Christopher Robin Movie Review

By: Lynn Barker

In Christopher Robin, a young boy plays with his best friends in a huge Hundred Acre Wood. The fact that they are living stuffed animals who talk, isn’t strange to Christopher. The animals (Winnie the Pooh, a honey-loving bear (voice of Jim Cummings), bouncy tiger Tigger (also Cummings), Eeyore, a depressed donkey (Brad Garrett), semi-wise Owl (Toby Jones), big hearted, frightened Piglet (Nick Mohammed), neat freak Rabbit (Peter Capaldi), mother kangaroo Kanga (Sophie Okoneda) and son Roo (Sara Sheen) are depressed when Christopher is sent away to boarding school. They don’t see him again until he is an overworked adult who has no time for them or his wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and young daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael). Can a series of mishaps change this?

The animals hope Christopher will returnCourtesy of Disney

Goodbye to the Woods

Christopher Robin is being sent from Sussex to a boarding school in London and his talking stuffed animal friends from the Hundred Acre Wood, throw him a going away picnic party. All are sad to see him go, especially animal bestie Pooh whom Christopher promises never to forget. At school, the boy is teased about his cute animal drawings and he is forced to put them aside and start to grow up. His dad dies and he goes home but doesn’t visit his old woodland friends. He’s losing his imagination and sense of wonder.

Christopher's family in happy timesCourtesy of Disney

Adult Problems

Years later, Christopher is grown up, meets pretty Evelyn, falls in love, gets married, goes to war and returns to Evelyn and new daughter Madeline. He has a thankless job as an efficiency expert at a luggage company and is bossed around by lazy Giles Winslow Jr. (Mark Gatiss). He is at work constantly and plans to send his daughter to the same boarding school he went to. She misses her dad already and doesn’t want to go. The family is falling apart. Winslow tells Christopher to cut 20% of the cost of making luggage and fire whoever he has to to make this happen. The family plans to visit the countryside are dashed when Christopher must accomplish this over the weekend. Wife and daughter sadly go alone.

Madeline studies rather than playsCourtesy of Disney

From the Wood to the City

Meanwhile, lonely Pooh wakes up, has run out of his fave honey and can’t find any of his animal friends. A thick fog has fallen over the wood. Hoping Christopher could help find the gang, Pooh goes through a magical door in a tree and ends up in London where he rests on a park bench.

Christopher discovers Pooh on the park benchCourtesy of Disney

Stressed Christopher, avoiding a nosy neighbor, rushes into the park, discovers Pooh and thinks he’s going mad when the bear talks. He remembers the past, however and takes Pooh in. Since the magical tree door has disappeared, he agrees to take the bear back to the Wood but he has no time to help him find missing friends.

Pooh can't find his friendsCourtesy of Disney

Misadventures

After desperately trying to make Pooh be quiet since a talking stuffed animal freaks out strangers, Christopher finally gets on a train where Pooh keeps talking so he can’t do his needed paperwork. At the countryside cottage, Christopher hides Pooh and tries to hide from his wife and daughter. Madeline is sadly studying when she should be playing. Pooh wants to play with her but Christopher needs to work so takes him back to the Wood. He plans to leave but Pooh is so sad that he stays to help look for the missing animal pals. The two are separated and after several mishaps, Christopher finds the animals hiding because they think there is a mythical Heffalump monster in the area that will eat them.

Christopher tells Pooh he must not talk in townCourtesy of Disney

What to Do?

Christopher knows there are no Heffalumps but pretends to fight one so that the animals will come out, feel safe and go home. He is successful. He is gradually regaining his sense of wonder and play. He ends up falling asleep and wakes with little time to finish his work and return to the city.

Christopher pretends to fight a HeffalumpCourtesy of Disney

He encounters wife and daughter who think he’s decided to join them after all. They are shattered when he can’t tell them why he came and has to leave again. In the woods, Tigger has found Christopher’s business papers and replaced them in his briefcase with sticks and “important” things. Christopher leaves thinking the papers are in his briefcase.

The animals keep Christopher's papersCourtesy of Disney

Return to London

Believing that his evil boss will eat Christopher if he doesn’t do his work, the gang decides to go to London to give the papers back to him. Madeline happens upon the animals and, after getting over the shock that they walk and talk, recognizes them from a childhood drawing her dad made and offers to take them all to London to her dad.

Madeline will take the animals to town to find dadCourtesy of Disney

She leaves a note for mom and heads out. Worried, mom follows. Christopher, at the business meeting, has discovered that his notes are missing. He is further in trouble when Evelyn comes to tell him Madeleine is also missing.

The family plus animals are reunited in LondonCourtesy of Disney

Happy Ending?

Will Madeline and the animals get Christopher’s papers back to him in time? Will he keep his job? Will Christopher regain his sense of fun and imagination? Will Madeline still be send to boarding school? Can the family (including the animal friends) reunite and will the adult Christopher realize they come first?

Evelyn wishes Christopher would come homeCourtesy of Disney

Wrapping Up

Christopher Robin is one of the sweetest most adorably charming films I’ve seen in a very long while. You’ll want to go home, hug a scruffy stuffed animal and hope it responds with “You’re squishing me”. Too cute.

Animals enjoy a day at the beachCourtesy of Disney

The CGI-created animals are rendered just scruffy and loved enough over time to have lost a bit of “fur” etc. I loved every one of them. We all might have a favorite. The grumpy Eeyore is mine. They are all adorable across the board. CGI and live action is beautifully blended. You really can believe these little woodland critters in stuffed animal form can walk, talk and interact with humans.

Adult Christopher takes Pooh inCourtesy of Disney

Some of the original artwork from the Pooh books is used here and there, the voice actors are perfect for their roles and if you read the Pooh adventures as a younger person you might recognize some of their dialogue. Ewan McGregor as the adult Christopher charmingly plays playful and overworked equally as well.  Neglect of family due to adult overwork isn’t a new story premise and you know the family will have to be mended but the participation of beloved talking stuffed animals from childhood in making it happen is more unique.

Adult Christopher tells Pooh he's sorry he can't stayCourtesy of Disney

Some movie-goers might think that the film is too “sweetsie” and sentimental but we were completely charmed and entertained as was our screening audience. In these troubled times, we can use a movie that rekindles our sense of imagination and wonder. Can’t do much better with beloved childhood characters. We can go a full five stars. Stick around through the credits for a fun beachside scene that includes some well-known Winnie the Pooh and friends songs.

Christopher Robin Movie Rating: 

Courtesy of Disney

See Christopher Robin in theaters now!

Have Your Say

Are you familiar with the tales of Winnie the Pooh and his favorite boy Christopher Robin and all their woodland pals? Do you just love stuffed animals and wish they could be real? Are you ready to grab your pals and check out the film? Let us know below.