Christopher Robin

Dir: Marc Forster

2018

****

I’ve always liked Pooh, the originals and the Disney cartoons. However, 2017’s Goodbye Christopher Robin directed by Simon Curtis told the truth behind the beloved story and it turned out there was a fair bit of unhappiness surrounding the little boy and his bear. It was a beautiful film but it left me wondering whether it was always a good thing to know everything about something you adore. I think in this case it is good to know the truth but it is also important to keep the magic alive, so while Marc Forster’s Christopher Robin is nothing like the real man, the film should be seen as a continuation of A.A. Milne’s magic stories that, for better or for worse, are now bigger than the author and his son. Robin in real life had nothing to do with the stories in his adult life and didn’t receive royalties but as is the case with the originals and indeed this film, the character is a fictional one merely based on him. I’m trying to justify the fictional element of a factual story but I can’t really, all I can say is I personally don’t have a problem with it and from what I’ve read about Robin, he probably wouldn’t either. That said, I (and probably he if he were still alive) have a problem with Disney in general. They have the money to buy pieces of classic literature, re-write then and stamp their name on them and I really hate it. Hard-core fans of A.A. Milne’s books and stories have long hated Disney’s cartoons but I grew up on the older ones and can’t help but look back on them with warmth and fondness. All I know is that I love Milne’s imagination and use of language and I love Pooh. I approached Foster’s 2018 film with caution but of course I loved it. The film doesn’t shy away from its heavy use of emotional manipulation but in all fairness, it never really wanders far from Milne’s original ideas. I cried like a big fat baby but to be fair I had a few beers before as I couldn’t bare the thought of going in completely sober and thus unarmed. Pooh and the gang looked brilliant as crudely made old toys, they looked real and moved exactly how you’d expect them to. The voice choices were also perfect, with Jim Cummings reprising his role as Pooh and Tigger, Peter Capaldi as Rabit and Toby Jones as a suitable Owl, but I think Nick Mohammed as Piglet and Brad Garrett as Eeyore were the most inspired choices of all. I’m still unsure whether I liked Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of Christopher Robin but I did see his love for Pooh in his eyes which was the most important element of his character. The first half of the film was perfect, the toys and animals were still going about their business all these years later but they never stopped thinking about their friend Christopher Robin. When Pooh finds himself alone one day he decides to go through Christopher Robin’s little door and he finds himself in the middle of London. He finds Christopher Robin quite by chance but not at a good time in his life. Work commitments is pulling Robin further away from his wife and daughter and he has a short time to make some difficult professional decisions. Pooh suddenly appearing doesn’t really help. The initial meeting of the pair is exactly what you’d expect from a Disney movie – awkward, haphazard and devoid of affection. Robin obviously softens and even goes back with Pooh to the Hundred Acre Wood to see his old friends. This is where the magic happens. It is around twenty minutes of unbridled joy and tenderness. The classic shot of Robin and Pooh sat on their log, arm in arm, looking out across the wood is about as good as it gets. Like I said, I cried like a big fat baby. However, when the story goes back to reality it leaves the magic behind. I did love the scenes with Pooh and animals around London, especially as I pass each location on a daily basis and now being able to say ‘Pooh sat in that phone box’ each time I pass it is an absolute joy but the story went down a tired old road. The whole story revolves around the fact that Christopher Robin’s company (a luggage manufacturer) has hit hard times and his pompous boss – the son of the owner – is happier to sack half his staff rather than come up with new ideas. It is up to Robin to find a way of saving his colleague's jobs while at the same time spend time with his family who seem to resent him working. In a frustrating but old-as-the-hills storyline, the father of the house is mistreated by his company while treated as uncaring villain by his loved ones. I’m pretty sure the family wouldn’t be able to keep their beloved Sussex cottage if he did loose his job, a job that also feeds them and keeps them clothed. The film is set around the late 40s/early 50s, so having a good job such as his is lucky in itself. To be emotionally shunned because people have to work was old fifty years ago and even though the film is set a long time ago, it is released in 2018 when most adults have to work tirelessly just to get by and that is both father and mother. That said, I’m friends with loads of people with kids, the idea that fathers never play with their kids is absurd and again, is as-old-as-the-hills. Wake up Disney, it is 2018, update your tired, stupid and slightly insulting ideals. Only Disney is still peddling the whole ‘Daddy needs to save the company’ story too, because company is everything, for goodness sake. It is a huge smudge on an otherwise joyous film. There is a wonderful scene that includes Matt Berry as a policeman, Simon Farnaby as a taxi driver and Mackenzie Crook as a newspaper seller, the three men all convincing themselves that they haven’t just witnessed a talking bear. What a fantastic trio, together in a huge Hollywood film no less. There are many wonderful scenes within the film and I did really enjoy it. A different story would have been great but I still love pretty much everything about it.