Marc Forster is the Director of Christopher Robin, and an extremely brilliant individual. If you haven’t seen any of his work previous to Christopher Robin, I highly suggest you check out his IMDB page, and get to watching.
Interviewing the directors of films is always a highlight for me. I love to learn what these very talented and hard-working people think about the work they create, and where those ideas come from. Marc did not disappoint us with his insight about Christopher Robin, and sharing with us how we made his dreams and ideas become reality.
Choosing Ewan
When asked how he decided on the cast, especially Ewan McGregor, Marc reminded us that he and Ewan worked together in a past project in 2004.
“We stayed friends for a long time and had been looking to do something together. Comedically and dramatically, he’s so good, but the one thing is there’s something about him. He’s so likeable and so lovely, you want to just connect with him.”
“You really root for him. It was really crucial to have an actor who has that ability because otherwise, you suddenly don’t connect with him or don’t want to root for him.”
The Origin of Christopher and Madeline
Marc told us that the reason he got involved in Christopher Robin was because his own daughter asked why he never makes films for kids. Since she was watching Winnie The Pooh as the time, he joked to her that maybe he should make a film about him. This interaction, and his relationship with his daughter, influenced his choice to give Christopher Robin a daughter rather than a son.
“It’s sort of life imitates art, or art imitates life, especially last few months. She said ‘I never see you.’ I said, ‘yes, because I have to finish a movie for August third.'”
Christopher Robin Is A Period Piece
One of my favorite things about Christopher Robin is that it is set in the 1920s and 1940s. I wanted to know if it was difficult for Marc to keep the film historically correct.
“We did a lot of research and the idea was going back to the mid twenties when Pooh was created and Christopher Robin played with him. Then, pick up the movie when Christopher gets sent to boarding school. Then, the film ends at post war 1949. The interesting thing is, the early fifties was actually a time in England when people had suddenly paid vacation (an important part of the film).”
So, that aligned with our storytelling of Winslow Luggage (and Christopher Robin’s) idea that it’s important for people to do nothing, and we take a vacation and enjoy that.”
Strong Symbolism In The 100 Acre Woods
After seeing Christopher Robin twice, I couldn’t help but be inundated with the symbolism throughout the film. When asked if there’s a part of the film that has strong symbolism, Marc mentions a few heart-warming scenes.
“I like metaphors in general, so I wanted to end suddenly with Ewan, wearing this red sweater that’s like too short, as well. I just thought it was funny. When the daughter leaves the drawing for him and she finds the drawing, she said ‘I didn’t realize you could draw as well.’ Then, he hits the table and the honey falls down, the honey obviously is supposed to then wake up Pooh.”
“Ultimately, when he sees the drawings, that’s when they come back into his consciousness. That’s sort of like when the animals come alive again, in a sense.”
Wow. This makes me want to see the film again, to catch all of the little nods to connection, love, and the joy of childhood. I really enjoyed our interview with Marc Forster. Thank you, Marc!
Christopher Robin is in theaters now!
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