Thus far in the year of 2011, movie theaters have been awash in their share of prequels, sequels, and even the occasional fourquel.  A mere few have delivered, while most  by now have come and gone as embarrassments to their respective franchises.  So when seeing the seemingly nonchalant trailer for a new “Winnie the Pooh,” it would be easy to dismiss it as just another reboot.  The story of a stuffed bear and his cotton-filled companions has been told and retold for nearly a century.  In a day and age when children’s attentions are glued to films populated by life-like CGI characters and environments, one has to wonder what has prompted the creators at Disney to go back to the basics.  It is indeed the basics, and beautiful they are, that are the very reason for this delightful return to the Hundred Acre Wood.

“Winnie the Pooh” is a success on almost every level due to its perfect balance between both the new and the familiar. From the very first frame, the film ushers the audience in with a great rush of nostalgia, as we get our first glimpse of Christopher Robin’s room.  For anyone who has ever read a Pooh adventure or seen one of the films, it is as if you are coming back home.  Everything is there just as we left it. The stuffed bear, the donkey, the rabbit, kangaroos, owl, and of course, that peculiar tiger. In no time, we find ourselves caught within the pages of A.A. Milne’s book, with a calming narrator as our guide. 

This adventure is not unlike previous ones.  Pooh is looking for honey, Piglet is afraid, and Eeyore is gloomier than ever.  The story takes place in the timespan of one day, but that one day is all these characters need to experience a multitude of new sights and a few frights.  Early on in his search for honey, Pooh notices that Eeyore’s tail has gone missing, and must soon choose whether his growling tummy or his friend is a higher priority.  Good ‘ol Owl in all his misinformed wisdom quickly creates a contest in which the entire gang try to help find a new tail for poor Eeyore. As with all good Pooh adventures, things soon grow out of proportion, and he and his friends must overcome more than just their own collective silliness. 

Halfway through the film when Christopher Robin disappears for a time, Owl claims that their beloved human has been captured by a terrible monster known as the “Backson.”  The drama that follows is full of original humor, but even more impressive is the manner by which the animals’ fears come to the surface and teach more than one valuable lesson.  This underlying tone of classic morality is the backbone of the entire story. The writers of the film highlight the characters’ vulnerabilities rather than their strengths, thus giving the adventure a surprising measure of maturity that even adults will find hard not to appreciate.

The true brilliance of “Winnie the Pooh” is due in fact to how quietly unassuming it is.  The story refuses to follow any type of well-exhausted formula.  Instead, it devotes time to focus on the individual journeys of the characters.  Owl, Eeyore, and Pooh are highlighted extensively – one eccentric, one depressed, and the other a little bit selfish.  Each new turn in the adventure comes as a breath of fresh air, usually unexpected, and never tying to push the envelope or over-impress the audience.  In keeping with the minimalism of the story, the run time of “Winnie the Pooh” clocks in at a mere 70 minutes, but this is the perfect kind of movie that doesn’t require any more or any less. 

The movie’s expert storytelling is mirrored in every way by the visual elements. It has been thirty-five years since the last Pooh film was animated within the walls of Walt Disney Studios, and this is surely one of their finest works to date. It is impossible to ignore the unfaltering commitment to hand-drawn animation that is evident in each and every frame. The swatches of color, pencil lines, and brush strokes inhabiting both the backgrounds and foregrounds are all individually unique.  It is truly the artistic imperfections that give the faces and places of the Hundred Acre Wood such depth and character.  There is also the delightful use of the physical book as the characters jump and interact frequently with the letters and paragraphs of the narrator. It’s as if the animators have melded literature to film, and the results are joyously wonderful.

While the imperfections in the art tend to enhance, imperfections in the voice acting only causes the movie to suffer.  “Winnie the Pooh” features mostly new actors taking on the challenge of interpreting the voices of extremely familiar characters.  Craig Ferguson (“Late Late Show”) is unmistakable as Owl, reinventing the character from the voice up.  Newcomer Jack Boulter is another welcome addition as Christopher Robin, creating a voice that is as silky smooth as it is fatherly. But as for the rest of the vocal talent, there is an obvious disconnect between the voices and characters.  It is as if they belong in a standard 3d animation, not such a classic as “Winnie the Pooh.”  But this is a minor qualm, and is easily  compensated by the dreamy addition of multi-talented actor and musician Zooey Deschanel. Her singing practically floats along in the re-imagining of the theme song and continues to set a dreamlike tone in the music for the entire film.

This “Winnie the Pooh” is another memorable chapter in a timeless tale, as it succeeds in doing something that few other children’s films these days are capable of: capturing the joy that is  found in the innocence of imagination.  These characters were never designed just for children, but for, as the great Walt Disney once put it, “the child in all of us.”  The film takes the peculiarities and enduring traits of the characters that have always been, and molds them into something newer and much better.  Just like a great legend, the tales of “Winnie the Pooh” have never stopped growing, while retaining the simplistic life truths that makes them unique.  Revived for another generation of any and every age, this adventure is sweeter than ever – just how Pooh would like it.

