pwillistein@tnonline.com Winnie-the-Pooh and his adorable cuddly stuffed animal friends are revisited in the film, “Disney’s Christopher Robin.”

The film is an enjoyable nostalgia trip for those who grew up with the books of A.A. Milne that were illustrated by E.H. Shepard, including “When We Were Very Young” (1924), “Winnie-the-Pooh” (1926), “Now We Are Six” (1927) and ”The House at Pooh Corner” (1928).

The original books were republished for subsequent generations, such as mine, who were fortunate to grow up with the books as bedtime-reading stories. The Winnie-the-Pooh stories were read to me in the twilight of my Fullerton, Whitehall, bedroom by my mother, Ruth. Soon, I was reading the books on my own many, many times.

Contemporary audiences may be more familiar with Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood, including Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo and Tigger, from Disney Studios cartoons (first released in 1966) and subsequent movies, TV shows, video games and amusement park rides.

In “Christopher Robin,” Ewan McGregor plays the title character, now middle-aged with a wife, Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael) and a demanding career in London.

McGregor is great as Christopher Robin. You really believe him as the grown-up Christopher Robin.

The stuffed animal voice characterizations are by Jim Cummings, Brad Garrett, Nick Mohammed, Peter Capaldi, Sophie Okonedo, Sara Sheen and Toby Jones.

“Christopher Robin” has its charms, especially in the astonishing Computer Generated Imagery that brings the stuffed animals to life, as well as in the tweedy and leafy Great Britain setting. However, it’s an example of a movie that tries too hard and is overstuffed with a contrived plot that probably sounded great on paper or in the writers’ room but drives straight to predictability on the big screen.

Marc Forster (director, “World War Z,” 2013; “Quantum of Solace,” 2008; “The Kite Runner,” 2007; “Finding Neverland,” 2004; “Monster’s Ball,” 2001) directs from a screenplay by Tom McCarthy (Oscar, screenplay, “Spotlight,” 2015; “Million Dollar Arm,” 2014; “Up,” 2009; “The Visitor,” 2007), Alex Ross Perry (“Queen of Earth,” 2015; “Listen Up Philip,” 2014; “The Color Wheel,” 2011, “Impolex,” 2009) and Allison Schroeder (Oscar nomination, adapted screenplay, ”Hidden Figures,” 2016) from a story by Greg Brooker (“Stuart Little,” 1999) and Mark Steven Johnson (“Ghost Rider,” 2007; “Daredevil,” 2003; “Grumpy Old Men,” 1993) based on characters created by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard.

While the credits of the writers are impressive, more is not always the merrier creatively. Where “Christopher Robin” works best is in the opening page-turner scenes (the original E.H. Shepard illustrations are depicted), and in scenes between Pooh and his friends and those with McGregor (Christopher Robin) and Pooh. Otherwise, there are too many stock characters who distract the moviegoer from Pooh and friends, who deserve much more screen time.

Fans of Winnie-the-Pooh; the books of A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard, and the film, “Goodbye Christopher Robin” (2017), which is about Winnie-the-Pooh creator A. A. Milne and his son, Christopher Robin, should enjoy the gently entertaining “Christopher Robin.”

Postscript: “Christopher Robin” is banned in China, supposedly because China President Xi Jinping has been compared to Winnie-the-Pooh for his portly stature.

“Disney’s Christopher Robin,”

MPAA Rated PG (Parental Guidance Suggested Some material may not be suitable for children. Parents urged to give “parental guidance.” May contain some material parents might not like for their young children.) for some action. Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy. Run Time: 1 hr., 44 min. Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

During the “Christopher Robin” closing credits, Richard M. Sherman, a prolific songwriter for Disney films, performs “Busy Doing Nothing” on a piano at the beach. Employees of the Winslow Luggage Company and Pooh and his pals are there. The film is dedicated to Jóhann Jóhannsson, who died Feb. 9, 2018, soon after being hired to score the film.

Box Office,

Aug. 10: “The Meg,” a science-fiction film about a monster shark, bit off a nice chunk of the moviegoers’ ducats, opening at No. 1, with $44.5 million, chasing “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” from its two-week straight No. 1 spot, with “$20 million, $161.9 million, three weeks, as “Disney’s Christopher Robin” ambled down one slot to 3, $12.4 million, $50 million, two weeks; “Slender Man” had a slim opening at No. 4, with only $11.3 million, and director Spike Lee’s based on a true story, “BlacKkKlansman” opened at No. 5 with a so-so $10.7 million.

6. “The Spy Who Dumped Me” dropped three spots, $6.6 million, $24.5 million, two weeks. 7. “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” danced down three spots, $5.8 million, $103.8 million, four weeks. 8. “The Equalizer 2” shot down two spots, $5.5 million, $89.6 million, four weeks. 9. “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” again traveled down two places, $5.1 million, $146.8 million, five weeks. 10. “Ant-Man And The Wasp” crawled down another two slots, $4 million, $203.5 million, six weeks.

Unreel,

Aug. 17:

“Mile 22,”

R: Peter Berg directs Lauren Cohan, Mark Wahlberg, Ronda Rousey, and John Malkovich in the action film. A United States intelligence officer and a top-secret tactical command unit go covert with a police officer who has sensitive information.

“Crazy Rich Asians,”

PG-13: Jon M. Chu directs Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding, and Gemma Chan in the comedy. A native New Yorker travels to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family. The movie’s based on the best-selling novel.

“Alpha,”

PG-13: Albert Hughes directs: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, and Jens Hultén in the adventure drama. The story, set in the last ice age, is about the origin of man’s best friend.

“Billionaire Boys Club,”

R: James Cox directs Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Taron Egerton, and Emma Roberts in the biography drama. Wealthy boys in Los Angeles during the 1980s set up a get-rich-quick scam.

“The Little Mermaid,”

PG: Blake Harris and Chris Bouchard direct Gina Gershon, William Moseley, Jared Sandler, and Poppy Drayton in the fantasy romance. A reporter discovers what’s believed to be the real little mermaid.

Two popcorn boxes out of five popcorn boxes