Perennial family favorite Winnie the Pooh returns to theaters this Friday in Disney’s new traditionally animated film of the same name. Pooh Bear is back with all of his friends in the 100 Acre Wood, getting into mischief and looking for honey. It’s a very sweet family film that will make a great first theater experience for many children and manage to keep parents engaged without indulging in any double entendre.

Last weekend I sat down with Jim Cummings (Pooh Bear, Tigger) and Tom Kenny (Rabbit) to discuss their roles in the movie. During our interview they told me about Pooh Bear’s honey issues, how one stays in character for 20 years, Rabbit’s closeness to Bill O’Reilly, and Cummings gives us a quick update on Spongebob Squarepants 2 at the end of the interview.  Hit the jump to watch.

Winnie the Pooh might describe himself as a “bear of very little brain,” but that sure hasn’t hurt his popularity any, making him second to only Mickey Mouse. In the full-length movie Winnie the Pooh, the whole gang – Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga and Roo – teams up after they misinterpret a note left by Christopher Robin, mistakenly believing him to have been captured by a creature. While they are on a quest to save Christopher Robin, they are also on the hunt to find Eeyore a new tail, as his has mysteriously gone missing.

For the Hundred Acre Wood gang’s first big-screen feature in 35 years, voice actor Jim Cummings not only got to take on the voice of Pooh, the bear who’s always willing to lend a helping paw and a jar of honey, but also of the exuberant Tigger, with the famously springy tail. During this exclusive interview with Collider, done at the film’s press day at Walt Disney Animation, Jim Cummings talked about how he never could have imagined that he’d be voicing these classic characters, how Pooh is more delicate to voice than Tigger, how he equally enjoys bringing known characters to life as he does creating entirely new ones, and that he would love to revisit Ray, the firefly from The Princess and the Frog, for some possible shorts, in the future. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

With Walt Disney’s Winnie the Pooh opening July 15, we’ve been provided with six clips from the film. Narrated by John Cleese, the 2D “hand-drawn style” animated film follows Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga and Roo on an all-new adventure to help Christopher Robin.   It’s directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall and features the voices of Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson, Tom Kenny, Travis Oates, and Bud Luckey.  Hit the jump to check out the clips.

While some companies are turning to a live-action/CGI blend with their older properties, Walt Disney is sticking to what it knows best and will bring a brand new Winnie the Pooh film to screens for the first time in 35 years next summer.  At the helm are Stephen J. Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) and Don Hall (story for The Princess and the Frog), who are working off five short stories by A.A. Milne.  Joining the fray on voice cast for the first time are Craig Ferguson, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Bud Luckey (director of the Pixar short Boundin’). Zooey Deschanel will be performing the Pooh theme song, while Tony Award-winning songwriter Bobby Lopez will be providing seven new songs.

With all that, this certainly is shaping up to be a winning effort from Disney. I personally can’t wait. This will be hand-drawn wholesomeness that only Pooh can inspire.  Hit the jump for the press release that includes the first synopsis and the two brand-new images.

Touchstone Pictures has released the first trailer for their upcoming animated film, Gnomeo and Juliet.  As you’ve probably already guessed, the film is a retelling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet… only with gnomes.  The film will feature music by Elton John and the voice cast includes James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Patrick Stewart, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, and Ozzy Osbourne.  You can hit the jump to watch the trailer and to see the first image from the film.