After seeing Winnie the Pooh in theaters this summer, I was excited to get the DVD+Blu-ray combo pack and share it with my 3 year-old. He hadn’t seen it with me when it came out because he was still at the age where I worried he wouldn’t make it through the whole film. However the minute I popped it in the Blu-ray player, he was enthralled. You can read my review of the film if you’d like, here I’ll just cover the DVD and Blu-ray extras.
Of course, as mentioned in the review, I loved the Ballad of Nessie, and still did on the Blu-ray. It’s so heartwarming and a fun little lesson for children. One thing I noticed watching it at home is I really heard the lovely Zooey Deschanel songs better and really enjoyed hearing them.
The Blu-ray bonus features aren’t too many in number, but with a primarily kids film, I don’t think they are really necessary anyway. These aren’t film buffs Disney is aiming at but there’s just enough behind-the-scenes fun to keep them entertained:
Blu-ray ™Bonus Features:
· Exclusive bonus short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon” – In this charming short, Pooh comes up with a daring plan to get a hold of some honey by fooling a group of bees.
· “The Ballad of Nessie” – The animated short film included in the theatrical release is the heartwarming tale of how Nessie found her new home in the Loch Ness.
· “Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too” – A fun and informative behind-the-scenes look at the film, designed for the whole family. Hosted by John Cleese (narrator of the film), and with occasional help fromPooh himself, this featurette explores Winnie the Pooh’s history from his beginnings as a character in a book, to his continued life in the movies. The filmmakers reveal how they worked to keep the look of the characters and settings in this movie consistent with their first appearances on-screen in1966. Pooh, being a bear of very little mind, finds much of this confusing, but the Narrator and the filmmakers make it all clear to Pooh – and you!
· Deleted Scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 5 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit’s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
· Sing-Along with the Movie – Follow the red balloon and changing word colors to seven song lyrics featured in the film.
· Disney Song Selection – “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” “The Tummy Song, “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “The Backson Song,” “It’s Gonna Be Great,” “Everything is Honey” and “The Winner Song Finale”
The DVD bonus features are limited to the Ballad of Nessie, The Balloon, and 3 deleted scenes. Here’s a fun look at the real Hundred Acre Wood.
Winnie the Pooh is available now on DVD, Blu-ray, combo pack and digital download.