Movie Review: Christopher Robin

Movie Review: Christopher Robin                                                                                                    8-4-18

In this different take on the world-famous Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) grows up, marries a lovely wife, and has a daughter named Madeline (Bronte Carmichael). Robin now works for a luggage-producing company called Winslow Enterprises. One weekend, when Christopher gets overloaded with paperwork for an important presentation, Winnie the Pooh visits him through a magical door. Pooh is upset that he can't find his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, so Christopher reluctantly agrees to help him. Christopher discovers that they were not lost, but simply hiding from 'Heffalumps and Woozles'. When Christopher returns to London to show his work at Winslow, the Hundred Acre Woods residents discover that the papers were left behind, and now it's up to Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore, along with Madeline, to journey to London to deliver the right papers before Christopher Robin gets fired.

If Chip and Dale were Disney's answer to Tom and Jerry, then Christopher Robin is probably their answer for Paddington. For starters, the character designs stay true to Ernest Shepard's original illustrations.

As for the story, I feel that it's kind of similar to Enchanted; A character from a happy world ends up in the depressing real-world of New York City/London, and the character he/she meets is a workaholic father with family issues. Robert Phillips, the overworked lawyer in Enchanted whom Giselle slowly falls in love with, married a woman who happened to be a jerk, while Christopher Robin is having a difficult time trying to balance family and work.
In conclusion, while Christopher Robin may not be as good as the remakes of Cinderella, The Jungle Book, or Pete's Dragon, it's definitely better than A Wrinkle in Time. I found that film to be disappointing, underwhelming, and confusing.
I will review both Paddington films in November.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

Movie Review: Babe

Movie Review: Babe                                                                                                              7-16-18

Based on the book by Dick King Smith, Babe is about a young pig named Babe (Christine Cavanaugh), who gets adopted by an elderly sheep farmer named Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell). When Babe arrives on the farm, all the animals think that pigs have no purpose except for being eaten. However, one Christmas, when Babe saves the flock of sheep from being robbed by sheep rustlers, Arthur starts bringing him on daily sheep round-ups with his sheepdogs Rex (Hugo Weaving) and Fly (Miriam Margolyes). However, Rex gets mad at Fly and bites her leg and Arthur's hand. Now he has to train Babe to be the best sheep dog there is for the annual sheep herding competition.

For four years now, Babe has stood out as one of my favorite live-action films of all time. Babe is a timeless gem with unforgettable acting from both the humans and the animals, enjoyable music from  Nigel Westlake, gorgeous scenery, and incredible animatronics from Jim Henson's Creature Shop

Babe also has one of my favorite comic reliefs in a live-action film to date: Ferdinand the Duck, a duck who hates being a duck and tries desperately to be a rooster.

If I were to complain about one thing, I feel Esme, Arthur Hoggett's wife played by Magda Szubanski, gets too much screen time. However, Esme does serve a purpose in the story, but since there are some viewers out there who probably haven't seen Babe yet, I'll keep it a surprise.

She isn't exactly the prettiest flower in the garden.

In conclusion, Babe is, in my opinion, one of the best kid's films ever made. It deserved to get the Oscar nomination for Best Picture and win Best Visual Effects.

Rating: The perfect rating of 5 stars.

That'll do, pig. That'll do.