Jim Cummings on Why “Christopher Robin” Will Give You All The Feels

Jim Cummings shares how he is similar to his signature character, Winnie the Pooh.

What to Know

  • "Christopher Robin" is available now on Digital and Blu-Ray.
  • Jim Cummings has been the voice of Winnie the Pooh since 1988.
  • The film was directed by Marc Forster.

When you think of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet it's hard not to get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. I have vivid memories of that sweet, imaginary place called The Hundred Acre Woods where Pooh and his human friend, Christopher Robin, would play. And eat honey of course. It was the definition of childhood, teaching kids to use their imagination even before those things were emphasized as much as they are now.

Jim Cummings has been the voice of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and countless Disney characters for decades. In a sense, he is Pooh. You can't play a character, even as a voice actor, and not start to feel a connection with his words, thoughts and characteristics.

Now he's bringing Pooh and Tiger to a new generation of kids in Disney's "Christopher Robin." The film stars Ewan McGregor as a grown up Christopher who's lost his imagination and playful spirit. Fortunately, Pooh and the gang haven't forgotten him. So they set out on a mission to find Christopher Robin and help him reconnect to his childhood.

"Christopher Robin" was just released on Digital and Blu-Ray and to mark the occasion I was invited to interview Cummings about reprising his roles, and what he thinks of this extension of the Winnie the Pooh story.

I asked him what qualities he shares with this beloved character and he said, "We're both bears of very little brain." he laughed. "But Pooh is a good guy to emulate because he centers you."

He also tells me he thought McGregor played the perfect Christopher Robin and was relieved he didn't have to reprise that classic pageboy haircut as an adult, fearing it might be a bit cheesy for a modern audience.

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Cummings says he hopes kids around the world will continue to watch and read about the adventures of Pooh and his friends and it will always remind them of a simpler time, innocence and imagination. He tells me those are qualities he's never lost, and hopes he never does.

"I've been in touch with my inner Pooh, inner Tiger and inner everything my whole life. And if I ever lost touch with it, I'd just go back to The Hundred Acre Wood and everything will be fine."

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