Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Christopher Robin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 14, 2019

A. A. Milne’s signature character Winnie the Pooh, and all of the characters and the world constructed around him, has delighted children and adults alike since the character debuted in a collection titled Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926. Walt Disney first brought the characters to life in 1966’s Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, and since then the characters have become Disney icons, almost as instantly recognizable and decidedly “Disney” as Mickey, Minnie, and Tinker Bell. Following a number of animated adventures like 2011's Winnie the Pooh and 1977's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Disney's live action/digital hybrid film Christopher Robin takes a new look at the characters in a style similar to films like The Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunks in which animated characters come alive in the real world, this time with a sincere, purely beating, honest heart, not just humor, at the center of the story.

Rediscovering his roots.

Young Christopher Robin (Orton O'Brien) says goodbye to his friends -- friends like Winnie the Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings), Tigger (also Cummings), Eeyore (voiced by Brad Garrett), Piglet (voiced by Nick Mohammed), Owl (voiced by Toby Jones), Roo (voiced by Sara Sheen), Kanga (voiced by Sophie Okonedo), and Rabbit (voiced by Peter Capaldi) -- when he leaves for boarding school and is expected to grow up and away from that which he loves. As an adult, Robin has indeed grown up and away from that which he loves, not just away from his imaginary friends but also away from his wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael). After returning home from war, Robin has become a taciturn workaholic who literally shuts his family away in favor of his work as an "efficiency expert" at a large luggage manufacturing plant. Robin is tasked with cutting costs which means cutting staff. When he skips out on a family vacation to the countryside in order to focus on his work -- again -- he fails to realize that the gap between himself and his family has grown into a chasm. But when Robin chances upon Pooh once more in the middle of London, his life begins to change as he recalls his childhood adventures and friends and begins to understand the mistakes he's made and the burden and obstacle his work has become in his life.

Christopher Robin is a film about reconnection, physical reconnection and emotional reconnection, to what matters in life. The film is thematically rich yet simple in its message as Robin begins to reconnect and gradually reconsider the value of “nothing” to life, which here means enjoying the moment, embracing what matters, and finding balance to everything, lessons that might even help him at work while, just maybe, doing less of it. Color is used as a critical component of the film’s imagery, particularly the “gloomy” Hundred Acre Wood when Robin returns there with Pooh midway through the film. But Director Marc Forster, Actor Ewan McGregor, and the team behind bringing Pooh and friends to life carry the movie smartly and efficiently even without reinforcing imagery. It’s an incredibly touching, endearing, and heartfelt film that asks audiences only to consider what matters most in life, not abandoning what needs to be done but embracing balance and following the heart, not the path through the never-ending rat race of life.

The film greatly benefits from McGregor's performance of the title character. He plays the elder Robin first as a workaholic who clearly loves his family but fears the consequences of failing at his job. His priorities have become grossly out of order. McGregor's ability to channel that disconnect with an unflappable and unmistakable authenticity is quite remarkable. There's an obvious pain, buried well deep inside, but he certainly paints the character superficially, and fairly intimately, as a man who has become so focused on one aspect of his life that he's practically an addict, and withdraw and absence from work -- even to enjoy the comforts and joys of family -- seem like it might very well kill him. As the film moves along, his reconnection to his childhood becomes apparent, and his inner and outer struggle to come to terms with where he is, where he was, and where he must go is obvious. It's a deep, complex work that is critical to defining not just the character, but the entire story arc. He is supported by several wonderful support roles as well as terrific effects work that bring his childhood friends to life with a believable physical and verbal cadence that finds just the right blend of reality and fantasy in presentation and integration into the film.

Christopher Robin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Christopher Robin is a visual treat on Blu-ray. Disney's 1080p presentation is filmic and accurate, highly detailed, and uses color effectively throughout. Texturally, the film comes to life in every scene, with intimate character portraits amongst the highlights, each revealing fine skin nuances with exceptional clarity. Reliably complex textures bring the creatures to life, each one tactile and robust. The Blu-ray reveals fur, the meshy material underneath, and their clothing -- right down to small frays on Pooh's red sweater -- with format-flawless definition. Various environments, from packed London streets to the texturally abundant Hundred Acre Wood, spring to life with sharpness and high yield definition across every frame. Colors present with careful attention to detail. The film on the whole appears a little desaturated for effect, which only increases when an adult Robin and Pooh travel back to Hundred Acre Wood where a bleak, "gloomy" as it is described, world now exists, clearly a visual parallel for the film's themes of unfocused living and Robin's abandonment of both his old way of life and his family. Colors enjoy more even-keeled intensity and saturation elsewhere, where the animal's furs and clothes, Pooh's red balloon, and some choice colors in the city and natural greens in the country all impress a great deal. The Blu-ray handles challenging scenes -- the aforementioned densely foggy Hundred Acre Wood in chapter seven -- with no issues. Black levels often appear raised, which may be part of the film's artistic approach as evidenced by the generally lighter, less punchy and deep color palette. Flesh tones appear fine within the film's visual context, and there are no source or encode artifacts of note.

Christopher Robin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Christopher Robin features a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. It does not fall victim to Disney's low volume or limited dynamic range shortcomings. It's instead a full, detailed, and impressively approachable and immersive track right at normal, calibrated reference listening volumes. The track comes alive on numerous occasions, including agreeably dense and detailed office din at Robin's place of work, city street bustle, and countryside ambience. Surrounds are used in extensive, but balanced and complimentary, fashion to build worlds and draw listeners into them. The back channels also carry some musical supports. Music is primarily carried by the fronts with no concerns for fidelity or spaciousness. The track features plenty of impressively dynamic and involved scenes and sequences, notably in chapter seven when expansive reverberation grows into startlingly large and horrific sounds when Robin believes he is being chased by a monster. Driving rain moments later saturates the stage very well, albeit only for a moment, and voices airily emanate from all over thereafter. It's a stretch that represents the best of a very good track, folding in quality bass, seamless surround integration, and discrete sound detailing. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized across the diverse selection of voices, human and anthropomorphic animal alike.

Christopher Robin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Christopher Robin contains a few brief extras. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• A Movie Is Made For Pooh (1080p, 5:28): Cast and crew discuss creating the film, their memories of Pooh from childhood, creating the dolls, casting, and the timelessness of the characters from the Hundred Acre Wood.
• Pooh Finds His Voice (1080p, 2:43): A look at Jim Cummings' timeless voice work for the Winnie the Pooh character.
• Pooh and Walt Become Friends (1080p, 2:43): A quick look at how Walt Disney first met Winnie the Pooh in one of his daughter's books. It also explores his work with A. A. Milne to bring the character to life.
• Pooh and Friends Come to Life (1080p, 3:16): A look at how the stuffed animals were brought to life for this live-action version. The piece explores the puppets used to stage the film with the actors, the 'fake' stuffies used for the scenes with both CGI and real actors, and how the animated versions were added to the film in post-production.

Christopher Robin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Christopher Robin is a wholesome film that champions balance, perspective, and a love of what matters in life. The picture is elegantly simple in message but richly nuanced in its use of imagery. It's wonderfully acted, both physically and vocally, and the result is a touching, heartwarming film that is one of 2018's best. Disney's Blu-ray is disappointingly short on extras but the video and audio presentations are terrific. Very highly recommended.