Film Reviews

Pooh's Heffalump Movie

• Rating:
• Director: Frank Nissen.
• Starring: Jim Cummings, John Fiedler, Nikita Hopkins, Kath Soucie, Ken Sansom, Peter Cullen, Brenda Blethyn.
• Details: US/ 68 mins/ (U).

Originally slated as a direct to video release, Pooh's Heffalump Movie has been designed with very young viewers in mind. A throwback to a more innocent era, the film is unashamed in its usage of old-fashioned animation and sees the Hundred Acre Wood gang going on an expedition to Heffalump Hollow. Of course, Pooh and the rest of the crew aren't overly confident of their chances of success, especially since strange and frightening beasts known as the heffalumps apparently populate the hollow. Little Roo has been left behind because he's so young, but he soon happens across a heffalump himself, and discovers - shock! - that they aren't so scary after all. Although it's likely that nippers bred on the likes of Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. may find the quaint style and tone a little too reserved at first, Pooh's Heffalump Movie's a charming little film that will, given time, captivate most young audiences. The gentle rolling tone of the film is the perfect platform to roll out valuable moral lessons, while the director is sensible to allow the story to come to its natural conclusion, without stretching it out for the expected 90 minutes. Indeed, the only unfortunate thing is that the audience who will most enjoy Pooh's Heffalump Movie would probably appreciate being able to watch it a half-a-dozen times in a row.

Review by Garreth Murphy