Following a pinnacle year with the critical darling Toy Story 3, the creators at Pixar Animation Studios return in their 25th year with a sequel, a rare thing for them, and probably for good reason. The original “Cars” is widely considered as one of Pixar’s weakest, so the very fact that director John Lasseter chose to pursue a “Cars 2”  is a strange move indeed.  Possibly the team at Pixar were looking to make right their original misstep or simply capitalize on the Car’s immense merchandising success.  The franchise started with a shaky foundation, and attempting to build upon it can only result in limited success.

This time around, the film doesn’t begin at the racetrack, but in a much darker locale where British Intelligence agent Flinn McMissile (Michael Cane) is involved in a top secret mission. What follows is the most outrageous chase scene produced with flawless animation. Only a few moments later, are we transported to the abundantly more reserved backdrop of cozy Radiator Springs to be reunited with the endearing rusty tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy).  It quickly becomes evident that this is to be Mater’s story, and his best friend race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) will be taking a backseat for this international journey. When McQueen returns to Radiator Springs to take a break from racing, Mater wastes no time finding a reason for him to join the globe-trotting World Grand Prix. Upon their arrival in Japan, good ‘ol Mater accidentally runs into the aforementioned Flinn McMissile and fellow agent Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).  Before he knows it, the entire fate of the World Grand Prix and Lightning McQeen’s safety rests squarely on Mater’s ability to overcome his own shortcomings.

To be honest, the movie’s storyline is not overwhelmingly weak. Instead, it is the individual elements that lessen its overall potency.  Mater as the leading character tends a whole lot of fun, sometimes touching, but begins to feel like a worn out idea by the film’s third act. The constant flow of car puns and slapstick humor will certainly make children howl with laughter, but may test their older counterparts’ patience after the first 45 minutes. Although I found myself amused, I couldn’t shake the feeling that a lot of what I was hearing would be much more fitting in any other non-Pixar animation. The dialogue accomplished the task, but lacked sincerity and tact. All the supporting characters felt pushed to the side to focus uninterrupted attention squarely on Mater’s journey. Sadly, Lightning McQueen suffered the greatest shunning as he was only there to fill in the friend character and provide a visual feast with his racetrack antics.  Surprisingly, the most interesting addition to the story is the ultra suave daredevil Flinn McMissile and his female equivalent Holley Shiftwell. Their presence gives the story nearly enough balance to diffuse some of the Mater centrism.

No matter how short Pixar sold themselves in many areas of “Cars 2,” there is no chance they would skimp in the technical categories. “Toy Story 3” was their greatest accomplishment to date, and the beauty of “Cars 2” rivals or even exceeds that film. It is hard to imagine any two things made more perfectly for one another than cars and animation. In this sequel, the Cars universe is expanded so far beyond the boundaries of automobiles.  Every living organism that is present is somehow, and usually comedically, interpreted and brought to life.  There were moments when I found myself entirely in awe of the grandeur of the animation. Every subtle reflection, rush of color, the rays of light refracting off the cars’ surfaces, and even the rhythm objects captivated me.  So immersive, the line between animation and reality became nearly indistinguishable.

The depth that graces other Pixar films appears to be an afterthought in this tale, which is a disappointment considering how many opportunities the story offered for genuine growth. With previous Pixar films, one has come to expect a certain emotional journey that is applicable even more so to adults than it is to children. In “Cars 2,” the lessons of friendship and self-worth that Mater discovers seem, well, uncharacteristically simplistic and childish for a film carrying the Pixar name.  The only time the movie arrives anywhere close to an authentic revelation comes when Mater explains to Holley that he never repairs the dents he gets on his body, because each represents a specific time when he and Lightning McQueen shared a memorable experience together.  But unfortunately, this tiny gem is lost somewhere among the film’s more meaningless action sequences and uncontrolled bursts of humor.

“Cars 2” does not fall completely into the realm of disappointment, but comes dangerously close. Pixar has rightly set a precedent for themselves that no other studio can touch.  Improvement is good, but it can never replace excellence. In the case of the Cars franchise, the team at Pixar fail to meet their own standards. Prior to the movie, a trailer for Pixar’s next big project played to the wild delight of the audience.  By the end of “Cars 2,” I couldn’t help but wish it was already 2012, and I was watching “Brave,” not a film that felt more like a placeholder than a well-oiled machine.

Whenever a generation grows up to fast it is due to a war going on. WW II, Korea, Vietnam all consumed everyone and youth was a short time and adulthood a long journey. You knew you had to choose to be part of the effort or hide from it. Pick a side and stand tall for your beliefs. All before you even graduated high school. We may not have a World War going on but there is war going on throughout our world again.

Unlike when I was growing up and going to school, we had time to relax and watch the world and not contemplate what I had to do next in my life. That is not necessarily so with today’s youth. In the larger populations and in every country our youth are growing up faster and faster with the advances in technology and social interactions.

