Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Winnie the Pooh (2011)

This is topic Winnie the Pooh (2011) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Carol May (Member # 4068) on 07-17-2011, 03:12 PM:

My first first-run movie of the year! My father and I saw this at a screening and we both enjoyed it. There's enough in there to keep adults amused, but it's also bright and colorful and not over the heads of the little ones.

The drawings and especially the 100 Acre Wood were faithful to the Disney original, and I was impressed at how well they matched Pooh's voice.

After the end credits, there's a funny inside joke for Southern Californians, though I don't know if outsiders will get it.

Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 07-17-2011, 09:58 PM:

I hear that this is a very good movie.

But I can't believe they released it on HP7 weekend

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-17-2011, 11:20 PM:

Totally different target audience, would be my guess.

Posted by Jonathan M. Crist (Member # 413) on 07-18-2011, 10:54 AM:

At about 60 minutes running time(after you subtract out the credits) it seems a bit of rip off for a $10.00 movie ticket.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-18-2011, 12:32 PM:

Well....using that logic, a three-hour movie should cost more than a two-hour one.

I think 60 minutes is perfect for the little kids. They can't really sit still any longer than that anyway. There should be more 60 minute kiddie movies.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 07-18-2011, 03:28 PM:

Disney, in 1989, released Honey I Shrunk the Kids against Batman and it held it's own.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 07-19-2011, 10:45 PM:

CINEMA: Cinemark Farmington at Station Park and XD, Farmington, UT
AUDITORIUM: 14
PRESENTATION: Cinemark NextGen DLP
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: Audio didn't switch from the pre-show to the feature. Again. Are you KIDDING me? Son of a...Oh, there it goes (briefly into the first trailer).
RATING: Two and one half stars (out of four)

Station Park is a very unfinished development. There's a massive space in front of the Cinemark that is walled off. You have to park at the side of the theater, then walk a long pathway that will be eventually the front drive, past unfinished retail and restaurant space. This is apparently going to be happening for quite awhile...Cinemark mounted poster frames on the temporary construction walls.

Cinemark is so proud of their "NextGen" concept that they have a "NextGen" logo which appears in front of all the auditoriums and, at the new Draper complex, the exterior of the building.

So what's changed?

The auditoriums are still in Cinemark red with the same antique-looking sconces they've used for years. The JBL surrounds are long and skinny. They can't possibly have more than 3 or maybe 5-inch midrange or woofers. The seats are the black leather ones they're putting in the XD rooms, but without padded armrests. The projection window is as big as an Act III build. The front stadium tier isn't as steep as the rear. The front exit has moved to the mid-level handicap row, a move I highly approve of, as it means there's no annoying "Exit" signs near the screen. The screen, like the XD rooms, is wall-to-wall and ceiling-to nearly the floor...as low as they could go and still project. It's also curved. Like the XD auditoriums, it appears to have no adjustable masking. They're just throwing a picture on in whatever aspect ratio they need to and calling it good.

This particular feature filled the screen. The one thing I noticed is that, if you're in the front tier and you're short, you may have part of your view obstructed by the seat in front of you. Having said that, it was a beautiful picture.

The lobby and self-serve concession stand is literally a Century layout but in Cinemark colors. I've seen new Cinemarks with self-serve snack bars, but not in this layout. They even have the "Cafe Cinema" signage up front.

THE PLOT: Eeyore loses his tail. Wackiness ensues.

First off, I loved the "Disney Animation" intro logo. And the movie itself was gorgeous. Pooh sounded every bit like he should have and had all his little nuances.

There was just too much silly musical bits for me.

Still, I smiled all the way through it.

Oddly enough, the book typeface played a pivotal role in the movie, so this should become one of Bobby Henderson's favorites.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 07-20-2011, 10:06 PM:

**UPDATE** The screens DO have adjustable masking.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 08-05-2011, 01:26 PM:

quote: Jonathan M. Crist

At about 60 minutes running time(after you subtract out the credits) it seems a bit of rip off for a $10.00 movie ticket.

well there IS an animated short before the movie, which like Winnie is utterly charming entitled: 'The Ballad of Nessie'

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-06-2011, 12:50 PM:

The running time includes the short. Pooh's story time is only about 55 minutes or so. It's still perfect for the kiddies. We had no complaints.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 08-07-2011, 11:49 PM:

are you sure? the screening I was at which started at 9:05am and ended at 10:30am would mean there were thirty minutes worth of trailers (?!?) I was pretty sure I checked my phone (hey! I was the only one in the theater so I wasn't bugging anyone [Big Grin]

) and the short started around a little before 9:25 (give or take a minute or two)

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-08-2011, 12:34 PM:

Well...the spec sheet for the Pooh DCP shows a total running time of the movie and the short as 1:08:30, with the end-credits starting at 0:59:07. So assuming about a 4 or 5-minute run time for the short, that means Pooh's actual run time (not counting credits) would be about 54 or 55 minutes.