Many of us grew up with “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.” We enjoyed the characters, the morals, and much more.
However, in the 2000’s, according to my observation, “Winnie the Pooh” apparently became more suited for small children. From the products geared toward little kids, and most of the fans being in their early childhood, I had considered “Winnie the Pooh” babyish.
I also remember sitting in a mall food court at age 11, and overhearing a little kid, probably 2 or 3 years old, about seeing the next “Winnie-the-Pooh” movie, which was “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie.” There was also a commercial of a “Winnie-the Pooh” video that provided early childhood education, such as what letter a word starts with.
But thanks to movies, like “Goodbye, Christopher Robin” and “Christopher Robin,” “Winnie the Pooh” might be appealing to older crowds again. While I didn’t see “Goodbye, Christopher Robin,” I did see “Christopher Robin.” It is not kiddie at all, let alone the PG-rating – which was pretty much like G, like in the 90’s until the late 2010s.
I won’t spoil anything from “Christopher Robin,” but many of the content and elements used are more sophisticated and appealing to adults and bigger children. Perhaps Disney wanted to make “Winnie the Pooh” more interesting to older audiences—maybe they didn’t wish to give the general public the impression that “Winnie the Pooh” was only for small children.
In fact, there is a “Winnie-the-Pooh” horror movie, as of February 23rd, 2023, called, “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.” And we all know that horror movies are not for kids.
Therefore, I am glad that “Winnie the Pooh” no longer attracts just little kids. The same seemed to happen with the Disney Princess line in the 2000s. That also used to allure merely small girls, but is now enticing older crowds (some people have had Disney Princess-themed weddings).
While some franchises, such as “Barney” and “Teletubbies” will probably always attract mostly small children, it’s great that Disney tries to engage all ages.
What do you think of this observation? Let me know in the comments. Thanks.