Movie Info:
Writers: Brian Hohlfeld, Evan Spiliotopoulos
Directors: Saul Blinkoff, Elliot M. Bour
Cast: Jimmy Bennett, Peter Cullen, Jim Cummings, John Fiedler, Ken Sansom, Kath Soucie, Kyle Stanger
Rating: n/a
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: September 13, 2005
DVD Release Date: September 8, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $16.99
Who doesn’t like Poohbear? I have yet to meet a person that doesn’t. Most of the kids in my generation grew up with him in some way or another and that is something that has traveled on to their children. He is not seen as much as he used to be, but he commonly shows up around holiday times for specials. We always see him around Christmas, occasionally for Easter or other holidays, and certainly around Halloween. It wouldn’t be a scary, fun holiday without a romp through the Hundred Acre Woods.
Kids will love Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie. It has fun frights (occasionally jumpy moments that aren’t all that scary) and plenty of cute moments to go along with them. All of the usual suspects have been included from Pooh to Roo along with Tigger, Eyeore, and Rabbit, too. There is a new addition that some might not be familiar with though and that is Lumpy. He is a Heffalump (looks sort of like a Elephant).
If you’re one of those families that pulls out all of the same Halloween DVDs every holiday then your kids may just appreciate this even more. Don’t get me wrong, we love Garfield, The Chipmunks, and Charlie Brown, but if you’re looking for something new Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie will make an excellent addition to your Halloween movie list. The funny thing is that Pooh doesn’t really feel like the star of this show. Roo and Lumpy take center stage and they are unique as leads for this because both of them are terribly easy to frighten. It makes the movie funnier than you can image, because both of them will jump and hide after seeing their own shadow.
I normally am not a fan of newer versions of older cartoons, but Pooh might be the exception. The reason for that is that the characters don’t seem to change. With other cartoons it’s almost as if they attempt to update both the look and the personalities of the characters and if you’ve been watching them since you were a kid it’s really sad to see that. With Pooh that doesn’t happen (ignoring the classic Pooh look – this is how Pooh has looked in all the movies). They might show up in a clearer format, but that’s the only real noteworthy change to speak about. It makes it well worth recommending, because parents know when they pick up this movie they will be getting the Pooh they know and love.
The Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie Plot
Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood residents are celebrating a Spooktacular Halloween. The youngsters, Roo and his best friend, Lumpy the Huffalump, are going to be trick-or-treating. Lumpy doesn’t know about trick-or-treating or Halloween. It is going to be the younsters’ first time trick or treating, so Roo and the old folks (Pooh, Tigger and Eyeore) explain the joys of Halloween to Lumpy.
This just makes Roo and Lumpy more excited about trick-or-treating. Well, that is until Tigger starts talking about the Gobloon! The Gobloon is scary and frightening. If they are caught by the Gobloon then they will be turned into a Jaggedy Lantern. However, if they catch the Gobloon first, they can ask it for a wish! Poor Lumpy is so frightened by this story, he is no longer certain he wants to go trick-or-treating. Luckily, he has a good friend in Roo.
Roo convinces Lumpy that they are best friends and together they can do anything. Friends together and friends forever, not even a Gobloon can stop them! When Halloween comes and Pooh has eaten all the candy, the friends end up going out to get more. The only problem is Roo gets scared and the two get separated. Lumpy must face his fears, and Roo must face the fact that he let Lumpy down, but when he is certain he’s found that Gobloon, he realizes there is something more important to wish for than candy.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Heffalump is shown in a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer that is virtually free of flaws. There are a few moments where it is easy to see artifacts, noise, and dust, but that it is the older scenes that come from Pooh’s other Halloween haunt. While this area could use a little work, the majority of the material is clear, crisp, and clean. The level of detail is nice and the colors are certainly child friendly. It’s highly unlikely that kids will notice anything wrong with this transfer. As it is, most adults will have little to complain about either. All in all, things are more than fair for a family DVD.
The audio for Heffalump is handled in a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that works perfectly from beginning to end. Everything is highlighted with little problems. The music is fun, the dialogue is easy to understand thanks to a high level of clarity and the sound effects get the job done nicely. Of the two, the audio is the better transfer. Along with the English audio there are tracks in French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, as well as subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
There are a number of small bonus features available for this cute Halloween flick. Before the movie begins there is a selection of previews that includes The Disney Princess Fantasy DVD Game, Bear in the Big Blue House DVDs, Kronk’s New Groove, Disney Learning Adventure DVDs (Winnie the Pooh Shapes & Sizes, Winnie the Pooh Wonderful Word Adventure), and a JoJo’s Circus Playhouse Disney ad.
Though not a special feature, it should be noted that like most kids DVDs by Disney, this comes with the Fast Play option. This means that if you don’t press any buttons the movie will begin right after the features. You can bypass this via the menu, but if you start the DVD and leave the room it will work all on its own.
Another thing worth noting is that the menu was incredibly hard to navigate. It took a couple of tries to get it to do what I wanted it to do. That’s not anything normal as far as DVD menus are concerned, so I thought it was worth mentioning. I don’t know if it sticks on all DVDs or just mine, but since it’s not something that normally happens it’s worth the mention.
There are three games included in the special feature section. Trick or Re-Treat includes Lumpy and Roo. It’s their job to go out to re-trick or treat because Roo’s bag had a hole in it. The game was a disaster. The main problem was that it kept sticking. The concept itself is adorable, but it sticks frequently and when you attempt to go back to the game you end up having to listen to the entire set of instructions again. That is probably the most frustrating thing of all.
Next up is Pass the Pumpkin. I wouldn’t call this a game as all it really does is explain the rules of an activity. The game is like musical chairs, but instead of sitting you pass a pumpkin. You can use the music provided to play the game. Unlike the other games you need more than two kids to play this.
Pooh’s Boo! Bingo is an interactive game. You need to print out the Bingo cards from the computer then you can use this game to play Pooh bingo. The numbers differ from game to game, so you can play this over and over without repeating the same digits. The Heffalump Halloween Party Planner is also included in the games section though this is really just a parent’s guide to plan a party. It includes party printables, when you insert this into the DVD-Rom.
Other than that you can opt to register your DVD or you can check out more sneak peeks.
Through the Sneak Peek section there are a number of previews including, Cinderella: Special Edition, Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, Disney Princess: A Christmas of Enchantment, Disney Princess Fantasy DVD Game, Bear in the Big Blue House DVDs, Kronk’s New Groove, Disney Learning Adventure DVDs, and a Jojo’s Circus ad.
Note: The Limited Edition DVD we received comes with an adorable Baby Pooh dressed in a Tigger Halloween costume!
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie is just adorable. I really enjoyed watching the primary story on the DVD. While the bonus features leave something to be desired, it’s the main movie that makes Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie worth owning. You and your little ones will love sharing a new adventure with all their favorite Winnie the Pooh characters, and they’ll just adore the Hundred Acre Woods’ latest addition, Lumpy. This DVD is recommended for those with children who love everything Pooh.
Overall Rating:
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Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
