Not being able to find a serious movie on Netflix or Amazon last night, the family decided on Christopher Robin, which was recently in theaters. It was such a great choice! We alternately laughed, chortled, and chanted a lot of the phrases we remembered from the books – in short, we had a great time.
It’s hard for a movie to elicit nostalgia from every generation, but after 90 years, Winnie the Pooh is a still character to which we can all relate. The first Winnie the Pooh story written by Alan Alexander Milne first appeared in the London Evening News in 1925 on Christmas Eve. The story, “The Wrong Sort of Bees,” would be the first chapter in the first volume of stories, “Winnie-the-Pooh,” published on October 14, 1926. Milne named the boy in the story after his son, Christopher Robin Milne, and named Pooh after Christopher Robin’s teddy bear Winnie. A 2017 movie concerns this part of the bear’s story, Good-by, Christopher Robin.
My own children grew up with the books, as had I, but they also saw Disney’s The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh on TV, a series running from 1988 to 1991. The theme song and the catch phrases from each character have stuck in my head from their many viewings!
Christopher Robin is pure fantasy – of course created by Disney – with Pooh and all the other character from the Hundred Acre Wood – Eeyore (my personal favorite), Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Tigger, Kanga and Roo. The story is simple: it begins with Christopher Robin at his going-away party in the Hundred Acre Wood with all of his friends and his last day for many, many years with Pooh. He goes to boarding school and grows up into a joyless, all-too-responsible adult, neglecting his wife and his daughter Madeline, while he works to save his job.
Christopher Robin receives a surprise visit in London from his old childhood pal, Winnie the Pooh, who needs his help to find his friends who have gone missing in the Wood.
Christopher Robin goes back to the Wood, battles a Heffalump and finds the old friends, but has to return to London with a plan to save his department in the luggage manufacturing company. His plans get left in the Wood, so the lovable bear and the gang travel to the big city to help Christopher fight a Woozle and rediscover the joy of life.
Jim Cummings, a Disney voice actor mainstay, returns as the voice of Winnie the Pooh, a role he has had since 1988. Ewan McGregor plays the grown-up Christopher Robin and Margot Robbie his frustrated wife. Pooh and the other characters are CGI, but are made to resemble weathered toys. McGregor and the actors worked with real, plush, stuffed animals that matched their onscreen counterparts.
I can’t recommend this movie enough. If you have children who have read Winnie the Pooh, they will love it. If you are a Winnie the Pooh fan, you will, too. Watch it together.
Some of my favorite Pooh quotes:
Sometimes the smallest things take the most room in your heart.
If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.
One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside
If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.
I did not hear of this movie. We watched so many Pooh videos when our kids were growing up. And we all still quote some of the lines!
Then you should definitely see this! You will love it! I am good at quoting Milne’s poetry.
So beautiful 💜💜
It touched my heart!
Great review and who could not resist another visit with Winnie the Pooh! Thanks so much for sharing and for those wonderful quotes too… Adding this one to my must-watch list. 🙂 xo
Thanks, Bette. You will love it!
Awww. I can’t wait to see this now, Noelle. My grandson will love it. My kids grew up on Winnie the Pooh and I did too! Thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂
Have fun watching this with your grandson, Diana!
I wanted to see this, but the rest of the movie-going gang had other things to do, so I didn’t. I dare say I’ll catch up with it in time. Glad you had a good time with the family!!
Hope you do catch up with it! The younger crowd are into more violence, run and gun, or deep psychology. BUT they really like it, too!
This film was released in Japan last year, and I was hesitant whether to watch it or not. But thanks to your review, my husband & I will look it up! Thank you, Noelle 🙂
You’re welcome, Takami. I thought about seeing it in a theater but we don’t go to the movies often. I’m so glad we had a second chance to see it, on TV.
Thanks for the review, Noelle. I haven’t seen it yet but hope to soon. 🙂
Enjoy it, Norah! It brought back so many sweet memories and made us laugh!
I’m looking forward to it, Noelle. 🙂
Thanks for reminding me about this movie – I can’t wait to see it!
We might just watch it again for the laughs!