Entertainment

This Heartbreaking 'Christopher Robin' Clip Has Pooh Asking Some Tough Qs About Being Yourself

by Savannah Walsh
Disney

Disney films have a long and storied history of making viewers feel a surprising amount of emotion. Even movies made for children can inspire intense feels in adults, and that's most definitely the case with Disney's upcoming Christopher Robin, out Aug. 3. The new film tells the story of a now-adult Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) who with maturity has lost some of the childlike wonder and imagination he once possessed. Enter Pooh and co. (Tigger, Eoyore, and Piglet — the ultimate squad, to be honest) to remind Christopher Robin what a little joy and whimsy can bring to a person's life.

But happiness seems to evade even Pooh at times, as shown in the exclusive clip below. In the scene, Christopher Robin, in an effort to have his animal pal blend in with the humans walking down the street, encourages the bear to "flop, sag, go limp." As you can imagine, asking the lovable character to masquerade as a plain old inanimate object doesn't go over all that well; the request causes Pooh to ask some pretty deep questions, and per usual, strike a way more emotional and relatable chord than anyone was expecting.

Christopher Robin explores what was once an effortless friendship between the titular character and Pooh, filled with galavants through the woods and idyllic tea parties, and how it's taken a darker turn as the years have gone by. As happens too often, the passage of time has led Christopher to ignore his old pals, but nostalgia is on overdrive when the overworked family man gets a visit from his forgotten furry friends.

But this reunion for the ages doesn't come without a few speed bumps, including Pooh getting acclimated to a world that doesn't begin and end with story time. In a phone booth confrontation between Christopher Robin and Pooh shown in the clip, Christopher encourages his friend to make some adjustments to his demeanor because "you’re different and people don’t like things that are different." Pooh heartbreakingly replies: "So, I shouldn't be me?" When Christopher Robin then completely negates himself by telling Pooh that "you should always be yourself," suffice it to say, Pooh isn't the only one highly confused by the contradictory advice.

Because as we all know, Pooh's questions about sticking true to you versus fitting into the crowd are more than justified. Why teach young people to be themselves when as they get older, they're told by society again and again to merge with the crowd?

Hopefully, Pooh will prove defiant in the face of his former friend's request, and continue being his adorable, "different" self no matter what anyone says. And perhaps Christoper Robin will learn a thing or two along the way. Viewers of the movie most definitely will, which is par for the course for a Disney-made movie. So when you see Christopher Robin later this summer, feel free to descend into a puddle of honey and tears while trying to figure out when life got so damn hard. Pooh and his animal friends would absolutely understand.