When Disney is not producing animated or superhero films the studio is busy retelling their classic tales in a live action format. From
Cinderella to
Beauty and the Beast the studio continues to take their animated classics and breathe new life into them with these new retellings. The latest title to take in this live action leap is not an adaption of a classic movie but rather a film that centers on a particular character; and in this case it is the bear from the Hundred Acre Woods Winnie the Pooh. The stories of A.A Milne and E.H Shepard have played a pivotal part in Disney as the tales of Winnie the Pooh have been told in a variety of films as well as other mediums such as television. Now the iconic bear and his friends return to the silver screen in the film
Christopher Robin. Directed by Marc Forester
Christopher Robin takes a different approach on the Winnie the Pooh series as, rather than reflecting the books, the movie takes a page from the likes
Hook and 2010's
Alice in Wonderland and centers on a grown up Christopher Robin. While this idea is nothing new this direction could bring new life into the classic series.After watching the movie I can say that
Christopher Robin is as much a homage to the series as it is a delightful adventure.
As noted the movie is about Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings) reuniting with a grown up Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) who venture to the 100 Acre Woods to find Pooh’s missing friends all the while dealing with Christopher’s personal conflict. At its core the story of
Christopher Robin is about rediscovery. Despite being a familiar concept, even when it comes to Disney films, the movie uses this idea to the best of its ability. Rather than being cliche with it morals the story takes a subtle approach to its themes and grounds them in a realistic fashion. Along with this niche direction was the story’s adventure which was enjoyable, but rather standard in hindsight. The plot’s structure and pacing was understandable but it prevented the adventurous aspect to flourish and left points, such as Christopher and Pooh’s journey through the Hundred Acre Woods as well as the return to London, to feel limited in their execution. The story of
Christopher Robin was a tame one and while it did have much going for its simplistic nature held the movie back a little bit-but only a little.
