Christopher Robin

This film is part of the ongoing trend of Disney creating live action adaptations of its animated classics. The financial success of many of them will unsure a great deal more of such adaptations to come. These live action versions are either remakes or sequels to the original source material. "Christopher Robin" is a sequel and its story appears to be a combination between two other live-action Disney films: "Alice in Wonderland" from 2010 and "Mary Poppins". I did not expect "Christopher Robin" to tug at my heartstrings but it did. There was a lot of sincerity in its creation from what I can tell. This is thanks mostly to the acting and story.

With the exception of "Beauty and the Beast", the Walt Disney Studios have so far been making live action adaptations of their animated works that were released before the Disney Renaissance. "Pooh" however is a franchise that the company has been returning to quite often by way of TV or feature film over the past few decades. Its episodic nature allows for this. We have seen this kind of story motif before where the protagonist goes on a magical adventure and in doing so; they find a solution to their real world problems. A major deviation that we see in "Christopher Robin" is that the magical adventure isn't in the protagonist's imagination or far off in some distant location. The characters of the Hundred Acre Wood actually exist and interact with others besides the protagonist. The film basically begins where "The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh" ends as many of the same lines are referenced. The adult Christopher Robin isn't depicted as a bad person. The character has similarities to Mr. Banks in "Mary Poppins" but there are differences for the sake of originality. Christopher Robin works hard for example because of those who depend on him at the company. The war also has changed him and you can't blame him for that. Unlike Mr. Banks though, Christopher Robin knows how important his family is. The problem he faces is how to help everyone because in trying to help his coworkers, he is losing his family. Thus we arrive at the inciting incident where Pooh finds his way to London. It is Christopher Robin's good nature that compels him to go to Sussex and return to the Hundred Acre Wood but once there, his emotions get the better of him. The filmmakers took great care in not having Christopher Robin become actually angry at Pooh. He does become frustrated and impatient and that still provides all the drama needed. I personally found it hard to watch the movie once Pooh is "let go" without getting emotional. This makes the subsequent scenes where Christopher Robin locates all his long lost friends very touching. When Madeline and Evelyn see Christopher Robin on his way back to London, they misinterpret his sudden appearance and departure as more of the same. In truth, he doesn't know how to explain the strangeness of his adventure with his family. When Madeline goes missing, that motives Christopher Robin to finally explain everything. I am grateful for all the resolution we get. The best fantasy filmmakers cause their audiences to suspend their disbelief while enjoying the movie. Those making "Christopher Robin" accomplished this very well. The major flaw I found with the movie was that the characters talked over one another. Some funny lines for example weren't allowed any time for processing.

I did not expect this film to emotionally affect me as much as it did and I attribute much of that to Ewan McGregor. Mark Hamill's performance made Yoda believable in "The Empire Strikes Back" and the same can be said about Bob Hoskins in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and Michael Caine in "The Muppet Christmas Carol". The special effects can be as photorealistic as is currently possible with today's technology but deep down, we all know that toys and forest animals do not really talk. McGregor's work however allowed you to believe that Pooh, Tigger and the rest of those from the Hundred Acre Wood truly exist for at least an hour and a half. Speaking of the special effects, they rightfully earned a Best Visual Effects nomination at the Oscars. I was glad to see Hayley Atwell in this film too. I grew up with Jim Cummings voice as Pooh so that is probably a big reason why I became emotionally invested in the film (I still have room in my heart for the original performance of Sterling Holloway by the way). Cummings was initially not going to play Tigger for this movie but test screenings changed that thankfully. While I prefer the original performance of Paul Winchell, I would rather have Cummings be the voice of Tigger these days than any other actor. Some noteworthy voice actors have brought Eeyore to life in the past such as Peter Cullen and Bud Luckey. Brad Garrett has a very familiar low voice but I tend to take his acting for granted. I keep forgetting he is the voice of Gusteau in "Ratatouille" for example. As Eeyore, Garrett portrayed the character as true to the source material as I could have asked for. I wish they had cast Rabbit and Piglet better. Toby Jones is the voice of Owl and I found that interesting. I was very appreciative of Richard M. Sherman's mid-credit scene. He actually wrote three songs for the movie. Speaking of the music, I was thankful for how many times the score referenced the Sherman songs from the 60's. Filming for "Christopher Robin" by the way was done at Ashdown Forest, which is the original inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood.

For me, the summer movie season of 2018 ends with this show and I am glad for that. While critics acknowledged the good that this film offered, it appears that audiences are happier with it. A few of the recent live action Disney adaptations haven't lived up to my liking but this was did. I also like this movie better than "Goodbye Christopher Robin" because this Disney live action film captures what both A. A. Milne and Walt Disney did for our own childhoods. The story of "Christopher Robin" and the actors performing it certainly allow us to escape our lives and that is what movies are supposed to do.

4 Stars out of 5