Disney’s Christopher Robin Review — Sweet Relief From Mind-Numbing Digital Overload

Just the sweet and simple dollop of honey that’s needed in these complicated and overwhelming digital days, Disney’s Christopher Robin is so deliciously cuddly you’ll find yourself more inclined to hug a loved one as you exit the theater, rather than turning on your mobile phone an checking your texts and emails as you usually do.

It’s the blissful escapism we need to whisk us away from all the woes of the modern world, if only for a little while.

Today’s children have never known a world without social media, video games and a 24/7 news cycle all vying for their attention. Many of us adults hardly remember the days before digitization either, and a film like Christopher Robin reminds us of a time when napping with our wubbies was the most wonderful thing in the world, and all it took to make us happy was a red balloon.

The animation is delightful, as is the voice work. Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings), Eeyore (Brad Garrett), Owl (Toby Jones), Tigger (Chris O’Dowd), Rabbit (Peter Capaldi), Piglet (Nick Mohammed) and Kanga (Sophie Okonedo) are all so cuddly looking you just want to reach out and snuggle them.

Did I mention the film is infinitely warm and fuzzy? In fact, it’s so touching I dare you not to cry. Gentle tears fall in the first five minutes, when a young Christopher Robin is saying goodbye to his furry friends as he goes off to boarding school, through the time when an all grown up Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) neglects his family and childhood friends in favor of a thankless job, right up to the end when Pooh may or may not save the day (no spoilers here).

Thanks to talented director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Quantum of Solace, World War Z) for not mucking it up with a zombie apocalypse or morose people with super powers or endless car chase scenes. Simple heroes, not super heroes, are just what the doctor ordered right now, for the young, the old, and anyone who has ever been a child.

Rated PG

1 Hour 44 Minutes

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Disney’s Christopher Robin Review — Sweet Relief From Mind-Numbing Digital Overload