Winnie the Pooh

Oh, bother. Do we really need another 3D-less cartoon feature drawn by human hands and only colored by computer? Yes, yes we do and Winnie the Pooh is a surprising step in that direction.

Pooh, A.A. Milne's world famous stuffed bear, still likes honey and still hangs around Piglet and Tigger and Christopher Robbin and the others. Eeyore still needs a tail, so all of the Hundred-Acre Wood pitches in to help. Everything's fine until Pooh finds a letter on Christopher Robbin's door saying "Go Out Bizy Back Soon."

Owl wrongly concludes that the "fierce" monster Backson has caught their human friend. So, the intrepid animals team up to save him. Comical misunderstandings ensue.

It's extremely harmless and quiet, unlike some other summer debuts I previously reviewed. So, why recomend it? Because it's delightfully silly not just for kids, but for their parents as well. The antics of Pooh and Co. are charming, not annoying, even if they're too familiar.

The film also has some catchy songs composed by Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen (also the voice of Kanga here). Actress Zooey Deschanel even performs a few songs, including the Sherman Brothers' theme to the original shorts and her own composition, "So Long."

It's an incredibly short film that runs for about 70 minutes. To pad some time, Pooh runs with a short toon called The Ballad of Nessie, a quick take on the origins of Loch Ness and it's monster. The toon, narrated by Billy Connolly, is a whimsical, sweet tale that compliments the feature attraction.

If Harry Potter's not on the list this weekend, you can see this instead. Its animation is easy on the eyes, and its magic isn't scary in the least. Hopefully, you won't regret it if and when you go.

Stay tuned for the credits for a surprise appearance.