Zooey Deschanel Hits the Hundred Acre Wood

BURBANK, Calif., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- He's a bear of very little brain. She's half of the acclaimed band She & Him. They come together on the big screen in "Winnie the Pooh," which hits theaters on July 15, 2011. Actress/ Musician/Singer/Songwriter Zooey Deschanel (TV's "The New Girl," "Almost Famous," "(500) Days of Summer") joins Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, performing five songs for the film, including her own take on the classic "Winnie the Pooh" theme song, "A Very Important Thing to Do," "Everything is Honey" and the original end-credit song "So Long," which was written by Deschanel and performed with She & Him bandmate M. Ward. The album also features original score composed by Henry Jackman.   The Walt Disney Records soundtrack arrives in stores and online retailers on July 12, 2011.

"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."

"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 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."

The soundtrack features Deschanel's songs, plus the Sherman Brothers classic and a host of original songs by Robert Lopez (whose credits include the multiple Tony-winning "The Book of Mormon" and the Tony-winning "Avenue Q") and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez ("The Wonder Pets"), as well as original score from composer Henry Jackman, who most recently scored  "X-Men: First Class" from director Matthew Vaughn.

Jackman's other film scores include "Gulliver's Travels," "Monsters vs. Aliens," and "Henry IV." Prior to his film music career, Jackman spent several years in the record industry, collaborating with producer Trevor Horn on the Art of Noise album The Seduction of Claude Debussy. Jackman also worked with Seal, co-writing and producing "This Could Be Heaven" for the motion picture "The Family Man." This gained the attention of prominent film composers Hans Zimmer and John Powell, and Jackman received additional music credits on their scores to: "The Dark Knight," "The Da Vinci Code," "Kung Fu Panda," and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

The full track list follows:

1. "Winnie the Pooh" - Performed by Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward 
2. "The Tummy Song" - Performed by Jim Cummings and Robert Lopez 
3. "A Very Important Thing To Do" - Performed by Zooey Deschanel 
4. "The Backson Song" - Performed by Craig Ferguson and Cast 
5. "It's Gonna Be Great" - Performed by Jim Cummings and Bud Luckey 
6. "Everything Is Honey" - Performed by Jim Cummings, Zooey Deschanel, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
7. "Pooh's Finale" – Performed by Cast, Zooey Deschanel and Robert Lopez
8. "So Long" - Performed by Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward 
9. Main Title Sequence Score/"Winnie the Pooh" - Performed by Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward 
10. "Pooh Greets the Day" - Score
11. "Get You Tiggerized!" - Score
12. "Woods and Words"/"Backson Tracks" - Score
13. "Eeyore Needs His Tail" Score/"Winner Song" - Performed by Cast 
14. "Picnic and Beehive Chase" - Score
15. "Hundred Acre Spy Game" - Score
16. "Stuck in the Pit"/"Balloon Chase" - Score
17. "A Honey Happy Ending" - Score
18. "Winnie the Pooh" Suite - Score

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with "Winnie the Pooh." Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original short films, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical "bear of very little brain" and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail.  "Ever have one of those days where you just can't win, Eeyore?" asks Pooh.  Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some honey. Inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne's books in Disney's classic, hand-drawn art style, "Winnie the Pooh" hits theaters on July 15, 2011.

The Winnie The Pooh original motion picture soundtrack will be available wherever music is sold on July 12, 2011. For more information on Walt Disney Records' releases, please visit Disney.com/music, become a fan at Facebook.com/disneymusic or follow us at Twitter.com/disneymusic.

SOURCE Walt Disney Records

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