CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

Film Review by FIORE

Years ago, yea I sadly say it was decades ago, Kenny Loggins penned a now classic tune dubbed “House at Pooh Corner”.  Though it dealt with the childhood characters created by A.A. Milne, the song was intended for adults and not children.  The same can be said of Disney’s latest film, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN.

 

Certainly, the movie features Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet and the rest of the crew from the Thousand Acres Woods, and they are cute and lovable, though honestly less so than their cartoon counterparts, but they do not dominate the screenplay.  There are long segments where they do not appear, causing the yungins’ in the press screening to become restless.  So, like Loggins’ tune of a time when songs were actually worth listening to, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN will sit much better with the adults than the kids.

Ewan McGregor plays CHRISTOPHER ROBIN.  He is now an adult, and as such, has forgotten his playful side.  He feels the pressures of trying to earn a substantial living to provide for his family and in the process is away from them for too long.  This is the same tome Disney used with Robin Williams in HOOK.  It was necessary for Peter Pan to discover the innocence and fun of youth to once again become the person everyone loves. 

This is a good theme for Disney, and really the only one they can cultivate without alienating a large portion of the audience.  Disney, for the past decade and a half, is nothing more than a propaganda machine for the progressive, liberal, socialist left.  They are firmly entrenched in the Woman Warrior Agenda, support fully the failed tenets of multiculturalism and celebrate the single parent family as a cultural cornerstone.  But, this one theme of rediscovering youth once grown, is an ideology not based on political propaganda, and is one of Disney’s strongest assets.  

The script, written by Alex Ross Perry and Tom McCarthy is standard Disney template, and there is never a doubt how the movie will end.  Scenes establishing character and plot often drag, so that even though the movie is under two hours, it often feels as if it is wearisome, especially to the kids.  The final reels are filled with the animals and slapstick comedy.  If the kids make it that far, they’ll love the climax. 

It will probably be impossible to see the movie on your own.  More than likely some little tot or two will follow along.  And that might be a shame, for CHRISTOPHER ROBIN is best appreciated by adults, especially those who have lost their ability to play, and just have fun.