Confession: I am a total Halloweenie.
What’s not to love? Harvest time, crisp autumn air, playing dress up, and lots of treats!
Last Halloween, my daughter just started to grasp a little of the fun of dressing up, visiting our neighbors, and getting a bag full of candy. This year I’m hoping to introduce the joy of the “spookables”, as my dear friend and cartoon alter-ego Tigger calls them…and Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie has plenty of Halloween spirit.
We received a review copy of the Limited Edition of Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie, which comes with a plush Pooh Bear in Tigger costume. This cute little plush definitely makes this a perfect gift for a Winnie the Pooh fan. The DVD extras also include printable invitations and everything you need to throw a Heffalump Halloween Party.
You can also view clips of the movie, get recipes, and play games at Disney’s official Heffalump Halloween site.
Like many of the Pooh movies, Heffalump Halloween is about friendship. The plot centers around the sweet relationship between the Heffalump, affectionately called, “Lumpy,” and his buddy, Roo (Kanga’s little one). When Pooh loses all self-control and devours the entire stock of Halloween candy, Lumpy and Roo set out to catch the Gobloon. The Gobloon is a Halloween spookable who will grant your wish if you catch him–but will turn you into a Jaggedy Lantern if he catches you.
Lumpy and Roo are the preschoolers of the Hundred Acre Wood and, while cute, they lack the zen-like whimsy of Pooh and Tigger. Giving them free-reign for the entire movie can be a bit of a saccharine overload. Whether the creators sensed this, or simply needed to fill space, they inserted a scene from an episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, in which Piglet overcomes his fears during a Halloween past. Although the scene fits the theme of the movie, it is a quite obvious patch-job, complete with Gopher, a character who appears no where else in the movie.
Before I start sounding like a Grinch, or the Halloween version, I need to say that my daughter loves the movie–really a fun little romp with all sorts of clever and hummable songs. She especially likes to sing, “We’re friends forever, We’ll be brave together.” Even though she just turned three, she seems blithely unconcerned about being turned into a Jaggedy Lantern and eager for her fourth Halloween expedition.
And at an age where she’s just starting to form friendships, I appreciate the message that friends are stronger together. More than just feel-good warm fuzzies, the movie shows that even the youngest of adventurers can draw on inner reserves of strength when the situation calls for bravery.
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WANT IT: See more at Disney’s official Heffalump Halloween and purchase the Limited Edition of Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie ($27) or Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie 2005 Edition ($15).
