Christopher Robin (2018): A Journey to the Past

M.T Peters
Sep 1, 2018
3 min read

Winnie the Pooh. Just seeing that name brings back many childhood memories. I would never have guessed as a child that one day the world of the Hundred Acre Wood and the bustling city of London would collide. Yet this is exactly what happened this August with Disney's latest release, the live action film Christopher Robin.

After months of waiting for this trip to a childhood destination, the day finally came. I rounded up my family and friends and we went to the theatre the day it was released. As the journey began, I knew that it would be like no other of its kind that I had been on in the past. Instead of hand-drawn animation, the Hundred Acre Wood and its inhabitants came alive in a much more realistic fashion.

I enjoyed this film so much that it was well worth seeing a second time. A week ago I had the privilege of going to the local theatre and watching it again with a dear friend. I will now go over some of my thoughts about the film, and why it is so dear to my heart.

The perfect cast

The best thing about this film in my opinion was the casting of Ewan McGregor as the now grown-up Christopher Robin. As a long-time Ewan McGregor fan, seeing that he had been cast in the title role brought me much joy! This also added to my impatience as I waited for the release of this story. I could think of no one better to represent the adult version of a character who was an ever-present part of my youth.

The casting of Hayley Atwell as Christopher’s wife Evelyn was also a marvellous one. As a character who audiences were meeting for the first time, it was important that the role of Evelyn be well-played. She had to capture our hearts right from the beginning, which to me she did flawlessly. It was easy to understand why Christopher fell in love with her so quickly.

There is no doubt, however, that the most interesting character to meet was Madeline, Christopher and Evelyn’s daughter. The last film in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, simply titled Winnie the Pooh, introduced the joys of the Hundred Acre Wood to a new generation. In much the same way, Christopher Robin showed how Christopher was able to introduce his child to the Hundred Acre Wood and all that it brought to his life when he was her age. This was just one of the things that made it so different from all of the Winnie the Pooh films that came before it.

The gorgeous scenery

Another wonderful part of this film that made it stand out was the fact that this time, audiences got to see the Hundred Acre Wood as a beautiful and realistic place. We experienced the majesty of the trees and multiple views of the breathtaking countryside. This brought an interesting angle to the story. As someone who feels that England is the most beautiful of places, it was quite the treat for me.

Wonderful life lessons

No doubt the most important thing about this film were the life lessons that it taught to us. Christopher becomes so caught up with work that he loses sight of what is important in life. Only when Pooh shows up in his life again does Christopher realize that the most important thing to him is his family. We cannot help but be amazed at the thoughts that this “bear of very little brain” and his friends come up with that cause us to think and look at the world differently.

Tigger continues to teach us that there is nothing wrong with showing our joy. Rabbit is his same old frantic self and makes it quite clear that there is nothing wrong with having some healthy carrots now and then. Piglet is as timid as ever but ever ready to help when his friends need him. Eeyore shows us that it is okay to be gloomy every now and again.

It was ever so nice to visit the Hundred Acre Wood again and watch as Pooh and his friends explored London for the first time. I must say that this is my favourite adventure of all the adventures that Pooh has ever embarked upon. It brought together two generations: those of us who grew up with these extraordinary characters and a new generation who will likely love them just as much as we do.

What did you think of Christopher Robin? Let us know in the comments below!

Cover image: Christopher Robin - Walt Disney Studios