Winne The Pooh
Winnie The Pooh returns to the big screen this week for the first time in thirty five years.
And while script, characters and animation are all a very important part of making a movie like this work, so is music.
The filmmakers knew early on that music would be an important element to Winnie the Pooh. "We definitely wanted to open the movie with the classic Winnie the Pooh song," says director Stephen Anderson.
"But the question was, ‘what’s the best way to interpret it for today’s audiences?’ We wanted to keep the same charm as the original, but give it a fresh spin, a contemporary feel."
They called on actress/musician/singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel to record the updated version. "She opens the movie with so much freshness, so much energy," says Anderson.
"It’s a perfect way to start the movie, letting the audience know right off the bat that this is Winnie the Pooh like you know him, but it’s something for today."
Adds producer Peter Del Vecho, "We all know the Winnie the Pooh song. It’s always fun to have a contemporary artist rediscover a classic and that’s exactly what Zooey did.
"She brought her own personality to the song - when she sings about introducing the individual characters, it’s as though she’s known them her whole life... and she has."
"I’m a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and all his friends," says Deschanel, who also plays the ukulele in the song. "It’s really hard to pick a favorite: Winnie the Pooh is so cute, he loves honey and he’s just adorable. Eeyore is amazing, I love Eeyore. And Piglet is so small.
"It’s really a four-way tie between Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger."
Among other songs, Deschanel performed A Very Important Thing to Do - a song that helps illustrate the contest the friends from the Hundred Acre Wood take on to find Eeyore a new tail. She teams up with She & Him bandmate M. Ward to perform So Long, a song Deschanel wrote.
The filmmakers called on husband and wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez for a host of original songs for the film Anderson-Lopez also provides the voice of Kanga.
Lopez is behind the Broadway hit Avenue Q and together they’ve written for Nickelodeon and Disney, including the stage version of Finding Nemo, and songs for The Wonder Pets, garnering two Emmy® Awards.
The score is by composer Henry Jackman who’s known for such films as The Da Vinci Code, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Monsters vs. Aliens.
"With the musical contributions from Bobby and Kristen Lopez, Zooey Deschanel and Henry Jackman, Winnie the Pooh builds upon the musical legacy of this Disney classic," says John Lasseter.
The executive producer, who challenged filmmakers to both embrace the film’s classic roots and appeal to contemporary audiences, adds that he’s pleased with the results.
"I am so proud of producer Peter Del Vecho, directors Steve Anderson and Don Hall, and the entire team on ‘Winnie the Pooh’ for bringing new life and excitement to the Winnie the Pooh characters," says Lasseter, "and for making a truly hilarious and beautiful movie that audiences of all ages around the world are going to love."
Winnie The Pooh is out now
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