What Parents Should Know
Parents may have fond memories of their own childhoods with
Winnie the Pooh, but be warned: While there are many jewels in
this video series, it's uneven, and some titles received as few
as one star for the anti-social behavior the characters
exhibit. Mostly, the series does a poor job of communicating
the life lessons it's trying to get across, making this series
good for entertainment and not much else. Having said that,
toddlers and children even younger will fall in love with the
ponderous and sweet Pooh and his friends, be inspired by their
creativity and sing along to the songs.
Parents may want to stick to the best in this series: Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, The Winnie the Pooh Collection, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The rest are likely to disappoint.
Common Sense Media Review
Titles reviewed in this video series include:
Winnie the Pooh: Tigger-ific Tales!; Cliver Little Piglet;
Spookable Pooh; Win Some, Lose Some; Learning: Helping Others;
Learning: Working Together; Learning: Making Friends; Learning:
Growing Up; Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore; Winnie the
Pooh and Christmas Too; Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day;
The Winnie the Pooh Collection; The Many Adventures of Winnie
the Pooh; Winnie the Pooh: A Valentie for You; Winnie the Pooh,
the British Version; Cowboy Pooh; Frankenpooh; Winnie the Pooh:
Season for Giving; Sharing and Caring; Playtime: Detective
Tigger; Playtime: Fun 'N Games; Playtime: Pooh Party; and
Playtime: Happy Pooh Day.Children who have fallen in
love with the Hundred Acre Wood, Christopher Robin, Pooh and
the gang may be better off sticking to the books. This series
is sure to enchant your children, with the likeable character
with whom young children can identify, but it's uneven at best.
This is what happens when an inspired story becomes a
franchise.
First, the best: Try Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, The Winnie the Pooh Collection, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, for instance, is vintage Disney, produced during the same period as The Jungle Book. Music, lively characters, and vibrant animation make it a winner. Lessons aren't obvious but implied, with understated acts of heroism, selflessness, and companionship all viewers can learn from.
But others in the series are lackluster at best. The Playtime series is surprisingly disappointing. In Playtime: Detective Tigger, the video brims over with mishandled subject matter and loathsome role models. For instance, the Pooh characters accuse each other of stealing and call each other names. This video might best serve parents as a "how not to behave" learning tool. The rest is just boring, with a musical score that tries fitfully to excite.
But the worst offender is the Learning series. In it, it seems that the only thing children learn is how not to behave. In Learning: Helping Others, for instance, examples of "Helping Others" include insensitivity, carelessness, and deception. When Pooh and friends aren't battling crows in Rabbit's garden, they're at odds with each other. This upsettingly misguided foursome of stories demonstrates just how insensitive and untrustworthy A.A. Milne's beloved characters can be in the wrong hands. Parents, see it for yourself out of curiosity, but don't let your impressionable children near it.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
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