Probably the worst part of this film is that some people may think that it tells even a based on a true story origin story for the beloved Winnie The Pooh series.  It doesn’t.  The real life Christopher Robin didn’t invent the characters nor was he a harried but populist lower executive for a suitcase manufacturer selling to only an elite target market, but rather he was the son of a noted playwright and author who ended up marrying his cousin.  I can understand why Disney would try to create a different origin story for Winnie The Pooh than the real story, which is far more awkward and uncomfortable and far less relatable.  Even so, while some of the interactions between Robin (played ably by the harried Ewan McGregor) and his animated stuffed animals, particularly Winnie the Pooh, are a bit cringeworthy, the film as a whole is a pleasing old fashioned tale that ends in rousing and inspirational fashion and shows Disney in a particularly populist moment seeking to appeal to the common person, perhaps made up of harried adults who remember the children’s books fondly and want to recapture some of the joy of life that was lost when adulting got to be too difficult.

In terms of its plot, this book offers little that is exceptionally original, although the production values are strong and the animated animals are voiced well, even if the fantasy rules are a little bit too convenient, such as the animals thinking at first that the adult Christopher Robin is a scary Huffalump.  There are a lot of things that are too convenient about this film, from the inconsistencies of who can hear the stuffed animals talk and who cannot, to the adventure of Christopher’s daughter, to the rousing speech at the end that saves the day and sets up the requisite happy ending, to the way that Winnie The Pooh finds Christopher Robin’s place in London in the first place.  Hand-waving away these plot holes and inconsistencies by appealing to whimsy alone is a bit weak, but if you can overlook the blatantly convenient nature of the film’s plot and the obvious deus ex machina elements, there is at least a good deal to enjoy here.  It could be much, much worse.  If you are looking for a heartwarming and obviously fictional tale for pleasant family viewing, this is likely to be an enjoyable film that will please the kids and possibly the adults too.

For all of its convenience, the film does at least address some serious issues.  Like many contemporary movies, this film presents the view that adulting is hard and that many adults end up in jobs that they do not really enjoy in order to provide for their families.  The film also somewhat uncomfortably views artistic creativity as something that has to be hidden because it makes one seem less mature and less well adjusted to the way of the world.  There are a few aspects of the protagonist’s character that could have been a bit more fleshed out–it is a bit of a shame that the obvious writing talent that is behind the Winnie The Pooh tales is not something that is explored as needing a lot of practice.  Instead, it is as if one can have some creative ideas as a kid and then magically you become a wonderful story teller as an adult, without having to spend thousands and tens of thousands of hours honing one’s craft.  Additionally, this film could have stood to explore a bit more of the changes that resulted to Christopher Robin as a result of his experience in war.  As it is, this is a film that alludes to a lot of serious business but does not bring it out to consciously examine it.