release offers over the original is the plush doll. If you’re not crazy about dolls, no need to upgrade.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment presents Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie. Directed by Elliot M. Bour and Saul Andrew Blinkoff. Starring Jimmy Bennett (voice), Jim Cummings (voice), Ken Sansom (voice), John Fiedler (voice), Peter Cullen (voice), Kath Soucie (voice), Kyle Stanger (voice), David Ogden Stiers (voice), and Michael Gough (voice). Written by Brian Hohlfeld and Evan Spiliotopoulos (screenplay); A.A. Milne (characters). Running time: 67 minutes. Rated G. Released on DVD: September 1, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
