Winnie l'Ourson: Noël à l'unisson

As usual, there's not much in this Winnie the Pooh adventure for adults and the story is very, very simple. I like Disney's incarnation of this universe (far removed from AA Milne's world), but the TV series is the best way to enjoy it.

This 1991 Xmas Special is introduced by the notorious Michael Eisner before quickly setting up a threadbare plot involving Christopher Robin sending a letter to Santa Claus for himself and his animal friends. Hardly exciting stuff but pleasant and intermittently funny nonetheless, Hundred Acre Wood also looks lovely covered in snow.

A nice effort, but hardly one you're likely to remember.

I've seen dozens of Christmas specials and only two of them warm my heart and make me think of that excited feeling I got as a child. One is a Charlie Brown Christmas. The other is Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too. Now the reason that this special is my favorite is simply because I'm a bigger Pooh fan than a Peanuts fan. But there's also a reason this special is such a classic. Most specials are pretty clear in teaching that Christmas isn't about what we get but what we give or who we spend it with, I think Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too teaches that message the best way. In usual Pooh fashion, it doesn't have to stop the story to explain why Christmas is better with loved ones. It simply embeds the message in the very sweet story. Pooh and his friends are some of the best role models when it comes to friendship and caring for one another despite their differences. Children can get a lot out of this special and for nostalgic adults, it may just bring a tear to your eye.

Christopher Robin writes a letter to Santa Claus asking for various presents for him and his friends. He sends the letter into the wind. Later, Winnie the Poon realizes that he didn't ask for anything. He and Piglet search and find the letter. They go to Rabbit's house to rewrite the letter. Everybody wants more than their original wishes. Winnie releases the letter. However when he gets home, the letter gets blown under his door. Santa is not getting their letter. Winnie must pretend to be Santa Claus to fulfill the gang's wishes with Piglet as his reindeer. None of the gifts work quite right and the gang confronts the fake Santa.

This is an utterly charming Winnie the Pooh cartoon. It has the light comedic touch that its franchise is famous for. It's also so adorable that Winnie the Pooh is dressed up as Santa Claus. The early 90s version just needs colors that are a bit sharper and cleaner. It doesn't need to be re-edited or anything like that. The story works perfectly fine and I expect any post editing is for time only.

Winnie the Pooh is a Disney character that can not get a story wrong. His ability to make the audience giggle with joy over some of the silliest things is a powerful trait that some other characters don't seem to have enough of. The story of this short is quite simple. Pooh and his friends make a wish list with Christopher Robin to send to Santa. After making up the list, Pooh realizes he didn't put in anything for himself.

Then on top of that, he notices that it's Christmas Eve once he starts adding his wish in. In a rush, he sends the letter on its way, only to have the winds change on him and the letter never sent. When he discovers this, he decides to take it into his own hands to personally deliver his friends their wanted gifts. He does this by dressing up as Santa and doing all kinds of goofy things.

Some of the gifts Pooh brings to his friends are also very funny. All of which the audience gets great reactions from Rabbit, Eeyore and Tigger. Not to mention that Piglet is his feeble solo reindeer. The musical score by Steve Nelson was cute and a good listening experience as well. Still can't give the special a full score because it is not an original feature. Plus it was only 25 minutes to boot.

It's an adorable little holiday special for any Winnie the Pooh lover. Just don't expect a real in-depth story.

This will be to anyone who's seen it a Christmas classic. It's not my favourite Christmas special, but it is sweet, charming and memorable.

The animation is lovely and so is the music. The voice cast enthusiastically bring their likable characters to life, Tigger never fails to crack me up.

There are two stories, one when Pooh tries to get his letter to Santa Claus, and the other showing Piglet's struggles with ice skating. The latter is a tad predictable, but is so sweet and well meaning that all is forgiven.

Overall, very sweet and charming, and perfect for kids and adults alike. 9/10 Bethany Cox