WALT Disney Pictures presents a charming journey through the Hundred Acre Wood – “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie.” Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Roo, Piglet and Eeyore are together again, this time learning an important lesson about being accepting of others’ differences and the value of true friendship.
Awakened by a rumbling that could only be made by the much-feared Heffalump, the Hundred Acre Wood crew sets forth to catch the dreaded creature. Disregarded as too young to partake in such a dangerous expedition, little Roo opts to search on his own – with far greater success than his friends. But in meeting a young, playful Heffalump named Lumpy, Roo quickly discovers that Heffalumps are nothing like the creatures of the ominous stories he’s been told, and that is the creature is equally afraid of his silly pals. Roo and Lumpy strike up a sweet friendship and work together to dispel the unfounded fears of their respective friends and families.
Drawing inspiration from the 1926 literary creations of author A. A. Milne, “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” is the third original Pooh feature ever created for the big screen, following in the successful footsteps of the 2001 release “The Tigger Movie” and 2003’s “Piglet’s Big Movie.” Milne’s Pooh books continue to be favorites with readers all over the world and have sold more than 50 million copies with translations into at least 31 languages. Disney Pooh films, including “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” represent an effort to tell new and original stories based on characters from Milne’s popular books “Winnie-The-Pooh” (published in 1926) and “The House at Pooh Corner” (1928).
Frank Nissen, who worked on such films as “Treasure Planet” and “Dinosaur,” came on board to direct. “With a project like Winnie the Pooh, you have to pay a lot of respect to what has gone before,” he explains. “The wonderful thing about the Pooh property is that it is full of rich characters and wonderful emotions.”
The filmmakers were delighted, however, to have the opportunity to bring a new character into the world of Pooh and friends. But it was a daunting task to add a new element to a blueprint that has been cherished – and essentially unchanged – for over 75 years.
“In order to bring a new character in we had to make sure that he was true to the A.A. Milne characters,” says screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos. “The character had to be at a level of quality that did the original work justice. I can absolutely say that with Lumpy, we achieved that.”
Indeed, “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” unveils a new star in the Pooh galaxy – Lumpy the Heffalump – a sweet, innocent, roly-poly bundle of energy. With a giggle as infectious as his playful spirit, Lumpy could have been brought to life by Milne himself.
“Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” is distributed by Buena Vista International through Columbia Pictures.
