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A Bear Named Winnie is a 2004 made-for-television drama film directed by John Kent Harrison. It stars Michael Fassbender and David Suchet. It concerns one of the real-life inspirations behind A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh.

Plot

At the outbreak of World War I, troops march through the Manitoban city of Winnipeg. Among them is Lieutenant Harry Colebourn (Fassbender), a veteran with a gift for animals. He soon meets a bear, Winnie, who provides comfort for the soldiers and by order of General Hallholland (David Suchet), becomes the regimental mascot.

Cast

• Michael Fassbender as Harry Colebourn
• David Suchet as General Hallholland
• Gil Bellows as Colonel Barret
• Stephen Fry as Protheroe
• Jonathon Young as Macray
• Aaron Ashmore as Corporal Randy Taylor
• Ted Atherton as Captain Elliot
• Robert Gauvin as Sgt. Major Picard

Copyright

To avoid legal problems concerning the copyrights of both Disney and the Milne estate, Winnie the Pooh and anything related to the property is never referenced nor discussed throughout the film.

Critical response

John Ferguson of The Radio Times awarded it two stars and said, "This touching fact-based drama almost manages to carry off its combination of First World War setting and sentimental tale, but is unsure of its target audience."

See also

• Goodbye Christopher Robin - a 2017 biographical drama film about Milne and his son, with Vaughan also acting as a writer and producer.

References

1. Maloney 2012, p. 30.
2. A bear named Winnie. WorldCat. OCLC 865232108.
3. Mattick, Lindsay (24 November 2015). "The story of how Winnie the Pooh was inspired by a real bear – in pictures". The Guardian.
4. "A Bear Named Winnie (TV Movie 2004)". IMDb.
5. "Bear who's Bonkers plays our Winnie". The Globe and Mail. 11 December 2004.
6. "A Bear Named Winnie – review - cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times.

Bibliography

• Maloney, Jim (3 September 2012). Michael Fassbender – The Biography. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78219-075-2.

External links

• A Bear Named Winnie at the Internet Movie Database
• A Bear Named Winnie at Rotten Tomatoes

• 2004 films
• 2004 television films
• 2004 biographical drama films
• Canadian war drama films
• English-language Canadian films
• World War I films based on actual events
• Films set in 1914
• Films about bears
• Films directed by John Kent Harrison
• 2004 drama films
• Winnie-the-Pooh films
• 2000s English-language films
• Canadian World War I films
• 2000s Canadian films
• English-language biographical drama films