"I've lost all of my friends."
Bring the tissues for this one. It's half tear-jerker, half heartwarming. You'll weep the whole time.- Christopher Robin's entire situation is a really bad case of Growing Up Sucks. He Never Got to Say Goodbye to his already emotionally distant father at the time of his sudden death, as he was stuck in boarding school, where through the then-legal practice of hitting children with straps, he had his imagination (and therefore comforting memories of Pooh and his friends) literally beaten out of him. Not long after his marriage to Evelyn, he was drafted into World War II, wherein much of his remaining innocence was further eroded by the horrors of war, and missing the first three years of his daughter Madeline's life. He returns to his wife and daughter whom he loves very much, but does not know how to show affection to, as his loveless childhood has made him forget how to do so. Rubbing salt in the wounds is a demanding boss who forces him to come to the office on a weekend, which means he can't join them on their planned getaway, much to Madeline's disappointment. Then, he finds out that his boss wants to cut 20% of the workforce and Christopher is to be the hatchet man. Christopher protests, saying he promised his workers good jobs, but his boss won't budge, caring more about money than the well-being of those who make him money.
- Meanwhile, in the midst of all this, we occasionally cut back to the Hundred Acre Wood. As the years march on and on, Pooh constantly keeps coming back to the door Christopher Robin would enter the Hundred Acre Wood from and waiting for him to come back. At one point, Piglet comes up and silently leads him away from the door, but he never stops going back time after time.
- Before Christopher Robin reunites with Pooh again as a grown adult, he suddenly stumbles upon a drawing that his daughter drew of Pooh and friends in crayon. As he's looking at Madeline's drawing, a sadder variation of the Winnie the Pooh theme is heard before we cut to Pooh waking up.
- When Pooh finishes searching the woods for his friends, he comes upon Christopher's entrance to the woods. He doesn't say a word, and sadly sighs and begins to walk off, clearly having lost faith in his friend returning a long time ago. Then when he magically hears Christopher's voice, he freezes and asks if it's him. And then he painfully asks, "are you finally home?" Poor Pooh just doesn't realize that Christopher is home, and he can't stay in the woods even if he returns.
- Pooh comes to find Christopher Robin because all of his friends have gone missing. When Christopher does find them again, they’re all huddled and looking scared in a tree hollow because they think a Heffalump is lurking, then decide Christopher Robin himself is the Heffalump.
- Seeing Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo looking frightened when Christopher Robin sees them for the first time in years can be heart wrenching. Especially Kanga, who is seen protecting Roo inside her pouch while Roo is a bit curious and intimidated by him.
- Despite reuniting with all of his childhood friends, Christopher still goes to return to his life in the real world. Pooh can only sadly bid him farewell, crushed that he's leaving once again after spending years hoping for a reunion that was extremely brief. He later laments that he wished their reunion could’ve lasted longer. And while he was initially rather happy to see Pooh again after all these years, Christopher's initial motivation for going back to the Hundred Acre Wood was just to get Pooh home and out of his life, solidified after the incident in the kitchen.
- Pooh asks if Christopher Robin's co-workers are his friends.Christopher: No, I don't think of them as friends... it makes it... easier if I have to let them go.Christopher: (Beat, then coldly) Yes, I suppose I did.
- Christopher has been getting increasingly annoyed and frustrated with Pooh acting childish and unreliable. After Pooh nearly causes him to lose important work documents, he finally loses his patience as he recovers them and blows up at Pooh like an angry parent scolding their child. All Pooh can do is just mutter a quiet "I'm sorry..."Pooh: I suppose you should let me go then... for a fish in the sea...
Christopher Robin: [in the middle of storming off] ...A fish in the SEA?? It’s 'efficiency-!'
[Christopher turns around and Pooh has vanished] - After mournfully telling the Silly Old Bear that he is no longer the same person he knew him as, Christopher Robin hugs tight onto Pooh and weeps like a helpless child. The emotional scars of battle still clearly stayed with him.Christopher Robin: I'm not a hero, Pooh... I'm lost.
- The last time audiences heard the voices of or seen Pooh and company in a theatrical project was in 2011, almost a decade ago by the time this movie was released. Almost every comment you'll find about how the trailers and promos have made them cry ("Christopher Robin!") are people in their teens and above — essentially every generation that grew up with the stories from the Hundred Acre Wood.
- The film itself is a tear-jerker for those who grew up with fond memories of Winnie-the-Pooh and had to grow up the way Christopher did.
- Evelyn spent three years raising Madeline alone while Christopher was in the war, while constantly having to listen to reports about how many men weren't going to come home. He didn't even get to meet his daughter until she was already grown enough to be speaking full sentences.
