Disney’s Christopher Robin is NOW PLAYING everywhere and it’s a wonderful film for the whole family. I have seen the film twice and today I will watch it a third time with my 15-year-old, 14-year-old, and 4-year-old daughters, and I know they will love it.

When I watched the film the first time, I couldn’t stop crying. My eyes were so swollen that I looked like I was starring in The Princess and The Frog – and I was not the princess! LOL The nostalgia of spending time (at least on the screen) with our old friend Pooh and the reality of how disconnected families can be today really touched me.

Parental Guidance

Disney’s Christopher Robin is rated PG, so it does require Parental Guidance. Some moms have asked me “Is Christopher Robin kid-friendly?” or “Should I take my kids to see Christopher Robin?” and my answer is YES.

There is no foul language to worry about, there is a brief war scene, a scene sequence referencing death, and a scene that is true to the book series we all so love in which the characters are scared of the Heffalump. I guess I have to say that there’s one scene in which someone yells, but hey, if you and I are honest, that’s a scene our kids are quite familiar with anyway.

These scenes are not reasons to prevent you from bringing the kids on a heartwarming adventure through the Hundred Acre Wood, but rather an opportunity to have deep conversations with our little ones, who need more parental guidance and less mindless entertainment.

The plot is wonderful and I think that EVERY PARENT in the world must see Disney’s live-action, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, because it has so many messages to convey. Like Ewan McGregor said when I interviewed him about his role as Christopher Robin, every person will get a different message and you will find your own.

In the film, we see the progression of Christopher Robin’s life, starting where  A.A. Milne’s “The House at Pooh Corner” left off, and telling us of life at boarding school, going off to World War II, and eventually, falling in love, forming a family, and tirelessly working at a London luggage company, where he strives to make a difference.

The story of Christopher Robin and his Hundred Acre Wood friends is one that is dear to our heart, and though it’s different seeing it as a live-action, Director Marc Forster and screenwriters Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder created the perfect blend between the books by A.A. Milne and the Disney series.

The world first met and fell in love with  Winnie The Pooh in 1925, when A.A. Milne published a children’s story in the London Evening News, inspired by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, his stuffed bear, and the Ashdown Forest, which was located near Milne’s home in East Sussex, England. Pooh bear was named Winnie after a bear from the London zoo.

5 PARENTING LESSONS FROM DISNEY’S CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

I want to share 5 powerful lessons for parents from Christopher Robin that you will be inspired by when you watch the film with your family.

Reconnect with your inner child

When you see Christopher Robin reuniting with Pooh again, you cannot help but reunite with your own childhood. I sometimes cringe how childhood is seen as childish… but nothing is further from the truth. Childhood is a magical time and if anything, I want to be more like my children.

Disney’s Christopher Robin reinforces the importance of play. I believe that children must and need to play and that we parents, especially us moms, must nurture our children and connect with them through play and playful interactions. One of the 10 commandments of a Positive Mom is not taking yourself so seriously.

I don’t have many fun memories from my childhood and becoming a mom has given me the opportunity to experience this wonder – and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Embrace the joys doing nothing

Now a cynic will say this is not a good message, but a positive mom knows the power of doing nothing, of slowing down, of connecting with your inner wisdom. If you’ve been wearing TOO BUSY as a badge of honor, I invite you to read this post for awareness, because in a world where most people are frantically looking for perfection or productivity, what they find is that they have lost sight of what really matters and that they are connected to devices but not connected to one another. Longest sentence EVER… and I’m not worried about it.

Remember the value of friendship

I feel lonely ALL THE TIME… unless I’m traveling and meeting up with my friends. I’ve been going through a dark time in my life and while attending the Christopher Robin premiere, I was met by so much kindness and understanding, and just the opportunity itself was something that brought me joy.

The Winnie The Pooh stories are all about friendship and Disney’s Christopher Robin inspires us to appreciate our friends and reach out to them often, whether it is to watch the sunset together, play a game of Poohsticks, or simply do nothing.

Find joy in simple things

Disney’s Christopher Robin is about rediscovering the joy of family life. Yes, families struggle, and mine is certainly struggling right now, but there is always joy to be found.

We all know from the books that Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood gang find joy in simplicity. Neuroscientists have published research that colorful, round objects bring joy and ease fear and anxiety and that curves set us at ease. There is happiness to be found in balloons, after all!

Yes, there’s a lot of tragedy and turmoil, problems and pressure, but if we look closely, we can find joy in unexpected places, and for sure in enjoying the presence of those we love.

40-year-old Christopher Robin is not a self-absorbed grump. He is a good provider, and characteristic of his era, his number one priority is to make sure he (and everyone in his company) has a job to support the family.

Sure, let’s take care of our adult life responsibilities, but here’s a reminder, or perhaps a wake-up call: we must ALSO remember to enjoy that (and those) we work for!

Have the courage to break cycles

Christopher Robin didn’t have a connected father, and then he had no father at all. He’s told to stop daydreaming, to be productive, and to forsake the fantasies of his imagination. This could be Christopher Robin’s REASON or this could be his PURPOSE. That metaphor is true for you and I.

We can either do what our parents did, because we don’t dare admit where they messed up, or we can have the courage to declare that we won’t do things THEIR way, but ON OUR OWN TERMS.

I coach many moms and most of them have confessed: “I talk to my children and my mother’s words come out.” In Disney’s Christopher Robin, I gasped when I see someone’s philosophy get passed out from one ignorant person to another and into the psyche of a child. Unfortunately, this happens very often, but we can be INTENTIONAL and make it stop.

Repeat after me:  I AM A CYCLE BREAKER!

And yes, we are. Yes, YOU are.

There are just too many more lessons from Christopher Robin, but I wanted to give you a taste of what’s coming without spoiling it for you. You don’t have to be a parent to enjoy this film, but if you read a review that is less than positive, I am going to suggest they were expecting groundbreaking, not heartwarming – which leads me to believe they don’t get what the stories A.A. Milne wrote are all about.

And don’t get me wrong, the movie is absolutely well done and it was impressive acting – opposite CGI creations involving stuffed animals. They look and move like real stuffed animals in the movie and they look sweet and well-loved like the Pooh and Tigger I keep from Elisha and Elyssa’s childhood, which Eliana have now inherited.

I invite you to see Christopher Robin tonight. I’m taking my daughters to see it and I’m sure they’ll share their own message and write their own review @WhollyART and #LoveEliana

Read my interview with Ewan McGregor (“Christopher Robin”), and stay tuned for interviews with Hayley Atwell (Christopher Robin’s wife, “Evelyn Robin”), Bronte Carmichael (Christopher Robin’s daughter, “Madeline Robin”), Jim Cummings (voice actor for “Winnie the Pooh” & “Tigger”), and CHRISTOPHER ROBIN Director Marc Forster.

You can also connect with Disney Christopher Robin on Facebook, Disney Studios on Twitter, and Disney Studios on Instagram, and visit the Christopher Robin movie web page for more CHRISTOPHER ROBIN updates! The official hashtag for the film is #ChristopherRobin and our press event hashtag is #ChristopherRobinEvent.

What lesson from Christopher Robin do you relate to the most? Share with us in the comments below! CHRISTOPHER ROBIN arrives in theaters everywhere TODAY, August 3rd!

Elayna is a single mom of 4, award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 4x TEDx speaker. Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results, so you can have the wealth, opportunities, and freedom you deserve. Connect with Elayna Fernández at thepositivemom.com/keynote-speaker and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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