Watching Christopher Robin was quite simply one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had in a movie theater.
Was it the best movie I have ever seen? I do not believe so. It is hard to say considering I spent the entire time in a magically induced trance filled with awe, wonder, and pure happiness.
For one of the only times I can remember, the movie was not the star of this experience. This film was merely an excuse to take a walk down memory lane. Perhaps "excuse" is selling it too short. This movie cast a spell that compelled the viewers to relive their childhood... or their children's... or their grandchildren's.
I have never seen a movie audience comprised of a wider range of ages. Parents were there with their adult children. Grandparents sat next to tiny grandchildren. Young families beamed as they settled in to watch what I imagined to be their child's first movie. After the credits, a teenage daughter embraced her mother as the pair left the theater as the happiest blubbering mess I have ever seen. The mix was amazing.
And I was there with my 11 and 13 year old children. Or were they 1 and 3... or 3 and 5... or 5 and 7... or 7 and 9? It is hard to tell considering I spent the entire time in a magical stupor reminiscing about so many happy memories involving my children. Was my mom there too? I don't remember buying her a ticket. But it felt like she was right there next to me dreaming about the time she painted a perfect Winnie the Pooh mural on the wall next to the bunk beds my sister and I shared when we were children. Were those my baby brothers' cribs in the aisle? The cribs that my mother hand lovingly decorated with the silly old bear himself?
Yes. I think so. All of those things were there because I brought them all with and will never let them go. I store them in the thoughtful place reserved for my important things. It was so nice to take them all out for an hour or two.
You can't keep your important things all cooped up. Sometimes you need to let them out.
During those two hours I spent pouring over fond memories of my family, a movie played on the screen. A father was so busy with work and planning for his family's future that he forgot to enjoy the life that was right there in front of him. He was not a bad guy. Oh no, quite the contrary. He was a great guy who simply wanted to make sure his family would always be happy. Sadly, he had forgotten that today is also part of "always".
It was a story we have seen one thousand times.
But have we ever seen it with a life-like Winnie the Pooh who spouts the simplest yet deepest philosophical truths all while make us grin from ear to ear every time he is on screen? No. I don't think we have. And that makes all the difference. Pooh is Magic. He is also hilarious!
Of course, the story is very simple. (Pooh isn't a big fan of anything too complicated after all). An adult Christopher Robin needs help learning a lesson about what is truly important in this world. Naturally, his old pal Winnie the Pooh goes on an expotition to post WWII London to help his dear friend. Hijinks ensue when the pair need to get back to the Hundred Acre wood and find the rest of the gang.
Although not very complex, the movie is delightful. There are quite a few very funny scenes intertwined with the ones that tugged at my heart with the strength of a thousand heffalumps. As a result, I spent the entire one and a half hours with tears in my eyes. But don't worry, they were caused by my urge to "happy cry" as my daughter used to call this sensation. My daughter, on the other hand, was a full-blown "happy crying" mess for at least half of the movie. The only problem I had with the entire movie is the real world resolution to Christopher Robin's problem at work. In the story, he has a very large business problem to solve. The solution he poses is not very realistic (but who cars?! it is a kids movie about a talking bear.) Even though I did not like this scene, the writers very wisely tied it up incredibly quickly so we could get back to the fun.
The effects were perfect!
The effects used to create Pooh and the rest of the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood were perfect. They do not look like live-action versions of cartoon characters. They look like stuffed animals! They have creases where their posable legs meet their bodies. The fake fur is worn around the eyes (probably from being hugged so tightly by their human friends). Tigger clearly has a metal spring hidden under his fury tail. These are clearly stuffed animals who have come to life. And they are awesome!
The voices are also perfect. The creators of this movie avoided a horrible mistake of casting some popular modern actor as the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Instead, Jim Cummings reprises the roles he has played since 1988. The magic contained in that familiar voice was one of the main reasons it was so easy to be transported back to the thoughtful place reserved for my important things.
The acting is fantastic. Although Ewan McGregor must spend the majority of the movie interacting with stuffed animals that aren't really there, he never lets the audience know he was merely playing pretend. It really looks like he is interacting with his old friends. He also plays the role with the perfect amount of heart. When he learns the essential lesson that Pooh has taught him, you truly feel the change inside his character. He is also an excellent "straight man" for that silly old bear. Hayley Atwell is wonderful as his wife. Although not in the movie as much as Christopher or Pooh, by far the most important character is Madeline Robin portrayed incredibly well by Bronte Carmichael. Madeline is Christopher's daughter... so of course she is the most important person in this movie and his world. (I'm pretty sure in the Hundred Acre Wood the words "son" and "daughter" translate to mean "most important thing in the world".)
This is what I call "an important thing".
As we drove home from the theater, my daughter was till crying. She felt so bad that Pooh had to wait for Christopher Robin for 30 years. I tried to get her to focus on the fun. That did not work. Then I tried to remind her that Pooh is the ultimate Taoist. He believes in the Yin and and Yang. I explained that Pooh wasn't sad about waiting so long because that wait allowed him to be so incredibly happy when he did see his friend again. Needless to say, that also failed. In between her sobs (and now confusion) she looked up and asked, "Can we watch baby videos when we get home?" She meant videos of her and her brother when they were younger.
Of course we could.
TLDR; The movie Christopher Robin inspired my kids, wife and I to watch several hours of home movies after we returned home from the theater.
It was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had after being in a movie theater.
Oh one more thing. If you can, please go and see a showing of this early in the morning. If you do, there will most likely be some very little kids in the audience. Normally I am not a big fan of people talking during a movie. However, Christopher Robin is an exception to that rule. In fact, my experience was enhanced by hearing the tiny little voices around me exclaim, "Pooh is real! He came to life!" or ask "How did pooh get on the train without a ticket?” Hearing the wonder in those voices made the experience all the more... wonderful.
And when there is wonder in the voices around you and the movie is wonderful and the memories it elicits are wonderful and the home movies you watch afterward are wonderful... that is what I call a Wonderful Day.
Geeky Dad's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0 (Unless it was all just the best dream ever!)
Number of eye rolls: 1 (The soltuion to the business problem was too silly... but it is about THE silly old bear so I can forgive it.)
Number of face palms: 0
Number of times my kids asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Did my kids like it: They both loved it! Yes even a 13 year old young man was magically transported back to when he was a very little boy.
Would I see it without my kids: Yes... but it is so much more fun with them!
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: Full price and early in the day so you can hear the little kids whisper about it.