Winnie the Pooh on the Big Screen?

There are two things from my childhood that never fail to bring me to tears: the stampede scene from The Lion King and anything related to Winnie the Pooh. The first thing was just the worst thing to happen in Disney canon since Bambi's mom got shot, and the second is just one of those pure and simple childhood joys that never fails to make me smile through the tears of nostalgia. And here's another reason to smile: RatPac Entertainment has acquired the film rights to 'Finding Winnie', the book that launched a beloved franchise.

The picture book was written by Lindsay Mattick and follows Mattick's great-grandfather, Lieutenant Harry Colebourn, as he buys an orphaned bear cup and brings her to Europe. He nicknames her Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg and eventually donates her to the London Zoo.There, Christopher Robin Milne would eventually see her often enough to name his teddy bear after her and, in doing so, inspire his father, A. A. Milne, to pen the story of Winnie the Pooh.

Michael Fassbender starred in a 2004 TV movie based on the story, but RatPac Entertainment is now looking for filmmakers to help bring it the big screen for all diehard Winnie fans to enjoy.

When you think about it, there's no real reason that the Winnie the Pooh should have been as popular as it was. It's about a slightly overweight stuffed bear running around in The Hundred Acre Wood with his animal friends and the human Christopher Robin. But from that one simple book came a series of Disney cartoons, three theatrical films, numerous direct-to-video movies, and several TV shows, video games, and tie-in comics.

Then again, maybe it's not such a huge surprise. Winnie the Pooh wasn't just about Pooh trying to get more honey or Tigger seeing how high he can bounce or Eeyore moping around in the background or wondering why Christopher Robin wasn't in kindergarten right now. It was about friendship and the innocence of childhood, about laughter and believing in yourself. Winnie the Pooh is a timeless story. Grab a box of Kleenex. The story behind the story is coming soon.

Image: Disney