PLOT: Little Roo wanders alone into a forbidden part of the woods hoping to capture a dangerous and frightening heffalump. When he finally meets one, Roo is very surprised to find that heffalumps are fun, they like to play and they love their mommies.

Pooh's Heffalump Movie is just the thing for really little kids and their parents. There aren't many films suitable for toddlers, but Pooh's Heffalump Movie appears to be fully entertaining to even very young children. In a perfect world, nobody would have a television set and this film would be a great treat for children, all of whom would know the world of Winnie-the-Pooh from having read the books. Fat chance, etc.

Anyway, all the main characters are present and accounted for in Pooh's Heffalump Movie: Pooh, Rabbit, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore and Roo.

But something is not quite right in the Hundred Acre Wood. Loud, trumpeting noises and elephantine foot prints suggest that feared heffalumps are about. Why won't they stay put in Heffalump Hollow, and not bother our gang of stuffed animals?

Roo, as the youngest, is interested in all the fear-mongering done by his buddies. According to Pooh, Rabbit, Tigger et al, heffalumps are terrifying and fierce. They decide they should try to capture one.

Everybody gets his heffalump-capturing equipment. Roo is not permitted to go heffalump hunting, as he is too young. He goes anyway. He goes alone. He is very brave.

After a few frights in the dark, unknown part of the woods he meets a baby heffalump called Lumpy. Lumpy is friendly. He tells Roo he's not permitted in the Hundred Acre Wood and that he's terrified of Tigger, Piglet and all the rest of them. They're scary, says Lumpy.

"How do you know they're scary?" asks Roo.

"I dunno," answers Lumpy. "Everyone knows."

Roo soon shows Lumpy that his friends are not scary, and there you have it -- prejudice-prevention for kids. Roo and Lumpy become fast friends and play together with great gusto.

Pooh's Heffalump Movie is quick, witty and lovely to look at; children laugh with delight in all the right places. Too bad the basic message of understanding had to be underlined with those overwrought Carly Simon songs, but what can you do?

In other vocal notes, parents may recognize Brenda Blethyn as the voice of Mama Heffalump.

Lumpy, the baby heffalump, is voiced by eight-year-old Kyle Stanger, which we mention because Master Stanger's work is the highlight of the film.

You can hear him again in another Heffalump movie this fall.

You could buy the A.A. Milne books by then, too.

Just a thought.

This film is rated G
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