Whimsy. It’s a word that is so easily attached to any Disney release. They have a tried and tested formula for family entertainment that has seen them evolve to the multimedia behemoth that they are today. With any other studio, this might become tiresome and repetitive but, with the House of Mouse, that’s just not the case.
We are reintroduced to the titular character as the boy that we all know from the stories by A.A. Milne as he prepares to go off to boarding school and has to leave all his friends behind. We see Christopher grow up into a man (McGregor) and find that he has all the trappings of a grown-up – a family and a job.
Things come to a head when Christopher has to cancel a weekend family trip back to his childhood cottage in Hartfield because of work, leaving his wife Evelyn (Atwell) and daughter Madeline (Carmichael) to make the trip alone. As Christopher sits on a park bench trying to work out a work dilemma, Pooh pops up, making Christopher think he’s lost his marbles.
Pooh is hoping that Christopher can help him find all their other childhood buddies – Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo, who appear to have got lost. So Christopher goes back to Hundred Acre Wood to discover it shrouded in mist and everyone missing.
Once he has successfully found them all, he returns to London for an important business meeting, only to discover that Tigger has mistakenly removed some vital papers from his briefcase and replaced them with some twigs and leaves. Suddenly the race is on for the furry friends to join forces with Madeline and get the papers back to Christopher before it’s too late.
The main subplot about a father losing touch with what’s important in life is always relevant. Kids always want to grow up and parents always reminisce about their childhoods. While it’s great to see the characters where we know they should be, it’s clear that the film is at its strongest when they are out of their comfort zone, parading around London and getting involved with all kinds of high-jinks and car chases.
The main actors are all perfect for their roles, and Gatiss shines as the villainous boss, Giles Winslow, who would much rather play golf than spend his weekend working. The colours are muted to tie in with the time period, and although the characters are like those in the original books rather than the exuberantly coloured cartoon versions, the warmth you feel from them all is nothing short of delightful.
A guaranteed treat for the whole family.
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN / DIRECTOR: MARC FOSTER / SCREENPLAY: ALEX ROSS PERRY, TOM MCCARTHY, ALLISON SCHROEDER / STARRING: EWAN MCGREGOR, HAYLEY ATWELL, BRONTE CARMICHAEL, MARK GATISS / CERT: PG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
