--- title: "Christopher Robin: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/christopher-robin/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/christopher-robin" critics_score: 54 critics_reviews: 23 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Christopher Robin (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 54 from 23 reviews: 8 positive, 7 mixed, 8 negative. The reviews are divided, with praise clustering around Pooh and his companions rather than the story built around them. Jim Cummings’s gentle voice performance, Eeyore’s dry humour and the stuffed animals’ careworn animation draw approval even from several detractors. Supporters find a comforting family film with an affecting sadness about childhood and adult responsibilities. The characters’ warmth and vulnerability are the clearest points of agreement across otherwise sharply differing responses. Reservations centre on a familiar, contrived plot, uneven tone and workplace scenes that some find tedious. The spread is wide: what supporters describe as melancholy, detractors find bleak or joyless. /Film praises the honest treatment of adulthood’s competing demands, while Vulture argues that the film treats growing up as abandonment. Even Pooh divides opinion: The Hollywood Reporter finds that his initially amusing exchanges become aggravating through repetition. The consensus is mixed, with affection for the characters insufficient to settle doubts about the film. ## Little White Lies — Ella Kemp Rating 4/4/3. 15 August 2018. Kemp finds the film big-hearted and energetic, though its overstuffed plot and low-stakes antics can feel messy. She praises the tender voice performance of Jim Cummings as Pooh and the vulnerability of the other characters. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/christopher-robin) ## Total Film — Matt Maytum Rating 4/5. 14 August 2018. The critic calls the film a bittersweet delight and a comforting, nostalgic family film. Pooh is singled out as its standout, while the lovingly crafted simplicity and cast also earn praise. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/christopher-robin-review/) ## Sight and Sound — Nick Pinkerton Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 August 2018. Pinkerton finds the film mellow, melancholy and diverting, while noting its familiar premise. He praises the animated characters’ charm and the wordplay, especially the lines delivered by Pooh and Eeyore. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/christopher-robin-review-now-we-are-middle-aged) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating B-. 3 August 2018. The review finds the film wistful but ultimately held back by a familiar, formulaic story. It praises the emotional effect of seeing Pooh and the other well-worn stuffed animals return to the Hundred Acre Wood. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/disney-goes-back-to-the-hundred-acre-wood-in-the-wistfu-1828015409) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 2018. Brody finds the film’s predictable story elevated by its abrasive, eccentric qualities. He especially praises Eeyore’s cynical asides, which add comedy and deepen the film’s vision of childhood. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/christopher-robin-reviewed-disneys-pleasantly-abrasive-new-spin-on-winnie-the-pooh) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The accessible excerpt does not reveal the critic’s overall verdict. It frames the film around the collision between Milne’s world and adult realities. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-christopher-robin/) ## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2018. The page identifies this as a review, but the critic’s verdict is inaccessible. The visible text does not reveal what the critic singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/christopher-robin-review/5131414.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The URL identifies this as a review of the matching film. The blocked page provides no readable text to establish the critic’s verdict or what they praise or criticize. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/02/movies/christopher-robin-review-ewan-mcgregor.html) ## Evening Standard — Matthew Norman Rating 3/5. 20 August 2018. Norman finds the film gently sweet and charming, though it falls short of its early melancholic promise. He particularly praises the affecting glimpses into Christopher’s loss of innocence and the expressive voice performances. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/christopher-robin-review-the-bear-with-very-little-brain-but-lots-of-heart-a3913816.html) ## Time Out — Tomris Laffly Rating 3/5. 5 August 2018. The review says the film will please undemanding children, though some of its magic has faded. It singles out the cuddly Winnie the Pooh adventure as sweet but less enchanting than *Paddington 2*. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/christopher-robin) ## Slant Magazine — Niles Schwartz Rating 2/4. 3 August 2018. Schwartz finds the film rueful and joyless rather than playful, and says it betrays its theme by checking off studio expectations. He praises the honeyed visual palette that contrasts the pastoral Hundred Acre Wood with the grayness of adulthood. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/christopher-robin/) ## Radio Times — Trevor Johnston Rating ★★. 13 August 2018. The review finds the film scrappy and lacking genuine feeling. It faults the story for not providing enough magic. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/christopher-robin-a-scrappy-affair-with-very-little-genuine-feeling/) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2018. O'Hara finds the film overfamiliar and tonally uneven, despite its appealing central character. She praises Jim Cummings's gentle, charming performance as Pooh, which the rest of the film fails to match. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/christopher-robin-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2018. McCarthy finds the film increasingly aggravating and tedious, despite its polished production. He particularly criticizes Pooh’s excessive screen time, which turns initially amusing exchanges into a grating slog. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/christopher-robin-review-1131286/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2018. Debruge finds the film disappointing and emotionally thin, though not an outright disaster. He praises the nostalgic tone and the expressive animation of Pooh and his friends, while faulting the contrived story and tedious workplace scenes. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/christopher-robin-review-winnie-the-pooh-disney-1202893858-1202893858/) ## Vulture — Emily Yoshida Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2018. Yoshida finds the film a deeply bleak, guilt-inducing story that treats growing up as abandonment. She praises the uncanny, lovingly weathered look of the stuffed animals, while criticizing the film’s insistence that Christopher should return to childhood rather than pass its joys to his daughter. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/christopher-robin-review.html) ## The Guardian — Mike McCahill Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 17 August 2018. The critic finds the film dull, overbearing, and ultimately unpersuasive. He objects particularly to its relentless platitudes and homilies, and says it loses focus toward the end. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/17/christopher-robin-review-marc-forster-ewan-mcgregor-hayley-atwell) ## /Film — Karen Han Rating 8/10. 2 August 2018. Han finds the film charming and emotionally affecting, despite tonal unevenness. She especially praises Pooh’s melancholy warmth and the film’s honest treatment of adulthood’s competing demands. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/560033/christopher-robin-review-a-captivating-blend-of-whimsy-and-melancholy/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3 out of 5. 3 August 2018. Crow finds the film uneven but ultimately heartwarming, despite its overly gray and adult approach. He especially praises the warmth and gentle charm of Pooh and the other stuffed-animal characters. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/christopher-robin-review/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film curious but ultimately recommends it as a melancholy, nostalgic treat. Eeyore’s voice performance and beautifully careworn design are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/christopher-robin-review/) ## Paste — Tim Grierson Rating 5.0. 2 August 2018. Grierson finds the film mostly simplistic, cloying, and uninspired. He singles out Ewan McGregor’s warm smile with Pooh as the film’s best feature. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/christopher-robin/christopher-robin) ## Consequence — Blake Goble Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2018. Goble finds the film bland and tonally muddled, with little heart despite its nostalgic premise. He praises Brad Garrett’s Eeyore and Jim Cummings’s warm voice work as occasional highlights. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2018/08/film-review-christopher-robin/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2018. The review finds the film slow, charmless, and a major disappointment for both children and adults. It praises the lovingly animated Pooh characters, but says their ability to speak to everyone undermines the story. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/christopher-robin-film-review-ewan-mcgregor-winnie-the-pooh/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/christopher-robin.md