REVIEW: Christopher Robin a gentle delight for the family blending live-action and CGI to lovely effect

THE charm of Christopher Robin resides in the comforting manner in which the likes of Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Roo, Owl and the incomparable Eeyore have been brought to believable life.

FIRST things first: let the record show that Christopher Robin is a completely different film from last summer’s Goodbye Christopher Robin.

Where that production focused oh-so-seriously on the effects the writing of Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne had on his young son, this lighter, brighter effort from Disney gently celebrates the enduring appeal of the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood.

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Bronte Carmichael (Madeline Robin), Ewan McGregor (Christopher Robin) and Hayley Atwell (Evelyn Robin) in the heartwarming Christopher Robin.

Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) reunites with old friend Winnie-the-Pooh.

The story begins with a grown-up Christopher Robin (played by Ewan McGregor) doing it tough as an adult in 1950s London.

As a distance opens up between Christopher and his wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael), his old pals from his childhood reappear to bring it all back together.

The task will not be an easy one. Some poor career choices and a troubled time during World War II have turned the once-upbeat Christopher into a sad-sack workaholic.

Once the screenwriters work out a way for Christopher and Winnie to make tracks for the Hundred Acre Wood, the dark clouds hovering over the title character finally begin to clear.

The Hundred Acre Wood inhabitants chill out in Christopher Robin.

The charm of this movie resides in the comforting manner in which the likes of Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Roo, Owl and the incomparable Eeyore have been brought to believable life through the magic of impeccably designed CGI effects.

Mr Robin’s playmates certainly look their age — like stuffed toys that have seen better days — but not once lose their agelessness.

Overall, a little bit slower and unspectacular than contemporary family films, but a little more memorable.

Piglet and Winne-the-Pooh are brought to believable life in Christopher Robin.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (G)

Rating: Three stars (3 out of 5)

Director: Marc Forster (Finding Neverland)

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael, Mark Gatiss.

Let’s hear it for the toys