Jeri Jacquin
Coming this week to theatres from director Marc Forster and
Walt Disney Studios is the return to the One Hundred Acre Woods and the boy
once known as CHRISTOPHER ROBIN.
Christopher Robin was a young boy who spent all his time in
the woods with his friends Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eyeore, Owl, Rabbit,
Tigger, Kanga and Roo. Their days were filled with exploration and friendship
until Christopher Robin is sent off to boarding school.
As the years pass, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) meets
and marries Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), becomes the father of Madeline (Bronte
Carmichael), is a soldier fighting years of war and returns home to work at a
company called Winslow that makes luggage. He is focused on work which leaves
little time for family.
When he is told by Giles Winslow (Mark Gatiss) that the
company needs to make cuts, Robin must give up a weekend with his family to
work. Evelyn and Madeline are not happy but go off for the weekend on their
own.
Back in the one hundred acre woods, Pooh wakes up to
discover that all his friends are gone. As he starts to search, Pooh finds his
way to London
All Robin can think of is how to get this talking bear back
to where he belongs without anyone, including his family, seeing him. Battling
Heffalumps and the need to get back for an important meeting, Robin loses track
of time and races back to London
Madeline, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore show Christopher
Robin what it means to slow down, remember the people that mean the most and –
to do absolutely nothing.
McGregor as the adult Christopher Robin has his nose the
grindstone doing what he thinks he should be doing, providing for his family.
Forgetting his friends in the forest, Robin feels the pressures of
responsibility and is now forgetting his own family. McGregor as an actor still
manages to have the ability to look child-like when the role calls for it and
make it look effortless. His interactions with Pooh are filled with tension
until he begins to embrace the simplicity he once knew.
Atwell as Evelyn sees the change in her husband and reminds
him that who he is now is not the man she met all those years ago. She wants
him to laugh, smile and be a father once again to their daughter who clearly
misses him. Carmichael as Madeline would
gladly accept moments, fractions of moments with her father but doesn’t know
how to tell him. Feeling as if everything else means more than she does, it
takes the friends in the woods to explain that her father wasn’t always this
way. Carmichael is very sweet and even missing
time with her father; she still wants to help him succeed!
Jim Cummings voices Winnie the Pooh (also Tigger) had me the
moment he began to speak as Pooh. There is such innocence in Pooh and Cummings
brings that so very clear through his voice. Brad Garrett as Eeyore has the
perfect voice filled with sadness and humor at the same time. Nick Mohammed as
Piglet is perfectly cute, Peter Capaldi as Rabbit is very funny, Sophie Okonedo
as Kanga is the Mom who watches over everyone, Sara Sheen as Roo loves her
woodland family and Toby Jones as Owl is sweet.
Other cast include Oliver Ford Davies as Old Man Winslow,
Ronke Adekoluejo as Katherine Dane, Adrian Scarborough as Hal Gallsworthy,
Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Ralph Butterworth, Ken Nwosu as Paul Hastings, John
Dagleish as Matthew Leadbetter, Amanda Lawrence as Joan MacMillan, Katy
Carmichael as Christopher’s Mother, Tristan Surrock as Christopher’s Father and
Orton O’Brien as Young Christopher Robin.
Winnie-the-Pooh was created by A.A. Milne with the first
collection of stories finding its way to the hands of children in 1926. Basing
the character named after his own son Christopher Robin Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
was a teddy bear that belonged to his son. His son named the toy bear after a
black bear he saw at the London Zoo. The rest is history and what a grand and
iconic history it is.
It should be no surprise that Marc Forster directed the film
since he also directed the 2004 film FINDING NEVERLAND. That is another story
about the creation of the iconic story of Peter Pan. The feel created by
Forster is compelling, tugs at the heart and is giggly delightful.
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN is a story about what happens once
childhood fades into a place we chose to forget. In this case, Christopher
Robin is sent to boarding school taking him away from his friends and then
adulting through marriage, a war and a job which changes his focus on life.
What makes this film so relatable is that we are all the
adult Christopher Robin’s in some shape or form. We are all so busy ‘working’
that sometimes the good childhood memories, our family and life suffers in the
juggling. That is the truth of it and its right there in front of us daily
wiping out all else sometimes.
This film brings the simplicity right there in front of us
as well with phrases that will be repeated on the regular and all coming from a
talking bear. Winnie-the-Pooh sees Christopher Robin exactly as he is – even if
he is now an adult. Looking into his eyes, the lovely bear embraces the boy who
has become a man, even if the man doesn’t like it.
The characters of Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo and Owl
are reminders of friendship and the charm that they bring to ones life. These
woodland creatures are loyal, supportive and want Christopher Robin to remember
what is important because it is clear that they deeply love their friend.
McGregor’s portrayal of the iconic little boy who becomes a
forgetful man is what I would expect and yet his performance still moved me. I
will also admit that Pooh and his friends had my heart all tied up neatly in a
bow and might have even brought a tear to my eye. Who wouldn’t want friends
like that to lovingly remind me to embrace every moment, occasionally smile and
remember to do nothing because it will become the best of something.
I absolutely love this film with it’s nostalgia that gives
us a heartfelt look into an iconic boy becoming a man – leaving behind the best
group of friends ANYONE could ever have. Pooh and the gang reminds us that
doing nothing can turn into…like this film…something wonderful.
In the end – sooner or later the past will catch up to you!
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