First time feature film director and writer, Gavin Wiesen, takes a look at how the youth of now are dealing with life in school and beyond in his coming of age exposé in ‘The Art of Getting By.’

George may seem to be your average high school senior. However he has just found out that he cannot skirt by anymore and will not graduate if he doesn’t finish every assignment, EVERY ASSIGNMENT. Sally has befriended George even though she herself runs in different circles. For George that is great as he is pretty much alone. Through their friendship, his life experiences at home and actions everyone in his life makes, George must choose what path he will follow as adulthood hits him fast.

Wiesen has brought a stellar group of actors to breathe life into his art by hitting nail on the head and driving it straight in on one strike in depicting the trials of youth today. The writing is subtle on the surface and complex in nature. As an adult you think, “What the hell! I would never have acted as such.” Then I step back and have to remember I grew up in a different time, with drastically different perspective on life. He has looked at what is going on in the world and written that age is just a number and we all can have the same dilemma of life’s wants, needs, desires and expectations.

The cast gathered for this venture included some of the most respected as well as those that have a prosperous career ahead of them. Blair Underwood (LA Law, The Event) steps in as Principal Martinson, who helps George set his path. Rita Wilson (It’s Complicated, Old Dogs) and Sam Robards (Gossip Girl, A.I.) portray Vivian and Jack Sargent, Georges parents who themselves have secret issues to discover that affect his life. Elizabeth Reaser (Twilight series, The Good Wife) is the flirty and vivacious young mom to Sally, Charlotte. The alumni/mentor for George’s creativity is Dustin played by Michael Angarano (The Forbidden Kingdom, Sky High).

Rounding out the ensemble are the three teachers that push George into life head first reminding him there is more to life. Ann Harada (Happiness, Hudson River Blues) is the hardnosed math teacher Mrs. Dougherty. Portraying the English teacher, Ms. Herman, that always stands up for George and tries to inspire him to hard work is Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, Beauty Shop). Whom I had to take a double take on as she was not in her usual dolled up attire playing a brainless character, surprised me by being very good in her role. The one who stood out, was the teacher who spoke the least. Though when he did it was very curt (foul language ensued), directly to the point and allowed George to be what and whom he wanted, would be art teacher Harris McElroy, played by Jarath Conroy (True Grit, Day of the Dead). Jarath portrayed Harris in a manner that takes the BS out of life and makes you focus. Something I think many of us would love to have happen, even now.

Keying in as the main focus of this story are two exceptional young actors in Freddie Highmore (The Golden Compass, August Rush) and Emma Roberts (Valentine’s Day, Hotel for Dogs) as our yin and yang, George and Sally. Highmore and Roberts are in the zone with their performance portraying George and Sally. Not too much of a stretch as they are playing characters that are going through a time in their life they have both just recently lived. It adds to the realism and conflict the characters are going though with school, home life, the pressures of growing up and the wanting of belonging.

It is an extraordinary story with impeccable acting surrounded by the hustle and bustle of a metropolis. Filled with people of many generations and social acceptances making you stand back and take a different look at those around you. As an adult or parent it will make you look at kids and have you reflect how you are perceived to them. Youth may look at this film and go, “finally, someone who gets us!’ Either way you will not only enjoy but marvel at how we as a society have change and adapted, whether for the good or bad still depends on our own perspective. I personally enjoyed this feature. It well exceeded my expectations and happily so.

This is normally where I put my thoughts on relating the film to real life. Art imitating life, no pun intended. It is tough to do when the film says it all. We as a society have advanced so much so fast. I remember growing up and not having a cell phone to communicate with everyone. The most important thing to worry about was what to do for the weekend with friends. Yes there was underage drinking, sex, drugs, the gambit. However today it is more and more becoming the norm as much as it has changed. In the film I had an issue with all the underage drinking and partying that was being portrayed and had to see that these were “privileged” youth who had parents that did not have a ‘hands on’ relationship or upbringing with their kids. Matter of fact they just threw money at them and said, “here, grow up” as a way of childrearing. It saddened me especially as I have to look at parenting very seriously.

I am in a relationship with a wonderful woman that has two great kids, a beautiful 8 year old girl and handsome boy who is 11. Two completely different personas but very much at an age that they are beginning to want to grow up faster than I or her would like. The boy has a cell phone, the girl wants one. She is very much about herself and wanting all she can, he is about what he can do for everyone. Two distinct different ideas of life much like George and Sally. But I worry, am I, as a step father figure, doing what I can to allow them to grow up slowly and not have to be adults to fast? Do I have too firm of a hand and not a warm enough heart? It bothers me to no end because I don’t want them to just do the basics like I did in my growing. I don’t want them to have to deal with life the way I am now. I want them to live full adventurous and filled lives and never just do what is necessary and not just “get by”.  Live life to the fullest each and every day.

Follow my entertainment adventures throughout Southern California on Twitter @SCThrillsMarc.