Winnie-the-boo-hoo

I recently took my daughters to see the new Disney movie Winnie-the-Pooh. My older daughter ate an entire bag of gummy bears, my younger daughter devoured a full sleeve of chocolate chip cookies, and I emptied a box of tissues….all before the actual movie even started.

Full disclosure; I cry easily and often. Maybe it's faulty tear ducts, maybe it's some extra estrogen, maybe it’s the fact that I am officially closer to 41 than 40, but my eyes well up at anything that encourages emotion and panders to parents. I cry watching commercials - have you seen the ad where the dad is talking to the young girl in the car who then morphs into a teenager? It’s brilliant for content if not for marketing impact, as I have absolutely no recollection of the car make or model they are actually promoting. Television shows are equally perilous; I never made it through an entire episode of Friday Night Lights without weeping and quite honestly, often never even remained dry-eyed through the opening credits.   

Yes, I'm the mom with the shaking shoulders at the school concerts wiping the tears dripping down my face. What can I say, I'm an emotional person. 

Truth be told, I cried when I saw the previews of Winnie-the-Pooh. Something about the classic animation, the familiarity of those characters, and the melody of that song “Somewhere Only We Know” set the rivers flowing (even though I’m not actually a Keane fan and find the song particularly cloying). 

So I arrived at the movie prepared with a full box of tissues hidden in my purse, along with assorted snacks and beverages. 

It all started innocently enough, sitting in the somewhat darkened theater reading mundane entertainment trivia flashing across the screen (Do you know Bono’s real name? Now I do.) and listening to my daughters ask when the movie would start every six seconds.

And then the lights dimmed and a trailer for the Jimmy Fund began. The clip showcases children with cancer peering out of hospital windows as a new building is being constructed across the street. As the narrator talks about this research building and its potential role in the development of new treatments for cancer, construction workers are seen spray painting the children’s names on the iron and steel skeleton of the building – literally making them part of the creation of something that could lead to a cure. The segment also features a young boy who returns, now cancer free, to volunteer and visit with children undergoing treatment. 

Although I could barely see through my tears, I had my wallet open and was ready to hand over all my cash, credit cards, as well as the keys to my car. I couldn’t help but embrace my daughters and offer a prayer to whoever or whatever blessed me with two healthy children — until my daughter told me I was squeezing her too tight and asked me to let go.

I hadn’t even dried all my tears as the preview for Dolphin Tale started. It’s based on a true story about a dolphin that loses her tail and a young boy who advocates for a prosthetic one, and helps in her road to recovery. The tale (as well as the tail) itself, combined with Morgan Freeman’s voice, and scenes of amputees visiting the dolphin to inspire her literally put me over the edge. I don’t know if I could sit through the entire movie given that the two minute preview had me in near hysterics. Round number two of tears flowed as I debated asking for a life vest and/or a shot of whiskey.

My lip had almost stopped quivering when the promo for the upcoming Disney Nature movie about the abandoned baby monkey started. Are you kidding me?  Three back-to-back previews about cancer-stricken children, amputated dolphins and people, and orphaned monkeys? It was almost more than this overly emotional middle aged woman could take. I was tempted to run to the theater next door to get a dose of Voldermort in Harry Potter #19 to tip my emotional scale back into balance.

Luckily, the next thing I heard through my sobs was Antonio Banderas’ voice as the preview for Puss In Boots came on. At last something I could smile about; a big-budget, completely digitized film based on a sidekick from another movie stretched out to feature length with an all-star cast and seemingly not much heart. Just what I needed! 

Movies come with ratings and warnings about excessive violence, nudity, and profanity, but what about excessive emotions? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) maintains that these previews are suitable for “appropriate audiences,” but they should at least alert those of us that are tearfully challenged to use caution — and tissues — while viewing (an EE rating perhaps?). 

After 16 minutes of previews (13 of which I was crying), Winnie-the-Pooh finally started. And my daughters and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This new rendering is actually a classic; the characters and animation remain grounded in traditional Pooh style and stance. Fortunately the directors disregarded any pressure to Hollywood-ize the film so Pooh himself is still oblivious and overweight; given the current culture, I feared he would be attending Kumon and Weight Watchers simultaneously. Eeyore continues to be as melancholy as ever and in fact would now likely meet criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. Owl still embodies that dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance (and accordingly would do well running for political office). Although Kanga could be accused of helicopter parenting for carrying Roo around in her pocket, he seems perfectly well-adjusted to me. Unless someone is going to start marketing “Hunny Honey,” the movie has no explicit product placement aside from Disney’s masterful self-promotion. And the honey wasn’t even organic!

So when my children asked if we could go see the film again I happily complied, although I did show up 15 minutes late so we could skip the previews.

(Author’s Note: To learn more about the Jimmy Fund, an organization that supports cancer research and care at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Massachusetts, please visit http://www.jimmyfund.org/)

About this blog

Michelle Albright is a psychologist who has worked with schools across the country to develop, implement, and evaluate programs to promote children’s social-emotional health and academic achievement.  She is a Weston resident and the director of Albright Educational Consulting (www.albrighteducationalconsulting.com).