Winnie the Pooh

I was so worried that my boys would refuse to go with me on Saturday that I didn’t tell them what we were doing. We were invited to see Winnie the Pooh at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood followed by a talk with the film’s animators.

We had to be there very early because it wasn’t the only screening that day. I woke my boys, fed and dressed them, and off we went. They were a little groggy, but once they saw the theater they were very excited.

That happiness was crushed when I explained that it wasn’t Cars 2 we were seeing but the classic and lovable Winnie the Pooh. At 5 and 7-years-old they feel they’re too old for Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Kanga and Roo. I tried to convince them that deep down they love Pooh and I knew because one of their favorite movies as toddlers was the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I used to put it on to calm them down if they were fussy or fighting with each other.

Well, they did need calming down after they had juice and popcorn and Winnie the Pooh did the trick. Once they saw him wake up in his little house, they were hooked. The new Winnie the Pooh that opens on Friday is every bit as delightful as the original. It features different stories and a soundtrack with songs by Zooey Deschanel.

The movie was sweet and funny and very entertaining. But the best part for me was after the movie when the animators drew the characters and then played a partially animated clip.