Christopher Robin

Going in: I wasn't expecting too much. I figured it's Disney and probably sticky sweet (no pun intended). I saw it more of an obligation to see it than a real "need to see" movie. Our kids grew up watching the original Pooh and also the Heffalump movie.

Popcorn: 8/10. I was surprised. I mean really surprised. I went with my oldest daughter and I'm taking my two youngest next week. I might take my wife. It will most likely be bought. It was really good despite the predictable Disney happiness.

Art: 8/10. A technically perfect movie and with some heart, but just not quite to a "omigosh that was so amazing" level. Really, really close though.

Acting: 2/3. I liked all the actors but they didn't have a lot that surprised me except Hayley Atwell. She had some moments where it was just her acting alone that conveyed the scene. Plenty of emotion to go around though.

Music: 2/2. Oh. My. Word. The iconic music from the original was used all over the place in just the right moments. We're talking a tear shed every now and then just because of the musical punctuation.

Filming: 2/2. The filming was done really well even if it was a little on the nose. Grays for the downs, bright colors for the ups. But it was still pretty good. There were a couple of shots that just jumped out at me.

Art Dept: 2/2. At first, I was only going to give a 1, but they did such a good job with the animals. Some of the artistic choices were just good calls (they, like in the trailer, went with the classic drawings instead of the Disney classic). Given that it's also a period piece, it was smart choices all around.

Editing: 1/2. Didn't notice anything. I did notice the shift into the second act but it was less clear as the film moved along. In a way, it's almost as if the storytelling matured as the film did. Huh.

Story: 3/4. Classic Disney themes abound here. Everything was technically perfect. But honestly, it was the character work done with Pooh and his friends that made the magic happen. That doesn't take away from the characters elsewhere, but it was just that kind of movie. There was a little bit of coincidence but nothing that really jumped out at me. One scene was obvious but in the first act where it's more forgivable. Another was towards the end that was more egregious. Nothing glaring but still obvious.

Directing: 3/3. I'm giving this a "3" and giving production a "1" to compensation. It was superbly put together and worth telling but not quite to the level of some of my "9" movies this year. Close, but not quite.

Production: 1/2. Defintely worth watching. I'm not sure this couldn't have been a TV special, but because it was on the big screen they rose to the occasion and it shows in the CGI.