Review of Christopher Robin (2018) by Thai L — 06 Aug 2018

Doing nothing often leads to the very best something!

What Pooh says to Christopher Robin may seem like it doesn't make any sense, it's actually a very good advice. Christopher Robin doesn't intend to create something new or shocking, it's just simply another adventure of old Pooh and friends, with a message to audiences of all ages similar to those lessons from the original books of author A. A. Milne.

The beginning of Christopher Robin might be considered one of the best openings of any live action Disney movies when director Marc Forster brought in the classic dialogue between Pooh and Christopher from the book, The House at Pooh Corner, which was changed a little bit in movies such as The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Pooh's Grand Adventures: The Search for Christopher Robin. The dialogue will bring tears to audiences who have been following Pooh ever since they were children when recalling their many adventures with him in the Hundred Acre Wood and those who have met Pooh for the very first time will be interested in Pooh and Christopher's friendship.

The beginning also did a very good job of telling the viewers about the events that had happened in Christopher's life before he became a grown-up by mixing the real life's shots with illustrations from the books, and in between are the scenes in which Pooh was waiting for Christopher to come back through the magic door as time went by. Although Pooh is just a stuffed animal, he is not very different from us because he has always been waiting for his dear friend to come back and play. Human tends to forget important things very quickly and Christopher Robin is not an exception either.

Ewan McGregor (who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels) has successfully transformed into a man who is so into work that he couldn't spend time with his family. The tone of the movie is as grey as Christopher and in the crowded street of London after World War II, we couldn't recognize the old Christopher that used to play happily in the Hundred Acre Wood. Maybe the things that we call the responsibility of an adult have made us forget our inner child, just like in the movie The Little Prince, the adults only care about numbers, efficiency and success. In fact, The Little Girl in that movie is not so different from Christopher.

Christopher was sent to boarding school and The Little Girl had to follow her mom's plan so that she could study in a famous school. Both didn't get what a child deserve which is the fun to play. Christopher's daughter Madeline (played by the talented Bronte Carmichael) is the same too. She had to study all the time and her father was so busy that he couldn't have the time to play with her. But if The Aviator could help The Little Girl realize the joy of playing, so was Pooh to Christopher. Pooh (voiced by the famous Jim Cummings) is truly a friend we all need, whether he is real or not. In Pooh can we see the loyalty and a big heart of a true friend. The scene in which Pooh realized Christopher immediately after all those years shows that Pooh always remembered the promise that he had made to Christopher. Pooh, with his thoughtful sayings though often silly and the warm voice of Jim Cummings, has made many generations fall in love with him and his return in Christopher Robin will surely bring Pooh into the lives of many more, which isn't a really bad thing.

When Disney announced that they would make a Winnie the Pooh live-action movie, people assumed that the studio was taking advantage of the audience's childhood to make money. However, the characters that A. A. Milne has created are unlike any fairytale princesses. Those are the characters that we can relate to because every single one of them has a distinct personality that exists in each and every one of us. Piglet is a panic and worried little pig. Eeyore is a donkey that the first thing he says when playing "Say what you see" will be "Disgrace, Shame, Humiliation". Tigger is an energetic tiger and always sings about himself. These characters have been a part of many generations and the purpose of the movie being made is to bring Pooh and his friends to a whole new generation, giving them beautiful memories through the adventures and the valuable lessons. As in the movie Goodbye Christopher Robin, when Christopher headed into war with his comrades, they told Christopher that it was his father's book that helped them hold on to a part of their childhood.

In the end, Pooh and Christopher Robin may be the friend and the movie that audiences need right now to remind them of the important things in their lives.