It’s easy to dismiss the Winnie the Pooh books as fluff, and in modern incarnations for kids they’re often presented that way, but they’re absolutely brilliant. Goodbye Christopher Robin, directed by Simon Curtis, and starring Domhnall Gleeson and Margot Robbie, tells the story of A.A. Milne’s creation of the Hundred-Acre Woods and the inhabitants therein. The second trailer oudoes the first, keeping the father/son relationship (his son was really named Christopher Robin), but also underscoring the effect WWI had on Pooh just as the same war had on Tolkien’s writings. Perhaps the only good things to come out of that useless bloodbath. The Pooh stories are simple fun as a child, but read as an adult, you begin to understand that Milne’s Woods are the mindscape of his own child and each character within represents an aspect of his own personality. This reminded me a bit of Finding Neverland, and if it can meet that bar, then it will have succeeded without qualification. Goodbye Christopher Robin opens October 29, 2017.
GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children’s author A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh. Along with his mother Daphne (Margot Robbie), and his nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald), Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in the international success of the books; the enchanting tales bringing hope and comfort to England after the First World War. But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what will the cost be to the family?
I agree with you, the Pooh books are wonderful. Ever since I was a little kid I felt an affinity with Eeyore. It’s not that I suffer from depression, it’s just that I always related to his outsider/contrarian perspective. My favorite Eeyore quote is, “The nicest thing about the rain is that it always stops. Eventually.”
It’s a shame that Disney owns the rights, and we can’t get an adaptation that captures the charm and poetry of Milne. Everything about the ongoing Disney version is wrong, from the way the characters have been redesigned, to the voices.
I don’t know much about Milne, other than the basics, so this will be a fun movie (and a good occasion to do some reading about Milne too, because I never trust the Hollywood version and always supplement biopics with biographies). There are so many wonderful true stories out there, just begging to be told, but Disney is coming out with a sequel to Winnie the Pooh soon, and it’s going to make about twenty times what this wonderful-looking real-life drama will make, so there’s my answer right there about why Hollywood runs itself like it does.
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There is of course a competing biopic in the works called Christopher Robin for next year as well so I think we’ll be more Milne savvy soon.
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Are you sure? I thought that was the Disney “sequel,” about CR returning to the Hundred Acre Woods.
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I’m right, I just checked it out, it’s starring Ewan McGregor. It’s basically going to be “Hook,” except instead of PP it’s CR who grew into a boring adult and needs to reconnect with the fantasy from his childhood.
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Oh, my word….I’m over the moon! If not for your post, I wouldn’t have known about this movie. All these decades later, I still love Winnie The Pooh. I referenced both Winnie and Christopher Robbin in one of my posts–and Eeyore in another. What a wonderful review…you have a capacity for depth that I really appreciate….thank you for sharing…I’m so glad we’ve connected 🙂
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Well I’m so glad you enjoyed the write up and I’m not sure I deserve the high praise, but thank you so much for the kind words. I think the best stories are the ones we read as children, then read again as adults and find something new, the revisit again once more to bookend our lives (I’m paraphrasing a quote and I’m not at the third stage yet, but I think it’s true). Gleeson is such a versatile actor and a rising star, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him as Milne before he’s General Hux in Episode VIII two months later.
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You sure do deserve high praise 🙂 Also, I hadn’t heard that quote before–but, I’ve felt that sentiment, no doubt about that (and, I’m not at the “bookend stage” yet, either). The movie looks soooooo beautiful….it has my favorite look. Thanks, again for bringing it to my attention. I will be sure to “visit” you again and again (no expectation/pressure for you to do the same). 🙂
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I think I shall enjoy our visits.
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🙂
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I had no idea this existed! I am so happy.
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Well I’m so glad I wrote it up then. It looks great!
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