Good luck finding a director with a career more diverse than Marc Forster. His expansive body of work includes Oscar-bait, a Bond movie, and an ambitious take on the zombie apocalypse. And with charming movies like Finding Neverland and surreal ones like Stranger Than Fiction under his belt, no director is a better choice for Disney’s whimsical summer treat, Christopher Robin. The film features Disney’s beloved Winnie the Pooh characters and tells a touching tale that mixes a fantasy world with the dredges of adult life.

As a boy, Christopher Robin (Orton O’Brien) spent his days having adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with his best friends, a group of imaginary talking animals. There’s the bombastic Tigger (Jim Cummings), the know-it-all Owl (Toby Jones), and a skittish little pig named Piglet (Nick Mohammed). But one friend held a special place in his heart, a bumbling little bear called Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings). The film starts with Christopher celebrating his last day with his friends as he prepares for life in the adult world. As the years fly by, Christopher becomes a husband, a soldier, and a father, and his time with his animal friends becomes a fading memory.

Now middle-aged, Christopher (Ewan McGregor) is a businessman and an absentee father. He means well but can’t make time for his wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and young daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael). Things get so bad that Evelyn doesn’t bother packing Christopher’s bags for the family’s weekend getaway since she knows he will cancel — which he does. Left alone with loads of work and an upset family, Pooh pops back up in his life. Pooh can’t find his gang of friends and needs Christopher’s help tracking them down. Christopher begrudgingly agrees, hoping to sweep Pooh right back out of his life. As the old friends set off on their last adventure, Pooh rekindles Christopher’s fun-loving spirit.

Christopher Robin sits on the opposite end of the spectrum as The Crying Game and The Sixth Sense. It’s as predictable as movies get. If you’ve ever watched a film before you know how this one ends. And that’s totally fine. The beauty of this film doesn’t come from the time-tested plot. It comes from the picture’s uplifting themes and the joy of spending time with these lovable characters. The movie isn’t afraid to be earnest and it ends up being sweeter than Pooh’s favourite pot of honey. The real magic, though, is that Forster pulls this all off without the film becoming sappy and cloying.

Few actors pull off charming like Ewan McGregor. Part of me believes he lives his off-camera life like his character, Catcher Block. As the film’s central human, he puts the story on his back like Atlas and carries it from start to finish. Christopher is kind and well-meaning from the start, but only capable of showing love in his own way. He never has to win the audience over. His arc is about learning to be sensitive to others’ needs, and to do so McGregor spends most of this journey acting alongside a cast of CGI puppets.

It’s easy to take for granted how seamless McGregor makes it all look. He makes you believe you’re watching a man have life-changing moments with a talking animal. I grew up watching The Muppet Show, which often featured celebrity guests. With certain guests, something felt off. As a kid, I couldn’t put my finger on why. Now I realize that these actors weren’t buying into the premise. They thought they were above talking to puppets, they showed up to collect a cheque, or they were hamming it up. McGregor has experience working in CGI worlds and a respect for the craft which comes across in his performance. This may be a kids’ movie but he doesn’t look down on the material.

After her tremendous work on Agent Carter, and more recently in Howards End, it’s tough seeing Atwell saddled with a minor housewife role. She dazzles when on screen (that’s a given) and works well playing off McGregor. Evelyn understands her husband and that he means well, and a lesser movie would position her as a nag. Instead, she is a compassionate wife who wants to guide her husband back to the warm man he once was. Atwell may be a minor character, but she makes every second onscreen count. Hopefully, the people at Disney throw some juicer roles her way. At this point in her career, she’s more than earned it.

Christopher Robin’s special effects are a sight to behold. 25-years ago computer effects made a splash with Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park and since then they’ve continued improving in leaps and bounds. But in recent years, it has felt more like baby steps. Today it’s harder to see the subtle improvements between Pixar releases and Marvel’s CGI epics. The last film to move the needle was Disney’s live-action The Jungle Book where parts of Mowgli’s computer-generated world felt indistinguishable from reality. Chiefly, the animals. Christopher Robin carries on Disney’s tradition of ground-breaking work.

Pooh and company look like they exist in our world. They look physically present, naturally lit, and move with a sense of weight and never come across like pixels splashed on the screen. They look like on-set puppets, but they do thing’s puppets can’t do like emote through nuanced facial expressions. And as a visual effects geek, watching sunrays illuminate their little cotton bodies mesmerized me. When the camera zooms in you see each popped stitch and loose thread on their worn-down fabric bodies. It’s an absolute joy watching them come alive onscreen.

Forster and DP Matthias Koenigswieser know exactly what visual cues will induce “the feels.” The first time they drop us into the Hundred Acre Wood the landscape looks like a utopia. It’s a place where the sun only shines down golden-hour light, birds always sing, and flowers stay in bloom. It looks like Terrence Malick shot a kids’ movie. Once Christopher joins the adult world life loses its lustre. In London, it rains too much and the only colours in fashion are dark blues, muddy browns, and dull grays. It’s the same technique Patty Jenkins applies in Wonder Woman when Diana leaves Themyscira for Europe. When Christopher finally returns to the Hundred Acre Wood the magic is gone. Seeing the childhood playground devoid of its onetime magic is devastating.

The gorgeous visuals, uplifting score, and encouraging message make Christopher Robin the ideal summer family movie. And if you love Winnie the Pooh stories, Christopher Robin delivers the moments you want from the classic characters. This movie could easily have been a by-the-numbers cash grab praying on nostalgia. Under Forster’s steady hand, every character beat feels well-considered and meaningful. Each exchange between Pooh and Christopher Robin comes across with warmth, tenderness, and a bit of humour. This movie is capable of thawing even the most cynical and frigid hearts.

Christopher Robin has one clear through-line: Put down your phone, take a break from your job, turn off your TV and spend more time with the people you love. It’s hard finding people who disagree with that message but it’s harder, still, finding people who abide by it. Christopher Robin is a cheerful call to arms asking us not to overlook life’s simple pleasures: Walks through the woods; naps; smiles; a loved one’s embrace; and sometimes, as Pooh puts it, doing nothing at all. Should we all be as wise as the little yellow bear with cotton between his ears.