Originating almost a century ago, the character of Winnie-the-Pooh has been a childhood favorite for thousands upon thousands. Returning in this contemporary approach, director Marc Forster has brought Pooh and his group of friends back in the Ewan McGregor starred film Christopher Robin.
This iteration of the story tells the tale of a middle aged Robin, who has grown up to have abandoned his childhood wonder for a job in the suitcase department of a mega corporation. It is here that this version of these characters becomes far more serious, delivering a message that is clearly intended to show the harm of losing your youthful dreams. This section comes with Hayley Atwell as Robin’s wife (who unfortunately is left with minimal scenes that don’t do her talent justice) and Bronte Carmichael as Robin’s daughter. With this familial touch, much of the first half of the movie is positioned firmly in the “real world”, allowing us to see how different Christopher Robin has become since leaving the Hundred Acre Wood. Unfortunately, It is here that I found the picture to have a bit of an identity crisis.
As an adult, this side of Robin is often relatable and spoke to the obstacles I have faced growing up. However, I can only imagine how boring this portion of the film must be for children. At the end of the day, many are going to purchase tickets expecting the lovable animals from the start. The truth is, it does take some time for them to reappear after the intro and while this makes narrative sense, I’m not sure it will be understandable for 10 year old Johnny who is expecting 2 hours of talking toys.
Although, when they do show up they are wonderful as ever. Practically every Pooh scene is magically and hilarious. This goes for his friends Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore as well. The voice acting is superb and the animation is fantastically depicted in a toy style that is remarkable to witness. I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear with every word that came out of the mouths of these cute personalities. Their return in the film comes with a shift to a more fun approach that is going to grab kids attention far more than the earlier sequences. I must stress once more that the dichotomy of the first and second half works well in a narrative structure but may not work for the youth in the audience.
If you grew up with these characters as I did, this is a glorious nostalgic trip that may even bring a tear to your eye at times. Still, children may not be as fond of it the whole time. With a sizable run time dedicated to showing Christopher Robin as a unrelieved adult dealing with family tension, an outright kids movie this is not.