DVD REVIEW: POOH’S HEFFALUMP MOVIE

BUY IT AT AMAZON: CLICK HERE!
STUDIO: Buena Vista Home Video
MSRP: $29.99 RATED: G
RUNNING TIME: 68 Minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Fast Play
• Music Time
• Game Time
• Backstage Disney
• DVD-ROM

I’m twenty-four years old, has your age ever just hit you
like that? I just ran headlong into that fact when I opened my package from
Nick and the first thing my eyes set upon was Pooh’s Heffalump Movie. It caused
a smile to creep across my face, I was going to watch a Winnie the Pooh movie
and not with a nephew or niece. I was going to sit down in my room dim the
lights and fire up the surround sound. I started to shake my head, but then I
realized I’ve got unopened toys tacked to my wall and I just stayed up till
3:30 in the morning watching cartoons it’s not like this is a real discrepancy.

The Flick

Now I grew up with Pooh, just as I’m sure you did but it
has been ages since I have been to the Hundred Acre Woods. I wondered if
Tiggers still bounced, if Pooh Bears still loved hunny, and not only what is a
Heffalump but what is a Roo? (Hey I said it’s been awhile) Every question but
the Heffalump inquiry would soon be answered. Yes, I know it is an elephant you
know it is an elephant just play along.

We open on “once upon a time, although which time we’re
not sure”, and it is a beautiful morning in the Hundred Acre Woods and everyone
is peacefully asleep. When all the sudden the peace is shattered by a
thunderous trumpet like sound. It startles everybody suddenly ripping them from
dreamland, and for the most part brings them crashing into reality. Everyone
quickly does what anybody would do when such an event occurs; they go to
Rabbit’s house to find out what to do. While they are getting all of their stories
straightened out Roo stumbles upon some evidence, a set of large footprints.
Upon inspection Rabbit realizes that the only thing that could have left those
prints was a…HEFFALUMP.

As it turns out a Heffalump is “the dreadfully dreaded
thoroughly three-headed horribly hazardous” creature that lives curiously next
door to the woods in the aptly named Heffalump Hollow. Well the course of action that must be taken
is I’m sure clear, they’ve got to capture one. No one is more excited about
this prospect as Roo, who with his youthful vigor is chomping at the bit for
adventure. It is not to be however as the capture of a creature so “dreadfully
dreaded thoroughly three-….” (I’m sorry it is a really catchy song) is far too
dangerous for one as little as Roo.

You know how kids are these days, you can’t tell them
nothing. Roo gets up first thing in the morning and heads off to Heffalump
Hollow, rope in hand. He beats the rest
of the group there and is deep inside the hollow when they breech the
perimeter. Being that neither Roo nor the Hundred Acre crew truly know what a
Heffalump is the hunt is somewhat hindered. While Pooh and the bunch are
getting split up, Roo runs into his adversary or more accurately it runs into
him, and tags him “Your it”.

Heffalumps as it turns out aren’t horny…um, not covered in
horns. There actually very friendly
purple bushy tailed beings. Lumpy as we come to know him by tells Roo that he
can capture him and they spend the rest of the day playing games and getting to
know each other. When Lumpy hears his mom calling he tells Roo that he has to
go, but Roo convinces him to meet his friends first. So the pair head off to the Hundred Acre Woods to meet the rest
of the group, who are actually busy capturing each other in the hollow.

This is where the real moral of the story come in. As the
pair approach the fence that separates the woods from the hollow we learn that
Lumpy is afraid of those who live on the other side of the tracks…I mean fence.
It seems the both sides have been told stories about the dangers of each other.
Roo assures him that it will be all right, but it’s not. What follows is nice
parable of how the youth must overcome the prejudices of the older generation
and convince them that just because someone is different or from a different
place it doesn’t mean that they can’t be one of us. Followed of course by a desperate rescue where our new friend is
instrumental thus cementing his place in the Hundred Acre Woods.

Pooh or at least Roo has taught us another life lesson.
That people come in many shapes and sizes, and even if they’re different than
you or not from you hood that doesn’t mean you can’t be friends. Also that it
is incredibly hard to stop singing “dreadfully dreaded thoroughly three-headed
horribly hazardous Heffalump” once you’ve got it stuck in your head.

8.2 out of 10

The Look

Pooh looks fantastic in 1.78:1 widescreen
presentation. The color is spot on in a
subdued palette that makes this movie look like a moving book illustration.

9.1 out of 10

The Noise

Pooh again comes through for us with 5.1 Dolby Digital
track that is pretty good. It does a
great job of carrying the ambient sound to surround you with the forests and
keying the score when required.

8.0 out of 10

The Goodies

This DVD comes with more features than a Heffalump has
horns…well since they don’t actually have horns I guess that is almost a given.
Either way it comes with several. First this DVD comes with something that
Disney calls Fast Play, which means that you can pop it in for the kids and it
will play automatically so no menus to navigate through. It also comes with
Music Time which is all of the songs in the movie (played with the movie clips
they’re from) with the lyrics on the screen. (Warning: I’m telling you don’t
watch the Heffalump song, it will burn into your brain) Game Time is a
hide-and-seek game that consists of four screens with five options on each to
find one of the characters hiding. I played through a couple of times but it is
really only fun twice because they hide in the same spots. There is also a
featurette called Backstage at Disney that is a fun little bit on the creation
of Lumpy and finding him. They also threw on some DVD-ROM features like
printable coloring pages and a recipe for Rumpledoodles (the best bait for
Heffalumps).

I would have liked to have a commentary by Tigger but I
guess it wasn’t meant to be. However they did make up for it by including a
bandage by Nexcare in the box that has the image of one of the Pooh crew on it.
(Mine has Tigger but there are five in the series so I think that it is
probably mixed)

9.0 out of 10 (I really liked the bandage)

The Artwork

I think the poster for the movie would have been cooler
complete with a purple case but what they have is a nice group picture with
Lumpy included. Nothing special but very happy looking.

7.0 out of 10

Overall: 8.5 out of 10