Our favorite rumbly tumbly, climbing a hunny tree Pooh Bear will be headed back to theaters in 2011. In spite of the dismal box office returns for Pooh’s last outing, 2005’s Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Disney has decided to revisit the hundred acre wood once again--and in 2D, no less--according to Empire Online. 2D is without a doubt the best way to go creatively for a Pooh flick, as any parent or child who has witnessed the utterly creepy new computer animated series on the Disney channel is likely to agree. Somehow Pooh’s old fashioned spirit and muted pastel color scheme just doesn’t mesh well with newfangled technology. Last year’s dismal-looking The Tale Of Despereaux had the same problem. But Disney will need to find a way to get butts in seats somehow, and Pooh as is just doesn’t seem to be doing it.
Although Pooh bear is the second largest character franchise in the world (second only to Mickey), he got that way by being the go-to character for reassuring stability. DVDs to nap to and stuffed Poohs to latch onto at night are the franchise’s specialty these days. But when it comes to the movie house, perhaps our Pixar-bred youth is just used to a bit more edge than the comforting, squeaky clean Pooh movies have to offer. Besides, the inherent belief that Pooh will always be there in some capacity doesn’t exactly inject his films with the same sense of urgency that something like Kung Fu Panda comes equipped with. Maybe Pooh can learn to break dance in his next outing?
