I am not the world’s biggest fan of Winnie the Pooh but I always thought the characters were cute and had a charm. Winnie the Pooh is a loveable honey addict who is the best friend to human child Christopher Robin. Christopher Robin spends much of his youth with Pooh and the gang. The movie startes off with the symbolic scene of Christopher Robin having to say goodbye to Pooh and his friends. The scene is emotional and depicts the sense of having to put childish things away as we grow up. This wasn’t going to be the typical silly Winnie the Pooh movie from the get go.
From that scene on, the movie almost becomes a study of our entrance into adulthood and our need to leave childish things behind. Do we really need to let go of everything even if it brings us joy? Does it even make us a better person? Christopher Robin was always a creative child, why not use that vast imagination as an adult and spread some good will?
From the moment Christopher Robin accepts adulthood, he buries his joy deep inside. He goes to war and gets a dull office job because that was what was expected of him. Not all of us are made to be what the world expects however. Christopher Robin certainly wasn’t. Yet, he told himself he had to live such a life.
“Christopher Robin” also uses the issue of PTSD as a way of getting the audience to question the reality of what is going in. Can the rest of the world see Winnie the Pooh? Is Christopher Robin suffering a nervous breakdown? There are some interesting questions the movie starts to explore but abandons towards the end.
Even though I think there might have been an interesting story to be told if Christopher Robin’s sanity was called into question more, that isn’t to say it’s a bad film. This is a Disney movie after all, it can’t be too dark. This film was actually a little more adult themed than I thought it would be but kids will still find things to enjoy. Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and the rest of the gang are adorable and I love their designs.
The film felt like a mix of “Finding Neverland” and “Hook” which is funny since Marc Foster directed both “Finding Neverland” and “Hook”. Ewan McGregor did an incredible job as Christopher Robin. The movie relied so much on his believability and he made the film work. The voice cast was also spot on for the characters. It’s ironic that “Christopher Robin” comes out right on the heels of “Goodbye Christopher Robin”, a film about the life of A.A. Milne and how his son inspired the character of Christopher Robin.
“Christopher Robin” is a cute film but may sway to a slightly older audience than the trailer might imply. Regardless, this movie does a great job of showcasing why so many people around the world still adore Winnie the Pooh.
Grade: B+
From that scene on, the movie almost becomes a study of our entrance into adulthood and our need to leave childish things behind. Do we really need to let go of everything even if it brings us joy? Does it even make us a better person? Christopher Robin was always a creative child, why not use that vast imagination as an adult and spread some good will?
From the moment Christopher Robin accepts adulthood, he buries his joy deep inside. He goes to war and gets a dull office job because that was what was expected of him. Not all of us are made to be what the world expects however. Christopher Robin certainly wasn’t. Yet, he told himself he had to live such a life.
“Christopher Robin” also uses the issue of PTSD as a way of getting the audience to question the reality of what is going in. Can the rest of the world see Winnie the Pooh? Is Christopher Robin suffering a nervous breakdown? There are some interesting questions the movie starts to explore but abandons towards the end.
Even though I think there might have been an interesting story to be told if Christopher Robin’s sanity was called into question more, that isn’t to say it’s a bad film. This is a Disney movie after all, it can’t be too dark. This film was actually a little more adult themed than I thought it would be but kids will still find things to enjoy. Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and the rest of the gang are adorable and I love their designs.
The film felt like a mix of “Finding Neverland” and “Hook” which is funny since Marc Foster directed both “Finding Neverland” and “Hook”. Ewan McGregor did an incredible job as Christopher Robin. The movie relied so much on his believability and he made the film work. The voice cast was also spot on for the characters. It’s ironic that “Christopher Robin” comes out right on the heels of “Goodbye Christopher Robin”, a film about the life of A.A. Milne and how his son inspired the character of Christopher Robin.
“Christopher Robin” is a cute film but may sway to a slightly older audience than the trailer might imply. Regardless, this movie does a great job of showcasing why so many people around the world still adore Winnie the Pooh.
Grade: B+
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