Diminutive marsupial Roo takes centre stage in this often touching tale from the residents of Hundred Acre Wood.

Roo together with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Rabbit sets off to discover the mysterious Heffalump in an uncharted part of the forest.

However, the hunters split up and Roo presses on alone only to discover that the Heffalump is a creature to be befriended rather than feared.

Four-year-olds of a gentle disposition may derive real pleasure from a tale short on CGI pyrotechnics but strong on overcoming unfounded fears and accepting other's differences.

"Mild peril" is the phrase which just about sums up the most disturbing things this soft-hearted romp throws up but it's one of the better Disney spin-offs from the Pooh franchise.

Roo may have the voice of a swattable American mall brat but Lumpy the Haffalump sounds like he's from a herd of elephants that colonised Bethnal Green.

Staying with unflashy 2-D animation, there are no hi-tech distractions and the characters - by no means little angels - are allowed to shine through.

Mums and dads still shocked by the wanton vandalism of the Blue Peter garden back in the 1970s may experience deja-vu when they witness Roo and Lumpy waste Rabbit's vegetable plot.

But that's about as reckless as things are allowed to get. A modest, unassuming, thoroughly charming little tale.

Tim Evans