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RATING: **1/2 out of four Director: Marc Forster Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Brad Garrett Screenplay: Alex Ross Perry, Allison Schroeder, Tom McCarthy Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes
If you’re of a certain age, there’s something comforting when we’re reacquainted with things from our childhood.
Review: 'Christopher Robin' brings smiles — and Pooh — to the big screenBack to video
So it’s a welcome sight to see Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and the rest of the beloved animals from the Hundred Acre Wood on the big screen in Christopher Robin even if the tale they’re telling is a well-worn journey of self-discovery.
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In the sequel to A.A. Milne’s books of the 1920s, Disney’s live-action/CGI mash-up finds the titular character (played by the charming Ewan McGregor) in the midst of a third-life crisis. When we catch up with him, McGregor’s Christopher Robin is struggling in his mid-level job at a London luggage manufacturer and coasting through his marriage to Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and his relationship with his daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael).
And he continues to just breeze along until Pooh shows up in post-Second World War London, thanks to a magical portal at the base of a hollow tree outside Christopher’s home, to help him find the joy in life again.
From there, Christopher Robin morphs into a whimsical fable that’s aided by fantastic voice work from the familiar Jim Cummings (who has played Pooh and Tigger for over 30 years) and newcomer Brad Garrett as the sad-sack Eeyore. The animation is also something to behold, with the animals of Hundred Acre Wood looking remarkably well-worn and lifelike. But the movie, directed by Marc Forster (World War Z) from a screenplay by Alex Ross Perry, Oscar-winner Tom McCarthy and Allison Schroeder, manages to really tap into Pooh’s Zen-like way of looking at the world with such philosophical missives as, “I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I’ve been.”
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As Christopher learns to appreciate the stuff that makes up a life, adults will get a little emotional remembering what it was like to be a child. They’ll perhaps also contemplate how easy it is to lose sight of the people and moments that fill our lives with meaning.
Meanwhile, the kids will have just enough to smile at thanks to Pooh’s pratfalls and honey-themed jokes.
It all wraps up neatly (surprise), but the film comes off a little frothy and the good feeling wears off perhaps a little too quickly. Christopher Robin pricks the surface, and it’ll certainly leave you with the warm and fuzzies, but the story sticks a little too closely to the surface.
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