Christopher Robin Review

Oh bother.

So this one had an interesting setup; rather than it being a live-action remake of Winnie-the-Pooh (like most of Disney's live-action films nowadays), it's more of a sequel where Christopher Robin is an adult and a workaholic who loses his sense of fun and neglects his family. But Pooh and friends magically reappear in his life so they can remind him that imagination is important. It sounds like an admittingly cookie-cutter idea, yet one that could still work with the right amount of care. I was looking forward to this one quite a bit. I think that Disney made the right choice with creating a film that expands on the other Winnie-the-Pooh stories with a more mature (yet still family-friendly) approach. You know, as opposed to a shot-for-shot remake that bombards you with creepy CGI.

Cute character right? Surely they couldn't mess it up that royally!

You had one job, Disney. ONE JOB! 

And if you're wondering, I have no problems with the designs of the characters in Christopher Robin. I actually think they are some of the best live-action translations from cartoon characters that Disney has ever done. They're very warm and inviting, just like the original versions. They're not bland and unsettling like a particular teacup (along with his mum). I'm just happy they made sure that Pooh didn't look like a corpse or something. Also, all other technical aspects of this film are good. Just getting that out of the way.

So yeah, I was interested in what route this film would take and what questions it would bring up. But by the end of watching the film, it brought me one question in particular: 

"Huh?"

Yeah, I wasn't really a huge fan of this one. I didn't think it was bad. It was just flawed and didn't click with me personally. I think the film's goals were about what I wanted them to be. But it was so botched in execution that I still can't quite comprehend what it was trying to accomplish or even who the film was for. During many scenes in the film, I felt that it did convey the harsh reality of adult life in the manner that I wanted it to. But of course, scenes with plush animals talking about the childlike wonder in life kinda clashed with the scenes that I thought worked. This is because those scenes feel like they were made for preschoolers (which they probably were). So this in-turn brings me to a crisis, where I start to think, "Wait a minute. I'm an 18 year-old dude watching a film made for toddlers expecting it to be a drama about the struggles of adult life and why you should be able to overcome it." But then, out of nowhere, the film will switch back to the adult drama. Films that do stuff like this make me really question who the intended audience was. Is it toddlers? Is it adults? Both? WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS? I'll tell you the best answer I could come up with.

It's a movie geared towards adults that happens to be appropriate for toddlers. In so, the film attracts more audience members than it normally would in the illusion that it's a movie made for the whole family.

There's still really no indication that I'm right, but I truly think this is the case. The film is entirely too slow to be a Kids' movie, as those movie generally have much quicker paces (almost too quick, a lot of time). The creative team behind the movie wanted to make a slow paced drama, but also added the Winnie-the-Pooh aspect so it could sell. Yet still, the movie manages to make about as much sense as many kids' films nowadays, especially with its resolution. Think about this: a movie that primarily focuses on adult struggles basically ignores that they even exist in the end and say that life is perfect no matter what. You and I both know that while there are plenty of beautiful things about life, other things about life suck. That's the approach I think it should've gone with. But it didn't, so oh well. 

In short, I'm not dissuading you from watching this film. I really think you should check it out if you're interested. But this movie didn't do it for me. It worked for others, but not me. I don't think it's a bad movie per-say, but I also don't think it's a very good one either.

SCORE: 5/10

I think I'm going to revisit this one in the future. I feel like this is a film where my opinion will change for the better upon a second viewing. But until then, my opinion stands.