It’s unlikely that one would go through their childhood without coming into contact with the character of Winnie the Pooh. Whether it’s the books or the Disney cartoons, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Christopher Robin and the rest of the Hundred-Acre Woods characters remain icons in pop culture. Even more unique than these characters, however, is the story of their creation, with writer A.A. Milne basing the characters off of his son, Christopher Robin Milne, and his stuffed animals. Now, the origin of this beloved character has been unveiled in the trailer for Fox Searchlight’s upcoming biopic Goodbye Christopher Robin.
From the trailer’s context, Goodbye Christopher Robin focuses on two specific aspects of Milne’s career. The first deals with Pooh’s creation, caused in part by Milne’s post-war trauma in the aftermath of WWI. In order to deal with his PTSD, or shellshock as it was known back then, Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) moved his family out into the English countryside, during which walks with his son (Will Tillson) provided inspiration for the Hundred-Acre Woods. Milne’s stories about Pooh and his animal friends soon became a sensation throughout England, bringing happiness to a nation struggling to rebuild itself after four years of fighting.
The second plot point in this film will be the toll that Winnie the Pooh’s success had on Milne and his family. The trailer’s latter half reveals the extent to which Christopher Robin and Daphne Milne (Margot Robbie) were brought into the public spotlight. This subject should be rather interesting to watch, seeing how Christopher Robin Milne later distanced himself from his father’s work during his adulthood.
Goodbye Christopher Robin is to be directed by British filmmaker Simon Curtis, best known for the Marilyn Monroe drama My Week with Marilyn. It’s set to be released in theaters on October 13. You can catch the trailer down below.