Customer Reviews

Winnie the Pooh - Springtime with Roo

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

My 3 year old loves Piglet's Big Movie and the character Roo, so I thought this would become an instant hit with him. However, neither one of us could sit through it. He was very upset that Rabbit was so angry for the majority of the movie and is too young to understand why. Being a Disney film, of course it has a happy ending but it took too long to get to the themes of friendship and love that these Pooh movies are all about. This movie just wasn't fun.

Sometimes a narrator's got to do what a narrator's got to do-and in this happity-hoppity new Pooh cartoon, that means messing with Rabbit's tidy, organized mind. In homage to Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, the narrator shows Rabbit what the future will be like for him if he continues to deny little Roo and the other critters of the Hundred Acre Wood their Easter fun.

On Roo's second Easter, the whole gang is expecting an enjoyable, egg-hunting bash like they had last year, with Rabbit serving as their Easter Bunny host. What they don't remember from last year is how disappointed and frazzled Old Long Ears got when the gang wouldn't follow his Easter instructions with precision. The gang ended up having a grand time, but Rabbit secretly swore that he'd never play Easter Bunny again. And he meant it-until he ruins this year's Easter celebration AND the narrator convinces him that his friends will become so distraught over his denial of Easter that they all move away, leaving Rabbit bereft, draped in cobwebs and alone in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Sinister narrators aside, it's a wonderful lesson for children on how friendship has to be a two-way street, and how laughter can trump tidiness on any given day, especially holidays!

For those of you parents who have been swindled by Pooh movies in the past, rest assured, this one is actually a new feature, not a clumsy cut-and-paste job of old television cartoons. Not only that, the songs are the hummy, lively tunes we expect and crave from a Pooh cartoon, not the overprocessed glock that some recent Disney straight-to-video productions are trying to pass off as "musical classics."

The final word from a Pooh Purist: This disk is worth it!

Whoever was in charge of this production should be ashamed of themselves. My 2-year old daughter adores the Winnie the Pooh series. One of the reasons I let her watch it so much was the lack of violence, the nice way the characters treat each other, etc. In the first few minutes, this one has rabbit throwing - physically throwing - the characters out of his house, and has him slapping Tigger. I know Tigger's character has always bounced on the others, but there was a very different tone to it. Plus, the animation is flat, the new voices for Kanga and Roo are not as good as in the Piglet and Tigger movies. This is just plain awful. And the way Rabbit treats the other characters is awful. He was always a bit cranky and bossy, but again, this movie has gone from funnily cranky and bossy to mean and nasty. But most of all I am angry that whoever now "owns" the Winnie the Pooh franchise has trashed up the way the characters treat each other. (...)This gets one star, instead of no stars, only because the online form made me pick at least one star!

This film is disappointing relative to Piglet's Big Adventure or the Tigger Movie because it is difficult for the younger children (who are typically the most enamoured with these characters) to follow. The story is not linear - it requires understanding that the characters are remembering last Easter at certain times. This caused confusion in for our daughter age 3. Also, as another reviewer mentioned, Rabbit's bitterness disturbed our daughter and required continual reassurance that he would be nice again.

The songs were nice, the animation fine. Since this film went right to DVD, I expected lower production values, but standards were well maintained. I think the film works well for older children, but was disappointed in it as a movie for our young kids, particularly since Pooh stories are movies that should be among the most accessible to the youngest audience.

Disney has finally returned to the quality product we've all grown accustomed to in past years. "Springtime with Roo" not only entertains with its terrific story and fun musical selections- it teaches children about the importance of friendship and very simply, HOW to be a good friend.

As a discerning parent, I am always on the lookout for quality movies/videos for my three kids ages 5, 8, and 12. Unfortuately, the products that I've come across in recent years have been average at best and have lacked that spark that makes a "classic movie/DVD"- the kind that makes them want to watch over and over again.

They watched this one start to finish without interruption- not even for a cookie break!! Now their friends and cousins all want to come to our house to watch. Kids of all ages will absolutley love this latest movie- I highly recommend it!!

-A Discerning Parent

"Springtime With Roo" would be better titled "An Easter Carol," seeing as the story is a rip off of the classic Dicken's tale. The storyline is that Roo is very excited for his second Easter egg hunt, but Rabbit decides not to do Easter this year. Instead, he wants to have spring cleaning day. So the narrator takes rabbit(Scrooge) back in time to see the way Easter was last year. Then the narrator shows Rabbit the future and what will happen if he dosen't have Easter.

Disney usually has an entertaining story that everyone can get interested in, but they failed to do that with this Pooh film. There also aren't any jokes to laugh at. Only small children will have a good time with this film. The two Easter themed episodes from the popular series "The Wonderful World of Winnie The Pooh" which are extras on the DVD are better than the movie itself. The rest of the bonus features are games for little kids.

This film won't please your entire family, only little kids.(...)

My daughter is 2 1/2 and we have been watching A very Merry Pooh Year since Christmas. We gave her this one for Easter and she completely forgot about the other one. It does involve Roo but mainly deals with Rabbit. Rabbit cancels Easter and declares it Spring Cleaning Day. It seems that the Easter before his preparations got ruined when everyone wouldn't follow his schedule. The others had fun without him and he was hurt. How could they enjoy Easter without him....the Easter ....Rabbit?? huh?. Roo is set on having an Easter egg hunt so Tigger and Roo try to convince Rabbit to change his mind. Only when the narrator steps in and shows him the future without his friends does he realize the err of his ways. So Scrooge....um, excuse me.....Rabbit hooks up the best easter egg hunt, Roo teaches him the importance of holidays and what good friends are made of and Rabbit gets crowned the Eater Bunny again. It's very colorful and sweet. It doesn't teach the real meaning of Easter but it's Winnie the Pooh. It's for young children. Reviewers should also consider that not everyone celebrates Easter. This is 60 minutes of learning that's sweet and engaging. My daughter hasn't seen a pooh flick that she didn't adore.

I'm a bit disappointed with this one. Although the outcome is positive, the movie is mostly depressing. I'd go with either "Piglet's Big Movie," "Winnie the Pooh - A Very Merry Pooh Year," or the classic "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (25th Anniversary Edition)"

My 2 1/2 year old daughter likes this DVD. She likes Winnie the Pooh in general and loved "Piglet's Big Adventure." This movie is cute and engaging. It's not spectacular, but easy enough to watch again and again.

My 2-year-old daughter loves The Tigger Movie, The Piglet Movie, and the classic Winnie the Pooh videos. Her favorite characters are Piglet and Roo, so I thought this video would be perfect. For a two-year-old, this video has more to do with Rabbit than Roo. The storyline is hard to follow and the "lesson" in this story is completely lost on her. I have stopped showing it to her because she has taken to imitating Rabbit's angry and rude behavior - shouting and all. There are enough bad influences out there, why subject her to another one? - especially in characters she admires. Perhaps this video is better suited for older children who can better understand the point of the story.