The only Pooh movie to have a serious plot and deal with serious issues, "Grand Adventure" throws several Disney standards out the window and doesn't pull any punches putting Pooh & company in scary situations. I suspect Roo's absence was deliberate because everyone from Pooh to Piglet reaches their breaking point except for Eeyore, who was ALREADY broken.
Sent on a rescue mission by a misinterpreted note, things go from semi-predictable to creepy to truly frightening. When the gang spends a night lost in a dark place and Tigger is makes a joke about the "splat" at the end of a fall to Piglet, things are genuinely grim for a Pooh movie. Expect to cry at least once at the very pictures of innocence cold, alone, and afraid. But Christopher Robin comes to the rescue of his rescuers and leads a march home with the dark places looking not so scary anymore and clears up the note that started the whole mess.
Happy ending, right? No. You'll probably go "wait, that's not it?" But the gang didn't actually face a monster and overcoming their shortcomings didn't save the day. The usual, predictable, picture-perfect finish isn't forthcoming.
The TRUE finale is a triple whammy. Christopher Robin tries to tell his best friend he's going away and he just. can't. say. it. Between explaining the note and his description of what he'd been doing that day (obviously in school) it's obvious to even children watching what he's really trying to say. But with Pooh's childlike faith in Christopher Robin, he sees it as just encouragement from his lifelong friend, and Chris turns the bad news into a stirring "believe in yourself" speech. Our last scene is of Pooh's vision going dark as he looks up at his friend whispering "I'll always be with you." It's a subtle visual metaphor for Christopher's childhood and friendships dying. And to rub it in the lyrics of "Wherever You Are" as the credits roll mourn that "forever is too good to be true". "Tearjerker" doesn't do it justice.
The movie will have you cheering for the gang as they face true fear and danger to find their friend, reaching for tissues to cry in, and find yourself reminded that 'forever' is sometimes only in our hearts. It's not a perfect ending, nor even a happy one (!!!), but it is a beautiful one.
Lost and found...then lost again.
The only Pooh movie to have a serious plot and deal with serious issues, "Grand Adventure" throws several Disney standards out the window and doesn't pull any punches putting Pooh & company in scary situations. I suspect Roo's absence was deliberate because everyone from Pooh to Piglet reaches their breaking point except for Eeyore, who was ALREADY broken.
Sent on a rescue mission by a misinterpreted note, things go from semi-predictable to creepy to truly frightening. When the gang spends a night lost in a dark place and Tigger is makes a joke about the "splat" at the end of a fall to Piglet, things are genuinely grim for a Pooh movie. Expect to cry at least once at the very pictures of innocence cold, alone, and afraid. But Christopher Robin comes to the rescue of his rescuers and leads a march home with the dark places looking not so scary anymore and clears up the note that started the whole mess.
Happy ending, right? No. You'll probably go "wait, that's not it?" But the gang didn't actually face a monster and overcoming their shortcomings didn't save the day. The usual, predictable, picture-perfect finish isn't forthcoming.
The TRUE finale is a triple whammy. Christopher Robin tries to tell his best friend he's going away and he just. can't. say. it. Between explaining the note and his description of what he'd been doing that day (obviously in school) it's obvious to even children watching what he's really trying to say. But with Pooh's childlike faith in Christopher Robin, he sees it as just encouragement from his lifelong friend, and Chris turns the bad news into a stirring "believe in yourself" speech. Our last scene is of Pooh's vision going dark as he looks up at his friend whispering "I'll always be with you." It's a subtle visual metaphor for Christopher's childhood and friendships dying. And to rub it in the lyrics of "Wherever You Are" as the credits roll mourn that "forever is too good to be true". "Tearjerker" doesn't do it justice.
The movie will have you cheering for the gang as they face true fear and danger to find their friend, reaching for tissues to cry in, and find yourself reminded that 'forever' is sometimes only in our hearts. It's not a perfect ending, nor even a happy one (!!!), but it is a beautiful one.