Product Details

• Actors: Winnie the Pooh
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: BBC Warner
• VHS Release Date: July 19, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004WG41
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,023 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #8 in	Video > Television > BBC > Genres > Family
  #53 in	Video > Kids & Family > Disney Home Video > Animated Characters > Winnie-the-Pooh
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
For better or worse, Disney has defined Winnie the Pooh for American audiences, which leaves alternatives, like this collection of nonanimated, narrated stories from the BBC, at a disadvantage. In this more sedate version, there is no orange-striped Tigger, diminutive pink Piglet, or gray, somber Eeyore, which may disappoint young viewers accustomed to Disney's colorful Pooh cartoons and fast-moving adventures. Here, British storyteller Willie Rushton narrates four of A.A. Milne's original tales in this one-hour program. "Welcome to Pooh Country," he begins, while clad in a tweed vest, scarf, and cap, standing before cameras in Sussex, England's forest, the inspiration for Milne's Hundred Acre Wood. Rushton launches into Milne's beloved tales about Kanga's pocket-sized pouch for Roo, Pooh's new game called poohsticks, and Christopher Robin's enchanted hideaway. This is well and good for Pooh purists who wish Disney had never won the licensing rights to Milne's tales. Children, however, may not be as thrilled with a collection that focuses on the sober, bearded Rushton who, although a zealous storyteller, rarely cracks a smile. While he narrates, E.H. Shepard's original illustrations momentarily appear on the screen before quickly returning to Rushton's visage. To be fair, Rushton offers enthusiastic storytelling, marvelous uses of the English language, and believable voices for all the characters. Yet viewers will wish to see more of Pooh and less of Rushton, and may become restless with the slow-moving monologues. Better would be seamless footage of Shepard's illustrations with the narrator's voice in the background. Better still would be to read Milne's books and let one's imagination do the rest. --Lynn Gibson

From the Back Cover
Generations of children and adults have been enchanted by A.A. Milne's stories of Winnie-the-Pooh. Now four of the most enchanting Pooh tales come to life. Based on the original illustrations, these stories take children on a magical journey to Pooh Country where they'll visit the Hundred Acre Wood and meet all of Pooh's friends including Piglet, Roo, Eeyore, Rabbit and, of course, Christopher Robin.

The Stories:
1. Rabbit concocts a plan to kidnap Roo.
2. Pooh invents an exciting new game.
3. Rabbit has a busy day.
4. Christopher Robin and Pooh make a discovery.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Makes a better audio recording than a video., April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Winnie the Pooh - BBC Edition [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Unfortunately, this video was not at all what I expected. I bought it used not really thinking much except that I was curious about it's "original Pooh" drawing on the front. My husband said that this video would make a better listening tape than a video & I would have to agree. Maybe it's my generation now that is impatient & bored with watching a grown British man recite a book or maybe it's just the video? ... The video would be more captivating if Storyteller Willy was not shown much at all & the drawings were more a part of the storyline.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Why is this man shouting the story at the camera?, May 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Winnie the Pooh - BBC Edition [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I do not recommend...much better to buy the book and read it to your kids than to watch a man sitting in a field loudly reciting the story as the camera occasionally zooms in on line drawings. I didn't want the Disney version, but this BBC edition is unbelievably dull.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointment, November 27, 2000

By	Christopher Weaver "weaverc" (Wayne, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this video for my son, hoping that it would be an alternative to the Disney version--something truer to the A.A. Milne classic. It was very true to the original--it's just a man on camera reading the stories. While this would work quite well as an audio tape, it doesn't work at all as a video--there's just nothing to look at! The storyteller gives an animated reading, but it's not enough to save the video. I couldn't help but think it might have been a splendid tape if they'd just done it as a voice over while showing illustrations. Rabbit Ears Videos uses this technique. In fact, I wish Rabbit Ears would do a version of Winne The Pooh. Oh well, . . . .