When A.A. Milne first published the Hundred Acre Wood stories in 1926, based on the stuffed toys that populated his son’s room, he couldn’t have imagined that his story about an anthropomorphic bear would become a $5.7 billion franchise. E.H Shepherd created the wonderful for Milne’s books, but it’s perhaps Disney’s versions of the Pooh characters that many are most familiar with today, due in large part to 1977′s feature The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and other Pooh related projects.

PoohOver the years, Disney gradually moved away from what made Pooh so appealing; choosing instead to apply a “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” type sensibility—doing away with faithfulness and Christopher Robin to make Pooh, Tigger, and their human friend Darby mystery-solving “super sleuths.” Maybe it’s not terrible, but it’s not the Pooh generation’s love.

The new Winnie the Pooh, adapted from three of Milne’s stories, has Disney returning Christopher Robin, Pooh and his friends to the traditional. In his latest adventure, Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings) is interrupted in his quest to gratify his hungry tummy when he discovers that his buddy Eeyore (Bud Luckey), has lost his tail. Christopher Robin (Jack Boulter) helps Pooh and his friends plan a contest to find a replacement tail for Eeyore.

Pooh believes he’ll find the perfect tail for Eeyore and win the best prize ever: a big pot of honey. However, when Christopher Robin turns up missing and wise old Owl (Craig Ferguson) misreads the note that he left behind, the gang must work together to deal with the terrible beast that they believe has taken their best friend. Keeping things traditional, Pooh and his buddies are forced to use their imaginations to find Christopher Robin.

It would’ve been easy for Disney to use computer animation, in the name of bringing Winnie the Pooh into the 21st century. Maybe even make it a live action Christopher Robin (played by one of the Disney Channel stars, of course). Instead of feeding the hype machine, and bowing to the allure of the latest animation trends, Disney chose to stay true to the story, and did the animation by hand.

For some, the simple story and nostalgic tone of Winnie the Pooh may be a bit too cute. But for a generation of Pooh fans, bringing the story back to its roots will be roundly welcomed. All the characters fans know and love are aboard for the adventure: from timid Piglet (Travis Oates), to boisterous Rabbit (Tom Kenny), all the characters have the distinctive personalities that made them so memorable in Milne’s stories. In the film, they wander across the pages of their own storybook, directed by their ever-present narrator (John Cleese).

Winnie the Pooh is a simple, enjoyable film for everyone in the family.  Anyone can enjoy this little film. Who doesn’t love Pooh?

Presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer is quite nice. The films bright color palette is pitch perfect. Black levels are inky and consistent throughout. Detail quality is stunning; clarity is wonderful.. Compression artifacting isn’t an issue, banding and aliasing doesn’t exist.

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound mix here is also impressive. This lossless track preserves Winnie the Pooh‘s original sound design well, showcasing clear dialogue, a musical score that utilizes dynamic fidelity, and atmospherics that creeps into surround channels and work well in creating a sense of mood and presence.

French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are included, as are English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles.

Along with a standard DVD, the following special features are available:

  • Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too (HD, 9 minutes): An overview of the origins and history of A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh.
  • Deleted Scenes Introduced by the Directors (HD, 15 minutes): Five deleted and alternate scenes are included — “The Tummy Song,” “Rabbit’s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail” — the majority of which the directors explain were cut for pacing reasons. Some are completed, some are in early stages of animation, and some are comprised of storyboards.
  • Bonus Shorts (HD, 8 minutes): Two animated shorts are available: “The Ballad of Nessie,” which accompanied Pooh during its theatrical release, and “Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Pooh’s Balloon,” a traditionally animated short featuring Pooh, Christopher Robin and a blue balloon.
  • Disney Song Selection (HD, 11 minutes): Hop to each of the film’s songs — “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” — and sing-along with on-screen lyrics, karaoke style.
  • Sing Along With the Movie (HD): You can also sing along while watching the entire movie.
  • Creating the Perfect Winnie the Pooh Nursery (HD, 3 minutes): Baby Planners Ellie & Melissa are here with tips on designing a Pooh-themed nursery.
  • Sneak Peeks (HD, 8 minutes)