Review: Christopher Robin

 "I always get to where I'm going by walking away from where I've been." - Pooh Bear

Growing up watching Disney's Winnie the Pooh and reading the Disney books, when I heard this movie was coming out, I was filled with excitement. Memories of walking through my house with my own Pooh Bear that I literally had since infancy, flooded my brain when I saw the trailer. When Pooh says, "What to do indeed", with the wonderful Jim Cummings voice, I melted. Now, for all you hard core fans, I am aware that Jim Cummings was not the original voice of Pooh Bear, but he is still great and he voiced Pooh for most of my childhood. 

In preparation for this movie, this summer I decided to read The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, by the great A.A. Milne to my students. And safe to say they adored the story just as much as me. I did not read the book as a kid but I felt so much nostalgia reading the words. It was so interesting watching my kids react to the very subtle humor that is Winnie the Pooh. Though I had to explain some of the jokes, they seemed to enjoy being challenged by the book. 

This film had the same feel. Though I'm not convinced its 100% for kids, it definitely has elements that children can enjoy. The creation of these beloved characters is amazing. They look so real that you just want to pull them from the screen and cuddle them. I was very impressed by the animation. They looked so lifelike, at first it kind of freaked me out. Ewan McGregor’s performance is adorable as usual. You really feel his turmoil and how much life has drained him. He is the perfect choice for playing the beloved Christopher.

This movie is filled with subtle and funny jokes that are very smart. Eeyore will crack you up because for some reason he seems to mimic the voice of the millennial generation. You will cry laughing at his blunt honesty. Every character has their own endearing quality that everyone will relate to. Not to mention the writing is top notch. I found myself wanting to write down so many quotes because they were so applicable to my life. But the most important thing about his movie is that it finds a way to remind us of what is really important in life without being terribly cheesy (though it is just a little).

One of my favorite parts of this film is when Christopher Robin and Pooh are sitting on a hill and Christopher tells Pooh how lost he feels and how he is no longer the kid he was so many years ago. This hit me like a ton of bricks. I feel so many of us long to go back to a simpler time where we were the heroes of our own imagination. A time when no matter what problems we faced, we could always defeat them with the help of our friends. Pooh reminds us that we can still have that power, no matter how old we get. It’s a simple message, but an important one.

Overall, if you love a good story that has very good acting, this is an option for you. The story is fun and engaging and will make you want to bring out all those old dusty stuffed animals you forgot about. Everything is filled with so much doom and gloom lately, its nice to have a story of hope.

Just remember the wise words of Winnie the Pooh:

“ Doing nothing often leads to the very best kind of something.”

Stay Excellent,

Megan

Megan