Pooh's Heffalump Movie

Walt Disney's third recent animated feature based on A.A. Milne's much-loved denizens of Hundred Acre Wood, Pooh's Heffalump Movie is the weakest of the bunch, but like The Tigger Movie and Piglet's Big Movie before it, offers up a vibrantly colorful comedy-with-music-and-a-kindly-message-attached aimed at the smallest of fry. The tale finds little marsupial Roo bonding with Lumpy, a young heffalump (translation: elephant) from across the fence, even though all the older residents are terrified of the unseen beasts. Designed to teach kids that they shouldn't fear those different from themselves, whatever the prejudices of their elders, the sad fact is that the film just doesn't have enough story to fill out even a relatively short feature film. Worse, the better-known characters--Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet and Eeyore--are relegated to the sidelines, with mostly slapstick cuts to a “preemptive” heffalump hunt, while the majority of the running-time is devoted to Roo and Lumpy frolicking about and repetitively singing unmemorable tunes. Even the tiniest tykes may find this a mite numbing, while older kids--not to mention adults--will probably be bored stiff. A gentle, inoffensive plush toy of a movie, this is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include five sing-along songs (10 min.), a “Backstage Disney” featurette about the Heffalumps (8 min.), an interactive hide and seek game with Roo and Lump, trailers, and DVD-ROM features such as printable coloring pages and the Rumpledoodle recipe. Bottom line: a relatively small extras package for a lesser Disney film.] (F. Swietek)