Christopher Robin

This sweet, sentimental, feel-good family film bears only a superficial resemblance to 2017’s Goodbye Christopher Robin, which was about the resentful, real-life son of A.A. Milne. As this live-action/CGI-animated story begins, young Christopher Robin (Orton O’Brien) is in the Hundred Acre Wood, bidding farewell to his friends—Pooh Bear, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Baby Roo—before departing for boarding school. Years pass and Christopher goes off to war, marries Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), settles in London, and has a lovely daughter, Madeline (Bronte Carmichael). And that is essentially the prologue. Now middle-aged Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) works as an efficiency manager for a luggage company that is losing money, so he’s forced to cancel an eagerly anticipated visit to the family cottage in Sussex. The angst of disappointing Evelyn and Madeline precipitates an emotional crisis, during which Pooh Bear magically appears in a London park, seeking Christopher’s help in finding their missing animal friends. Along the way, Christopher rediscovers what is really important in life and reconnects with his family. Director Marc Forster deftly mixes real-life actors with CGI while adeptly utilizing the voices of Jim Cummings, Brad Garrett, and Toby Jones, among others. Recommended. [Note: Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “A Movie is Made for Pooh” (6 min.), “Pooh Finds His Voice” (3 min.), “Pooh and Friends Come to Life” (3 min.), and “Pooh and Walt Become Friends” (3 min.), along with bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a charming family film.] (S. Granger)