Original Winnie the Pooh drawings animated for the first time ever

We do love the Disney version of Winnie the Pooh, but there's a special place in our hearts for the original book illustrations by E.H. Shepard. And so we're pleased as punch that, not only are they still in print almost a century on, but they've been animated for the first time ever in a new, free app for the iPhone and iPad.

Classic Winnie-the-Pooh is an app created by Egmont Press that brings to life the best of A.A. Milne's original tales, first published in the 1920s and still enjoyed by children around the world today.

Enhancement not distraction

The publisher partnered with Shape A/S on the app's design and development, which features subtle interactive elements that allow the reader to interact with the iconic characters like never before, without detracting from the famous bear's heritage.

The classic illustrations move from black and white to full colour and touchscreen features are designed to ensure the reader is not distracted from the stories, which can be read by children themselves or be read aloud by actor Rufus Jones.

Imperfect strokes

"The team had a great time putting the app together," says
Kristian Knak, digital designer at Egmont. "Working with the Pooh illustrations, we simply fell in love all over again with Shepard's 'perfectly imperfect' strokes and this motivated us to spend endless hours on carefully separating, touching up and animating the artwork."

Tim Jones from Egmont Press adds: "What matters most to us at Egmont Press is the power of a good story - and the interactive storytelling in this app really brings these 85 year-old stories to life. Pooh’s a digital pioneer - he had the first book available in iBooks - so it’s fitting that his adventures are now available to a whole new generation of fans."

Free to download

Classic Winnie-the-Pooh’ is available to download today for free. The app includes one story free of charge with the option to purchase another for just £1.99. More stories will follow later in the year.

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