Disney has released a new poster for the upcoming film Christopher Robin, which is an updated live-action spin on the Winnie the Pooh franchise. Ewan McGregor plays the titular Christopher Robin, who is now all grown up and haunted by traumas he endured during World War II. But when his old playmates from the Hundred Acre Wood find him again, his life is thrown for a loop. Finding Neverland and World War Z filmmaker Marc Forster directs the film from a script by Allison Schroeder and Alex Ross Perry.
While I still hold the apparently controversial opinion that the animated iterations of Pooh, Tigger, etc. are creepy as hell, this poster does a fine job of teasing exactly the kind of family film that Disney wants to give audiences. This differs from Beauty and the Beast or The Jungle Book in that it’s not some grand, epic adventure, and I am intrigued to see exactly the kind of tone that Forster strikes here.
But the most exciting news about Christopher Robin is not this poster, it’s that Jon Brion will be composing the score. Film Music Reporter has the scoop on Brion’s involvement, which comes on the heels of his incredible score for Lady Bird. Brion is one of the best composers working today, with work ranging from ParaNorman to Step Brothers, and his involvement here is a big reason for me to see this movie.
Check out the new poster, as well as an international poster, below. The film also stars Hayley Atwell and features the voices of Jim Cummings, Chris O’Dowd, Brad Garrett, and Nick Mohammed. Christopher Robin opens on August 3rd.
Here’s the official synopsis for Christopher Robin:
In the heartwarming “Christopher Robin,” the young boy who embarked on countless adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with his band of spirited and lovable stuffed animals, has grown up and lost his way. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into our world and help Christopher Robin remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.