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If you're an adult that grew up with 'Winnie the Pooh,' 'Christopher Robin' may be more for you than your kids (B)

Disney's live-action Winnie the Pooh movie, Christopher Robin, has lighthearted moments, but it's not a lighthearted movie.

Before the opening credits have finished rolling, the titular Christopher Robin, dear friend to the iconic Pooh bear, has left the Hundred Acre Wood, gone off to boarding school, learned that his father has died, met his wife, gone to war while his wife is pregnant, gotten injured during the war, come home to meet his young daughter and found a job that he clearly doesn't enjoy. It's not the most depressing opening to a family movie — congrats, Up, you're safe — but it's more bleak than one would expect when walking into a Winnie the Pooh story.

That bleakness carries over to the Hundred Acre Wood, where Pooh and his furry companions (Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit, etc.) all remained, never forgetting Christopher. When we next see Pooh, he's waking up in a dreary, foggy forest alone, and he can't find his friends.

Ewan McGregor in Christopher Robin.
Ewan McGregor in Christopher Robin.(Disney)

In moments like these, Christopher Robin feels less like a movie for children than it does a movie for adults — specifically, adults that grew up watching Disney's many Winnie the Pooh cartoons and who are now, like Christopher, struggling against the often unfortunate aspects of adult life. As we get older, it becomes harder to relate to the carefree nature of Pooh, whose favorite day is always "today" and whose biggest concern is putting food in his belly. Kids in the audience will have no problems there, and there are plenty of antics and cute moments to keep them occupied and entertained while their parents nod along to Christopher's grown-up troubles.

Thankfully, there's a light that eventually shines through the fog. Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin reunite so that the latter can be reminded of what really matters in life and about the importance of allowing yourself to hold onto things that some might call childish.

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If this sounds like the plot of Hook, which imagined a grown-up Peter Pan revisiting Neverland with his kids and rediscovering the importance of imagination, well, yes, OK. They might have a plot point or two in common. But while Hook was all about adventure, Christopher Robin is all about heart. Winnie the Pooh and his friends are so unabashedly pure and innocent that it's difficult not to feel like a kid again when seeing them on-screen.

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For those who grew up watching the classic Disney cartoons, seeing the oddly fuzzy computer-generated versions of the Hundred Acre Wood characters might take some getting used to. But if you can get over that hump, you can appreciate that the visuals are not only impressive on a technical level, but they also succeed in evoking the original stuffed animals that inspired A. A. Milne's story. Sure, it's a different look, but one you can find believable and even familiar once you embrace it.

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Much of the acting weight falls on Ewan McGregor as the titular character. He manages to be convincing as a grown man who has very little trouble accepting that he did, in fact, grow up with a bunch of talking animals as friends and is not insane. That said, the parts of the movie that are focused solely on Christopher and other humans can drag. The magic comes from Pooh.

A huge factor in this is the fact that Jim Cummings returns to voice both Winnie the Pooh and Tigger — characters he has now portrayed in Pooh cartoons for decades. This film would not have worked as well as it does if Pooh didn't sound exactly as you remember him sounding.

Christopher Robin isn't always cheerful, but by the end, it's hopeful. Sometimes the timing of a good story is everything, and this particular story comes at a time when the world at large needs a little more hope, a little more innocence and a lot more Pooh.

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Christopher Robin (B)

PG (for some action). 104 minutes. In wide release.