Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Year is a fun animated movie aimed for little tikes but the animation is pretty basic and this new Blu-ray released by Disney is really weak.
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (1992)
Genre(s): Animation, Family
Disney | G – 64 min. – $36.99 | November 5, 2013
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Gary Katona, Ed Wexler
Writer(s): A.A. Milne (characters)
Voice Cast: Jim Cummings, Peter Cullen, John Fiedler, Michael York
Theatrical Release Date: November 12, 1992
DISC INFO:
Features: Disney Song Selection, Sing-Along With the Movie, DVD Copy, Digital Copy
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), French (Dolby Digital 2.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Video: 1080p/Full Frame 1.33
Subtitles: English SDH
Disc Size: 19.5 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A, B, C
THE MOVIE – 3.0/5
Plot Outline: It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Rabbit will only discover the true spirit of the season after his pals make misguided New Year’s resolutions to change – with hilarious and heartfelt results!
Quick Hit Review: I’ll be honest, “Winnie the Pooh” has never been a favorite character of mine but Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year isn’t a bad children’s special created for the DVD market and looks every bit of it. But the story is sweet and the voice acting is well done. Unlike some other cartoons, like Mickey’s Christmas Carol, this one is aimed toward little tikes, although I’m sure those older, with a hankering for nostalgia, might get something out of it; for me this was a one and done viewing.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.0/5
This release comes with a nice embossed slip cover. Inside there’s a standard DVD Copy and a download code for the Digital Copy. Also included is a postcard set and envelopes addressed to the Santa Clause. Features-wise, there’s very little except for a Sing-Along with the movie, Disney’s Song Selection and Enchanted Environment which is just a view of Pooh’s living room with sound effects and/or Christmas carols.
VIDEO – 2.5/5
A Very Merry Pooh Year is presented with a 1.33 full frame aspect ratio and supposedly newly remastered. However, this transfer is pretty bland with soft colors though this was an animated movie that never looked very good and the animation itself was pretty basic. I suspect DNR was used as the transfer looks fairly clean but unlike Mickey’s Christmas Carol.
AUDIO – 2.5/5
The movie received only a basic Dolby Digital 2.0 track which is serviceable but nothing special. Dialogue levels are relatively clear but other parts are pretty weak and flat. For its target audience, meaning young kids, it’s an OK track but it is cheap on Disney’s part not to upgrade to lossless.
OVERALL – 2.0/5
Overall, Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Year is a fun animated movie aimed for little tikes but the animation is pretty basic and this new Blu-ray released by Disney is really weak. While the back cover describes this as a “newly remastered” transfer, this is nothing more than an upconversion and with a basic 2.0 Dolby Digital track and a weak set of “features”; it’s also an expensive release. If you can nab this for under $10, then it might be worth it, otherwise pass on this release.
Published: 11/17/2013