There are people who thought we didn’t need a new Winnie the Pooh movie, while others said that a live action one is exactly what we needed. I was in the middle of those two groups and despite my love of Eeyore and Tigger, this version of Pooh really won me over.
No movie is perfect and this one was flawed from start to finish, but I was able to look past that because Pooh steals every scene he’s in with his wisdom and funny antics. Whether he’s stuck in a honeypot or requesting a balloon, he’ll melt your heart in ways you didn’t think he could.
Ewan McGregor would never be my first or tenth selection to play this role. Christopher Robin as a kid is someone we can all relate too and like. Then McGregor steps in and gives us a young veteran of a World War who is such a jerk, he never really deserves the pretty wife, beautiful daughter, and his friends in 100 Acre Woods. That was really my biggest problem with the movie, it was hard to picture this bad human interacting with these innocent animals who ooze nothing but love. It was believable yet not believable at the same time. All of us have experience hardships in our lives and even though those moments break some people, there is no real reason for him to be so mean and yet have so much.
Christopher Robin’s life spiraled out of control, which forced these animals he abandoned to cross from fiction to reality in order to rescue their best friend. Some would save he didn’t deserve saving while others may say that is what makes this story so special. It is really tough to hate this film and love at the same time. I know I am not alone in this boat given the characters involved in telling it. This is ultimately why I’m so conflicted and a little confused on why all the characters from 100 Acres weren’t along for the ride that has divided so many.
I would probably watch this movie again and own it because Winnie the Pooh is worth it, although I think that everything surrounding Christopher Robin was a mess. There are several areas of improvement here, but if you stand back and just let this be a family friendly movie and don’t dig too deep, the animated characters you know and love will be enough to get from start to finish. 7/10Â
Ten Stars or Less 
Its interesting to read your review. I haven’t seen Christopher Robin but I did watch Goodbye Christopher Robin recently and looking at that story revolving A.A. Milne and his son and how his son turns out at the end of that one, it kind of correlates and I wasn’t a fan of the grown up version of Christopher Robin in that one.
Regardless, who doesn’t want Winnie the Pooh and the gang crossing fiction to reality so I’m down to see this despite those messy bits.
We wanted to watch Goodbye Christopher Robin but it never came here. I haven’t seen it on Netflix yet, so maybe someday I will get around to it. I’m a little more interested now that you mention the relationship between Christopher and his father and how you can see it carry over into this film. When I get a chance, I’ll review it. Thanks for the heads up!
Glad you enjoyed it, but I think I’ll just wait for the DVD.