Disney's 'Christopher Robin' Is a Good Way to Waste Time

I feel like I'm supposed to hate this movie, but I don't. If there is one skill that Disney has mastered, it is the ability to sell childhood back to adults. Disney's Christopher Robin exists for that sole purpose. The film, Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland), feels like one relentless pursuit to remind you of the times in your childhood you spent watching Winnie the Pooh; almost half the dialogue is comprised of quotes from A.A. Milne's novel or Disney's classic adaptations. This is a film with enough flaws that I could rip it apart and criticize it until my fingers become attached to my keyboard. And yet, despite it's many flaws, the film works. I don't know how, but it does. Perhaps it is due to the irresistible likability of the characters crafted years ago or maybe the filmmakers on this reboot actually did do something right after all. Regardless, Christopher Robin actually works, really well.

This reboot opens in the hundred-acre woods where we are reunited with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Roo having a picnic to say goodbye to the title character. Christopher Robin explains that he has to leave to go to boarding school yet he promises Winnie the Pooh that he will never forget him and the time they spent together in the Hundred Acre Woods. After a brief montage of Christopher Robin growing up, going to school, fighting in the war, getting a job, and getting married, the film settles into its post-war 1940s setting where we meet Christopher Robin as portrayed by 47-year-old Ewan McGregor.

Despite some scenes where he demonstrates compassion to his employees, the film does not seem too concerned about protecting grown-up Christopher Robin's likability. He is a workaholic, neglects his daughter, is rude to his wife, and shudders at any sign of joy or playfulness. The inciting incident of this film is when Christopher Robin's boss, Mr. Winslow (Mark Gatiss), forces him to work the weekend to find a solution to the company's financial troubles and suggests firing his employees. We then cut to Pooh waking up and unable to find his friends. He ends up leaving the Hundred-acre Woods and running into his old friend, Christopher Robin who blatantly tells him that he "hasn't even thought of him in 30 years." Pooh asks Christopher Robin for help to find his friends. Christopher Robin initially refuses but then agrees to go to the Hundred-acre woods with him, thus beginning an adventure that allows him to rediscover what joy and excitement feels like.

Perhaps the biggest problem is the choice of protagonist. Christopher Robin, the least interesting character from the Disney classics, has far more screen time than the rest of the Hundred-acre Woods ensemble combined. An unnecessary amount of the film is spent in his office leaving the audience to wonder where Pooh is. There are no bold or risky story choices in the film and most of the film is slow-paced and dramatic, except a few moments which are genuinely hilarious. Yet sometimes in Hollywood, playing it safe is the best option. As a whole, the film is effective yet forgettable.

Visually the film is very desaturated to support the gloomy "real-world" tone the majority of the film focuses on. My thought after watching the first trailer was "why is this so gloomy? it needs to be alot more whimsical" but I think it ultimately makes the film more interesting by diverting from audience's expectations.

The most controversial thing about this movie is, in my opinion, the best part. The realistically styled animation, which I admit does take some getting used to, is incredibly effective at capturing the dreary "welcome to the real world" tone the film seems to be going for. And Ewan McGregor masterfully interacts with the animation in a delightful way.

Christopher Robin's friends in the Hundred-acre Woods are charmingly candid in how they express their emotions, consistent with all the film's source material. This helps the film communicate its message. Christopher Robin is a workaholic on the edge of a breakdown. It is only through a twist of events that force him to not be working that he finds the ability to take a step back and re-evaluate his priorities. Stillness is a forgotten necessity in our chaotic world and I was happy to see a film address this message. Or as Pooh quotably says, "doing nothing often leads to the very best of somethings."