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From A Star Is Born’s depiction of alcoholism to Roma‘s bleak deep dive into the life of one maid, there was no surplus of sad movies last year. But for once the most depressing and heart-breaking bummer of a movie wasn’t a Best Picture nominated film or anything that featured Meryl Streep crying; it was Disney’s too real deep dive into Christopher Robin’s future.
Disney’s Christopher Robin should have been a feel-good slam dunk for the House of Mouse. The family comedy-drama stars Ewan McGregor and Hayley Atwell, two actors who can make even the most ridiculous project feel charming and emotionally compelling. It had a cool premise: who doesn’t want to see a lovely story about a man passing on his wonderful childhood to his daughter? And it centered around one of the most beloved characters in children’s literature, Winnie the Pooh. If there’s one property that can survive endless reboots it’s the ever-sweet citizens of the Hundred Acre Wood.
But a sweet romp, Christopher Robin is not. Instead, what director Marc Forster gave us was a dreary story about one overworked man who has learned nothing from his magical childhood and still continues to learn nothing. As soon as the movie introduces us to adult Christopher Robin (McGregor) things get somber. This once happy boy is now a veteran and paper-pushing briefcase executive, which is apparently a thing in post-World War II England. All Christopher Robin cares about is decreasing his company’s bottom line so that none of his friends will be fired from the briefcase office. He cares about this so much, he’s willing to bail on his last summer weekend with his wife and daughter to figure out his big work problem.
Seems like a problem that can be solved by Pooh Bear (Jim Cummings) reminding him that family and friends are more important than work, right? That’s not the direction Christopher Robin takes. After watching this once precious boy yell at and criticize his childhood best friend for two-thirds of the movie, Christopher Robin doesn’t end with a life lesson, but a convenient cop out. Right before Christopher Robin has to present his bottom line-saving plan, his daughter and Pooh accidentally give him the solution he needs: start marketing briefcases for less wealthy customers. The movie ends with his big work problem getting fixed, but there’s no sign that his priorities have changed.
The frustrating part about all of this is that there was such an obvious way to make Disney’s Pooh reboot better. If Christopher Robin’s daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael) met Pooh and his pals a little earlier, the movie could have focused on her childlike wonder. Madeline could have become the new Christopher Robin, for a new era. That brand of innocent joy is what we’re here to see in the first place. Heck, Madeline’s happiness would probably even prompt her father to reconsider his work-life balance.
Instead what Christopher Robin does is take an innocent little boy who was the pinnacle of wide-eyed childish wonder and turn him into a anxious and overworked middle manager. I don’t know who at Disney is having a mid-life crisis, but turning the Hundred Acre Woods into Office Space is not a good solution.
