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The combination of modern technology with classic characters makes Christopher Robin feel like a true Disney classic vs. exploiting nostalgia.
| Director(s) | Marc Forster | |
| Screenplay By | Alex Ross Perry, Allison Schroeder | |
| Date Released | 8/3/2018 | |
| Genre(s) | Family, Comedy | |
| Good If You Like | Family Films Which Will Make The Adults And Kids Laugh, And Be In Their Emotions
Classic Characters Who Maintain The Spirit From When You Discovered them |
|
| Noted Actors | ||
| Christopher Robin | Ewan McGregor | |
| Winnie the Pooh | Jim Cummings | |
| Tigger | Jim Cummings | |
| Evelyn | Hayley Atwell | |
| Madeline | Bronte Carmichael | |
| Piglet | Nick Mohammed | |
| Rabbit | Peter Capaldi | |
| Owl | Toby Jones | |
| Roo | Sara Sheen | |
| Kanga | Sophie Okonedo | |
| Eeyore | Brad Garrett | |
Summary
Everyone has to grow up eventually but there is a difference between growing up and automating your life. Which is the problem at hand for Christopher Robin. He used to play, have fun, both as a child and an adult, but eventually, he automated his life. Everything became about results and efficiency, even his child. Making it where, as his imagination slowly died, you are almost led to believe Winnie the Pooh and the rest were slowly disappearing. Yet, as Pooh found himself all alone, he wanders through the tree which separates the 100 Acre Woods from London and finds Christopher. A shock, as you can imagine, and one which is kind of not welcomed.
Why? Well, Pooh may not bounce about like Tigger but he becomes quite destructive and distracting when taken home. So, Christopher heads off to Sussex, to the tree where Pooh used to greet Christopher and due to guilt, Christopher agrees to help Pooh find his friends. However, while he agrees to cross over he brings the same attitude and it comes to a point where Pooh’s innocence and naivety don’t protect him from the new Christopher Robin. Leading Pooh to disappear as his friends.
Leaving you to wonder, will Christopher Robin lose not just his childhood friends, but maybe his wife Evelyn and daughter Madeline too? For while his work is appreciated, his presence and how fun he used to be is something they’d appreciate too.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- How did Madeline get to London so quickly? Were trains really running that often between Sussex and London back then?
Collected Quote(s) or .Gifs
“I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I’ve been.”
— Winnie the Pooh
“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.”
Miscellaneous Commentary
Can anyone else imagine Bronte Carmichael is a remake of Matilda
Highlights
It Tickles Your Funny Bone and Makes You Cry Like You Were Cutting Onions
In the film, Christopher does eventually, one by one, find Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Roo, and Kanga. But the one who you have to keep your eye on is Eeyore. His dry, kind of depressive, humor kills. I’m talking, whether you are a kid or adult, his one-liners will have you wanting to follow screenwriters Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder just to see what else they could do. For whether Pooh’s innocence and naivety making it where he doesn’t fully interpret, correctly, what Christopher is saying or Eeyore… Oh, Eeyore. The way Eeyore interacts with Christopher from the jump, when he thinks he is a Heffalump, will have you laughing. Not chuckling, or simply smiling and thinking “That’s funny” I mean actually making the sound of laughter.
But, as much as you’ll laugh, you’ll also cry too. For with Christopher becoming the most depressing kind of adult, it reminds you of Inside/ Out
Which is quite depressing and then you get hit with him dismissing and suffocating his childhood and it hits you right in your feelings. Yet, it also presents a valuable message. You can’t, or rather shouldn’t, let your inner child die. For once that dies, you begin dying inside too.
The Animation and Technology
One of the things which has been lost thanks to the internet is a sense of wonder. With behind the scenes videos and a million and one theories, special effects get judged by how realistic they seem. As for Christopher Robin, because of how strong everything is in the movie, you just get lost in watching Pooh and the rest talk. Especially as they emote with their faces. I mean, if you didn’t know better, it would lead you to believe that little people were playing these characters vs. the best special effects Disney could buy.
Overall: Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended [Movie]
When it comes to Disney making live action adaptions of all their properties, each one has felt like it was made to exploit nostalgia. There was never this sense that the story had to be modernized and take advantage of modern technology. Much less, they could remake the story with new actors or voices, and bring that magic back to the big screen. All the movies we’ve seen thus far just seemed like melodramatic takes on classics beefed up with CGI and star power for easy money.
When it comes to Christopher Robin, however, that trend gets bucked. There seems to be actual thought, true emotions, put into the writing and performances of this film. And while, yes, it gets deeper than what you may be used to, it also presents a surprising amount of comedy, primarily through Eeyore, that catches you off guard. Also, it is the sole film, I’d argue, Disney has remade or done a new adaption on that used just enough technology and didn’t go overboard.
Hence the positive label and this being recommended. From story to performance, tear-jerking moments to jokes from Eeyore and also Pooh, this film doesn’t use nostalgia as a crutch what so ever. It has enough merit on its own to not just be a hit, but a bona fide classic. The kind you show your children, your children show theirs, and then it gets likely gets remade and that former child shows them this instead of whatever new came out in theaters. For this is more than just a movie but something which feels like a memory you want to relive over and over.
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