My Personal Review on Christopher Robin (2018)
August 11, 2018 |
| Image via Walt Disney Studios |
I haven't written anything here in over a month, yikes. I've really been busy with work and my spare time was mostly spent resting. Though my job now isn't as exhausting as the ones before, emotionally and mentally at least, it still requires physical energy, especially since I have more responsibilities now.
That being said, I'd like to point out the main lesson of Disney's latest installment, Christopher Robin. Fair warning: spoilers ahead!
 |
| Image via Walt Disney Studios |
The story focuses on the life of Christopher Robin after leaving his childhood. The film starts with a going away party for Christopher Robin (later played by Ewan McGregor); in this scene audiences are introduced to the beloved characters we all knew and came to love - Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga & Roo, Rabbit, Owl and of course, Winnie the Pooh. As Christopher Robin leaves the Hundred Acre Wood to grow up, he encounters many experiences that will change him as an adult later on - including unhappy boarding school days, the death of his father, World War II, and his first meeting with Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), who later becomes his wife.
 |
| Image via Walt Disney Studios |
Fast forward to the future, Christopher Robin works for a luxury luggage company, Winslow Luggages. However, the time period where most of the movie takes place is just after the War and this causes many problems for many companies, Winslow Luggages one of them. This leads to Christopher Robin spending too much time at work hence having none left for his family. This upsets Evelyn and their daughter, Madeline (Bronte Carmichael), who was supposed to spend the weekend with her father on holiday at the family countryside home in Sussex. Due to his demands at work, Christopher Robin is unable to join them and is left in London alone... Until a good old friend showed up to remind him once more who he really is.
Christopher Robin has a lot of lessons to teach its audiences, but I took three main lessons that personally meant a lot to me.
1. Don't let your work consume you.
We clearly see the struggle of Christopher Robin while working at Winslow Luggages. He is tasked to cut down the company's expenses by firing employees. This is a difficult task, even for anyone, as it's not easy to fire good people for no reason other than cutting down expenses. At one point, Evelyn tells Christopher that he will crack if he doesn't stop and breathe. "Your life is happening right now, in front of you," she says. He has worked too much that he was missing out on his daughter growing up, and worse, he has forgotten who he was.
Winnie the Pooh showing up helped him to remember who he was. "I've cracked," Christopher Robin says, when he sees Pooh out of the blue in London. But Pooh responds, "Oh I don't see any cracks. A few wrinkles, maybe." It was such a sweet moment and Pooh, known for his simple yet philosophical words, simplified Christopher Robin's problem in one adorable statement. He reminds us that we should not wait until we crack, but at the same time, it's okay to have a few wrinkles.
2. Family will always be everything.
Just like any other Disney film, Christopher Robin focuses on the importance of family. It's the theme that almost anyone can relate to. We all have our own families, and we all have our shortcomings towards them as well. Sometimes things like work or social life will consume us too much that we forget about our families. At the end of the day, we will always have them.
Christopher Robin shows the stiff relationship of Christopher and his daughter, Madeline at the beginning of the film. She wanted to be close to him but he unconsciously was pushing her away because of his work, and in turn she became afraid to open up to him. But towards the end of the film, both Christopher and Madeline realize that there's nothing to be afraid of because they have each other. It's a simple father-child narrative, and personally since I've had my fair share of daddy issues, it hit me so much. Dear parents, never take your children for granted okay?
3. Never forget your childhood.
Only people who are really close to me will know how much Winnie the Pooh means to me on a real personal level. Before I knew anything else in this world, Winnie the Pooh was one of the first things that I clearly remember enter my memory when I was a little girl. So when I found out they were making a live action film with all the characters, I was freaking out. True enough when I watched the film, I was crying from start to finish, and I'm not even exaggerating. It gave me such a wonderful kind of nostalgia; it made me miss a time in my life when I was more carefree (perhaps even more cheerful too LOL), a time I can barely remember clearly (I'm talking one, two or three years old). And yet, my heart somehow remembered how it felt whenever I saw Winnie the Pooh - the film tugged a few strings here and there.
Sometimes we have to remember our childhood to refocus ourselves in the present day. Christopher Robin clearly tells us that. Christopher needed to go back to the Hundred Acre Wood to realize that he has lost too much time with his family because of his work. His family is as equally, if not more important than his work, and it took Christopher back to his childhood first to realize this. He had to stop becoming an adult for a moment and become a child again in order to sort out his life. I think at one point, all of us need to revisit our childhood too. Somehow I feel like it will help us to stop and think, where do I want to be and what do I want to do again?
 |
| Image via Walt Disney Studios / Entertainment Weekly |
Christopher Robin really tugged a lot of heartstrings for me. I was crying until after the movie LOL it was that heartwarming for me. A lot of lessons to be learned, but these are my personal takes. I would highly recommend it especially to people who are tired and weary from their daily grind at work. Take a moment to stop and revisit your childhood in order to find yourself and your purpose.
 |
| Image via Walt Disney Studios |
I leave you with two more philosophical Pooh quotes to ponder on while you make your way to work or to the cinemas to watch Christopher Robin -
"People say impossible is nothing, but I do nothing everyday."
"I always get to where I'm going by walking away from where I've been."
♥, Murgaloo
0 comments