Christopher Robin – ICM Film Review
Disney’s Christopher Robin is directed by Marc Forster and stars Ewan McGregor alongside Hayley Atwell and Bronte Carmichael. Ewan McGregor of course, plays the titular role of Christopher Robin who is now a working-class family man, completely and utterly in over his head. Christopher Robin’s adventures in the hundred acre wood has long been forgotten until he encounters an old childhood friend. That’s right everybody’s favourite honey covered bear, Winnie– the–Pooh! Pooh ends up acting as something of a reminder to Christopher Robin on just how important it is to make time for fun.
It’s a good message, one that I’m sure most of us can wholeheartedly get behind, but it’s far from being an original one. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing, these days with the number of films and TV shows being produced it’s understandably difficult to come up with an idea that’s entirely original right the way through to its core. But you do at least want to put your own spin on it and I can’t really say that Christopher Robin does that. It is however, a perfectly competent film and at the very least worth checking out.
For years Winnie-the-Pooh and friends were a staple for so many childhoods and I include my own for that matter, but I don’t think those stories have quite the same footprint on children nowadays as they once did. For that reason despite the PG rating, I actually think adults will get more enjoyment from this movie then children. It’s a charmingly nostalgic stroll down memory lane that at times can be somewhat of a slow burner. Having the chance to hear Jim Cummings reprise his voice work for both Pooh and Tigger made my heart swoon and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.
Ewan McGregor does a more than adequate job acting beside these CGI creatures, if only the same could be said about Hayley Atwell who plays Christopher Robin’s wife. She doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose within the film other than moaning at her husband for being at work so much. Now I’m not for a second calling her out as an actress, it’s obvious to me that she just didn’t have much to work with and that’s a real shame. It doesn’t even make sense for Christopher Robin to be getting moaned at as much as he is, the only reason he’s putting in so many hours is to save other people’s jobs. It’s an act of selflessness, not selfishness.
The first trailer I saw for this film was the one with Christopher Robin turning round to discover Pooh on the park bench behind him and I was more than shocked at the way Pooh was going to look in this movie. Even after seeing the film I’m still not really 100% and the same can be said about any of Christopher Robin’s furry friends. Their black beady eyes are a little unsettling if you ask me and almost seem like something out of 2009’s “Coraline”. I always remember the likes of Winnie-The-Pooh and Tigger being such vibrant and colourful characters, yet in this film, their colour palettes are so dull and washed out, you can barely even make out the stripes on Tigger.
It’s far from perfect, but you really could do a lot worse. Despite looking rather dishevelled Pooh is still just as adorable as ever and guaranteed to provoke a few laughs. Christopher Robin is the sort of film that both children and adults can enjoy for different reasons and what with us being at the tail end of the summer holidays its impeccable timing for such a film to be released.