Another Russian Pooh story. This time the donkey, known from the Pooh stories as Eyeore, is sad because he has no tail. Pooh goes in search of one and finds it attached to a bell that hangs from the treehouse of one Owl. She (yes, in this version it's a she) is offered a bowl of honey from Pooh but she refuses to give the tail in return. Meanwhile, Piglet searches for a flower. I'll stop there and tell you that this short is twice as long as the previous ones at 18 minutes. The music, as usual, is charming and there's humor and sadness that should charm anyone, regardless of age or nationality, interested in all animation. Check it out on YouTube.
3 Reviews
Mark my words: Soyuzmultfilm's version of Pooh is the better one.
lee_eisenberg10 November 2018
If you only know Disney's mushy version of Winnie the Pooh, then you don't know the character at all. Soviet animation studio Soyuzmultfilm made a series about A.A. Milne's bear, depicting him and his friends as mentally mature animals just trying to do the right thing for each other. In "Vinni-Pukh i den zabot" ("Winnie-the-Pooh and a Busy Day" in English), Eeyore has lost his tail, so Pooh tries to find it while Piglet gets him a balloon. Sure enough, complications arise.
It's not as glossy as Disney's series, but more interesting: more subtle and not as cutesy. This series does justice to the books; the more famous version was basically an excuse to sell merchandise. I recommend this one, and also the Soviet version of "Mary Poppins" (yes, there was one).
It's not as glossy as Disney's series, but more interesting: more subtle and not as cutesy. This series does justice to the books; the more famous version was basically an excuse to sell merchandise. I recommend this one, and also the Soviet version of "Mary Poppins" (yes, there was one).
Slight decrease in quality, but still worth the watch
Horst_In_Translation9 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
"Vinni-Pukh i den zabot" or "Winnie the Pooh and a Busy Day" or "Winnie the Pooh and a Day of Concerns" is the third and final installment from Fyodor Khitruk's Soviet Pooh films. After Piglet was introduced in the first and Rabbit in the second, it's time for the donkey to enter the picture. In contrast to the two previous films, the focus shifts a lot more from Pooh Bear to the new protagonist, who also gets the very first shot of the film, and it does not exactly help in this scenario here. The little donkey, who always sees the glass half-empty, makes a nice addition, but as whole I thought this film was slightly weaker than the two other ones. It runs for 20 minutes and the previous installments had 10-11 minutes each, which seemed the perfect running time.
Nonetheless, it's a decent effort again with good childlike animation, an okay story as innocent as the last first two, Soviet Pooh's unique singing, a funny moment here and there and a happy ending. Roughly 10 years later, the US remake came out and I wish anybody who watched the American Pooh films would take a look at the Soviet original trilogy too. It's not even remotely as known as it should be.
Nonetheless, it's a decent effort again with good childlike animation, an okay story as innocent as the last first two, Soviet Pooh's unique singing, a funny moment here and there and a happy ending. Roughly 10 years later, the US remake came out and I wish anybody who watched the American Pooh films would take a look at the Soviet original trilogy too. It's not even remotely as known as it should be.
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