I just saw a preview for this movie today and can not wait to see it!!
Actress/Musician/Singer/
He’s a bear
of very little brain. She’s half of the acclaimed band She & Him.
This year, they come together on the big screen in “Winnie the
Pooh,” which hits theatres on July 15,
2011. Actress/Musician/Singer/
“This has been one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever
had,” says Deschanel. “And I’ve just been thanking my lucky
stars that I was able to work on this movie, because it’s
delightful.”
Filmmakers were drawn to Deschanel’s signature style. “She
was the perfect choice to do the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ song—a
classic theme from the Sherman Brothers,” says director Don Hall.
“Her music actually embodies the underlying spirit of the movie. We’re
taking something that has vintage roots in the sixties, but spinning it in our
own way and updating it. If you listen to Zooey’s music with She &
Him—that’s their sound to a tee.”
Adds director Stephen Anderson, “It’s a perfect way to
start the movie, letting the audience know right off the bat that this is
Winnie the Pooh like you know him, but it’s something for today. We
wanted to keep the same charm as the original, but give it a fresh spin, a
contemporary feel, and she opens the movie with so much freshness, so much
energy.”
“It’s always fun to have a contemporary artist rediscover a
classic and that’s exactly what Zooey did,” says producer Peter Del
Vecho. “She brought her own personality to the song—when she sings
about introducing the individual characters, it’s as though she’s
known them her whole life—and she has.”
“I’m a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and all his
friends,” says Deschanel, who also plays the ukulele in the song.
“It’s really hard to pick a favorite: Winnie the Pooh is so
special, he loves honey and he’s just cool. Eeyore is amazing, I love
Eeyore. And Piglet is so small. It’s really a four-way tie between Winnie
the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger.”
Among the songs Deschanel performed for the film is “A Very
Important Thing to Do”—a song that helps illustrate the contest the
friends from the Hundred Acre Wood take on to find Eeyore a new tail. She also
lent her voice to “Everything is Honey” and “Pooh’s
Finale,” joining Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger),
Tony Award®-winning songwriter Robert Lopez (“Avenue Q”) and
other cast members.
For the end-credit song, Deschanel teamed up with Ward to perform
“So Long,” a song Deschanel wrote. “When I was writing
‘So Long,’ I just held the images for the end credits in my
mind,” she says. “I spent a number of days tinkering with ideas,
melodies and chord progressions that I thought would fit the images, the new
music being written and the original Sherman Brothers stuff-- but still be my
own thing. The song definitely has its own feel, but also pays respect to the
original.”
Deschanel plays piano for “So Long” and turned to the
instrument when it came time to write the song. “I usually write on piano
because that's the first instrument that I learned when I was a little
kid,” she says. “All of my musical theory knowledge is in linear
piano form.”
Her heart, however, is in the vocals. “I’m always thinking
in terms of vocals, and arranging a fabric of vocals is the most exciting part.
I love to sing backup parts—I always try to squeeze in as many as
possible,” she says. “It’s fun; it’s my style.”
Deschanel’s songs, plus the Sherman Brothers classic and a host
of original songs by Robert Lopez and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“The
Wonder Pets”), as well as original score from composer Henry Jackman
(“The Da Vinci Code,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead
Man’s Chest”), will be included on the “Winnie the
Pooh” soundtrack (available Spring 2011 in select international markets,
and in the U.S. on July 12, 2011) from Walt Disney Records.
All info was provided by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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