Christopher Robin – Blu ray and Digital Review

We sit down to go through the ins and outs of the home video release of Christopher Robin, starring Ewan McGregor (swoon) and Jim Cummings.

Christopher Robin is another in the growing line of live action remakes or sequels of classic properties that are hitting the market as visual effects get better. Ewan McGregor (who is very, very popular in our household — both my wife and I have crushes on him) stars as the title character, who is all grown up and racked with the stress of work and life. In a mix of magic and whimsy, his stuffed childhood friends reappear to help him cope (including the voice talents of Jim Cummings, whom we were lucky enough to meet at SaskExpo this year).

The movie itself was decent, though not particularly ground-breaking. That said, I can’t wait to watch it with my five-year-old, to see if he gets a charge out of seeing Winnie the Pooh interacting with ‘reality.’ Of course, the movie looks great — you really feel like the stuffed characters are real stuffed animals and it translates well to home video. It sounds good too, though the film itself didn’t particularly utilize surround sound.

There are a few special features to enhance the film:

A Movie is Made for Pooh – Director Marc Forster, Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, and Jim Cummings talk about their relationships to Pooh and company.
Pooh Finds His Voice – Like I said, we got to meet Jim Cummings in person this year and hear him talk about his career. This feature introduces us to the man that has played Pooh and Tigger for many years.
Pooh and Walt Became Friends – The story of how Walt Disney came across Pooh stories and made them into cartoons.
Pooh and Friends Come to Life – Bronte Carmichael showcases how the digital characters were created.

It should be said that we normally drool over these Disney home video releases, but this is a bit different sort of release than a Star Wars/Marvel/Pixar affair. It doesn’t need to be as wide ranging as some of those, so it accomplishes what it set out to do. Bring you a little bit of life and information to a movie that you’ll enjoy with your family.

Tags: blu ray review, christopher robin, ewan mcgregor, jim cummings, movies, saskexpo, winnie the pooh

About the Author

Craig Silliphant is a D-level celebrity with delusions of grandeur. A writer, critic, creative director, editor, broadcaster, and occasional filmmaker, his thoughts have appeared on radio, television, in print, and on the web. He is a juror on the Polaris Music Prize and the Juno Awards. He loves Saskatoon. He has horrible night terrors and apocalyptic dreams.