When I said that I wanted a darker more ambitious Disney Sequel, I never said I wanted it for Winnie the Pooh! Pooh's Grand Adventure is the most uncharacteristic of all of the sequels and would hold that distinction until 2004. It's tone and scenes are much darker and more grim than the recent Disney fare. You don't want to see this from a Winnie the Pooh flick, but you would like to see Disney keep this angle moving forward. I guess I am just too difficult a person to satisfy. Oh well, let's start at the beginning.Plot: On the last day of summer, Pooh spends the entire day having fun and playing with his best friend, Christopher Robin. Christopher tries his best to try and tell Pooh something, but is too distracted by the fun they have to tell him. As the two sit in a tree discussing the future, CR gives Pooh some encouraging words before the bear falls asleep.
The next morning, Christopher Robin is nowhere to be found, and Pooh and the others are in a frenzy trying to find him. Owl unintentionally misinforms them of his whereabouts from a note smothered in honey, telling them that he has gone off to a place called "S-C-H-O-O-L!", which he calls skull. Without Christopher to guide them, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and Rabbit all go off in search of him, while encountering many terrifying and sinister things, including a "skullasaurus", all while fighting off they're own inner fears and doubts about being either not brave enough, strong enough, or smart enough to survive on their own.
What's Bad?: Why was this the film Disney chose to make it's darkest sequel? Why couldn't a soul searching journey like this have been saved for something like Mulan 2 or Tarzan 2, ya know, the piss awful sequels that could have used a story like this? I mean, as the film reaches it's finale, we hear a musical number about Pooh expressing his sorrow for not being able to find Christopher Robin, which would bring me to tears every time I watched it as a kid. Then, about five or ten minutes afterwards, Pooh's friends all think he's been eaten by the "skullasaurus"! Why did this have to be so dark?
What's Good?: And yet, through it all, this still remains one of the stronger Disney Sequels. It has good character development, good songs, stellar animation, and still maintains a good standard for the Winnie the Pooh franchise. While not being called for, the character development in the film is stellar, particularly the main animals. The characters have to learn to act without their guide in the Hundred Acre Wood, and Jim Cummings' performance as Pooh is the only main performance in these sequels outside of Scott Weinger's Aladdin that could contend with other main Disney Films.
Each character goes through their own development, except for Eeyore, who serves more or less as a comic relief, but still works very well in that role. Rabbit, for instance, needs to learn to lead the others into the "Great Unknown", all while being unable to get his garden to apply to his own schedule. As for Tigger and Piglet, they must overcome their own personal doubts and fears to help guide the team throughout "Skull".
The animation is also very good, which would also mark the last sequel with comparable animation with the original until about 2005.
Overall: While not maintaining the sense and morals of this original classic, Pooh's Grand Adventure is still a well suited Disney Sequel that still holds the entertainment value both the original had and Aladdin and the King of Thieves had. It's a good film, but not an absolute gem.
Report Card:
Hero: A+
Heroine: N/A
Villain: N/A
Side Characters: A
Songs: B
Musical Score: B-
Animation: B+
Story: B-
Themes: B+
Is it as Good as the Original? : NOT REALLY
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