Christopher Robin

Christopher Robin

Starring Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael, Jim Cummings

Directed by Marc Forster

The Story:
After leaving the Hundred Acre Wood, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) grew up, married Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), had a daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael), and found a job at a luggage company.  While the company faces financial hardships, the boss relies on Christopher to come up with a solution, causing him to stay at home while his family go on vacation to his old home.

Meanwhile, Pooh (Jim Cummings) has lost all his friends, and travels outside the Hundred Acre Wood to London to find Christopher in hopes of finding his friends.  Christopher is bogged down with work, and sees Pooh as just another distraction, learning that he did indeed give up his childhood to focus on work - as well as giving up on his old friends and even his family in order to achieve success.

The Synopsis:
Growing up, I remember watching the adventures of Winnie the Pooh and his Hundred Acre Wood friends - Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and Christopher Robin.  While Disney has obtained the market on the franchise, the exploits of Pooh and his friends were actually from the brain of A.A. Milne, who wrote the series of books that began being published back in 1926, and featured imaginative stories made up from his real-life inspiration: his son Christopher Robin Milne and his bear, Pooh.

Known as a bear of very little brain, Pooh sure brings a smile to faces of millions of kids and kids at heart due to his larger-than-life heart.  This is the essence of "Christopher Robin," a tale that's predictable, obvious, and one that's been told before, but yet maintains a special type of magic due to the characters who envelop it.  Yes, there's themes of the importance of family, not letting go of your childhood, and the dangers of working too hard, but when that's all told through the eyes of a silly old bear, you can't help but smile and enjoy the predictability.

Ewan McGregor brings to life Christopher Robin as an older man, one who's given up on the Hundred Acre Wood and his old friends in lieu of paperwork, tedious meetings, and unappreciative bosses (they even show London as a continual dull, bleak, dark nature that seems devoid of merriment and fun).  He works too hard, but in a way he needs to in order to provide everything for his family, while also sacrificing important time with them.  Hayley Atwell plays the forlorn wife who only wants Christopher to spend more time with them, while Bronte Carmichael gives a commanding performance at such a young age as Madeline, Christopher's daughter who is almost forced to grow up faster than she should in order to obtain her father's approval.  Things aren't all happy and cheery in the Robin household, but that's all about to change.

In the Hundred Acre Wood, Pooh wakes up and begins his typical routine (including the classic "Up, Down and Touch the Ground"), but finds that all his friends are missing.  Even though he hasn't seen Christopher in decades, he travels through to his world in order to find help.  He finds a much older, much less fun Christopher, but Pooh isn't too bright - which is what's the most endearing.  You can't help but smile and get lost in the simplicity and beautiful ignorance Pooh provides - in one scene, Christopher is woken up to a crash, and finds Pooh in his kitchen with a broken shelf.  "Your ladder is broken," Pooh says.  "That was a shelf," Christopher replied.  "Well, that explains why it was no good for climbing" Pooh says.  Despite not being very smart, Pooh does give some important life lessons that resonate more for adults than for children, but ideals that are valuable for both groups.  We learn that we get to where we're going by walking away from where we've been, we learn that while nothing is impossible, we do nothing everyday - and that doing nothing often leads to the very best kind of something.

When they finally find their friends, it's a big reunion for the characters and the audience as well.  Seeing the whole gang together on screen personally brought back many childhood memories, all the more led by the fact that the original voice actor for Pooh and Tigger - Jim Cummings (who was born in my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio) - returned for the film.  The other characters were all recast from their original voice actors, but you can't really tell due to how well they mimicked their performances.   Brad Garrett in particular stands out as the voice of Eeyore, the lovable yet depressed donkey who had some of the best lines of the film.

Director Mark Forster (who's run the gambit on different styles of films - from "Monster's Ball" to "Quantum of Solace," to "Finding Neverland" and "World War Z") manages to bring the cartoon characters to wonderful life by mixing the animated series and the actual stuffed animals Milne used as inspiration to create a unique hybrid of animation that looks absolutely beautiful, if not a little creepy at times.  This animation helps add to a sense of reality to these characters, as they take on lives of their own and yet can also play as stuffed animals in the eyes of unsuspecting citizens of London's city streets.  They're visual marvels, magically rendered for the enjoyment of the viewers.

Again, the film is very predictable and simple, but that's exactly what makes it so charming.  It's a terrific family film that can be enjoyed by all ages, and provide a true means of escape from the doom, gloom, and sadness this world provides.  I found myself smiling pretty much through most of the film, in child-like glee, laughing at some of the most inane lines I've ever heard, but loving every minute of it.  Much like the magic that the "Paddington" films deliver, "Christopher Robin" also brings that spark of childlike innocence and the importance of family, friends, and finding the good in everything.

I guess that's not too bad for a bear of very little brain after all.  Silly old bear.

The Summary:
Bringing back the joys and memories of childhood, "Christopher Robin" tells a heartwarming, uplifting tale of never forgetting your childhood, the importance of family, and always finding time to have fun.  It's a magical film the whole family can enjoy, and one that will bring a smile to your face.

The Score: A+