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Loveable
and on his own...
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Piglet's
Big Movie
The
Disney Version
That
lovable little Piglet overcomes his feelings of inadequacy,
and through a mix-up convinces himself that all his friends
are in big trouble. Meanwhile, Pooh and the rest think that
Piglet has disappeared.
Carrying
Piglet's scrapbook, the gang tell stories about times Piglet
helped them all, hoping that memories will give them a clue
as to where he's gone.
Yes,
it's another sequel from the Disney Television Animation division.
Usually these end up going directly to video, but occasionally
one shows enough promise for a theatrical release. Such was
the case with last year's Return To Neverland and last
month's The Jungle Book 2, both movies that at least
tried to capture the charm of their source films.
Piglet's
Big Movie, though, suffers a little bit from using the
rote formula that most of the direct-to-video sequels have:
a thin connecting story (usually involving a book) that ties
little vignettes together. The device allows the studio to
either backdoor pilot a proposed series, or at least not waste
the few episodes of a shelved one.
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Kanga
and Piglet meet for the first time. Maybe.
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So when
that scrapbook comes off the shelf, you may groan a bit. But
Winnie The Pooh stories do tend to work best in shorter narratives,
and on video, where a kid can stop after their favorite story,
this will play out really well.
In theaters,
however, the little kids, who Pooh is really for, will grow
a little restless. At least until a climactic waterfall rescue
scene, which grabbed back their attention at the preview screening.
For adults
who appreciate such details, this movie boasts new songs by
the Sherman Brothers, sung by Carly Simon. Over the end credits,
Simon makes an appearance to reprise one of the most hummable
songs from the film. Darned if it didn't work.
The movie
also acknowledges its past. Pasted into Piglet's book is a
crayon drawing evoking a scene from The Tigger Movie,
so Disney is trying to teach kids about continuity. (Though
they utterly ignore it in a vignette involving Kanga and Roo
moving into the wood - Tigger is shown with the group already,
when we all know he was the most recent addition. Right? Right?
Oh, man, I am a freak.)
If you're
desperate to take the kids to a movie, then Piglet's Big
Movie is inoffensive and somewhat entertaining. But you'd
be wiser to just wait for the home video.
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