#e.h.shepard

[holespoles]

And there would I rest, and lie, My chin in my hands, and gaze At the dazzle of sand below. And the green waves curling slow, And the grey-blue distant haze Where the sea goes up to the sky… A.A. Milne

Illustration: E.H.Shepard

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Illustration by E.H. Shepard

* * * *

Cian McCarthy :: @arealmofwonder

"He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before—this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver—glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea."

~ Kenneth Grahame, 'The Wind in the Willows'

[megmaxino]

PLAYING AGAIN | Insights: The Winnie-the-Pooh Books & The Christopher Robin Film

Hello!, I’m Meg :)

This past week, I decided to try and play again with Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, Rabbit, Owl, and - of course - Christopher Robin. 

The Winnie-the-Pooh Books

Basic Info 

The Winnie-the-Pooh books were written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shepard. The first book was published back in 1926 on the 14 October through Methuen & Co. Ltd. A.A. Milne merely shared with us this world created by his son, Christopher Robin Milne. Although, Owl and Rabbit were not part of the original gang Christopher played with when he was a young boy. I’m not going to go into the whole history of this and the family because I haven’t fully read into the original sources. But here are a few people that probably know what they’re talking about. 

Thoughts On the Books

Considering that they are children’s books, it doesn’t take much time to read them, but it does take more time to fully enjoy them. What do I mean by that? When reading a book so open to imagination such as children’s books, at least for me, I feel that you find yourself taking the time to read slowly and attempt to fully immerse yourself in the text. It isn’t heavily loaded with descriptions because, I suppose, children are meant to freely make it theirs. It’s like how every individual has their own perception of who to them is God or what to them is Heaven.

Hold on, I want to reference a completely separate film that has nothing to do with the Winnie-the-Pooh universe - as far as I know. In Vincent Ward’s What Dreams May Come, a character named Albert points out that 

“‘Here’ is big enough for everyone to have their own private universe.”

I think children’s books, the Winnie-the-Pooh books in particular give you the freedom to do that quite well. I must confess, I didn’t read the books as a child. But even as a 20-year-old girl today, I did enjoy the books. But something was missing… It wasn’t real enough.  

The Film: Christopher Robin

Basic Info

Disney’s Christopher Robin, directed by Marc Forster, premiered in 2018. It stars Ewan McGregor as grown-up Christopher Robin, Hayley Atwell as wife Evelyn Robin, and Bronte Carmichael as daughter Madeline Robin. Jim Cummings voices both Pooh and Tigger, Brad Garrett as Eeyore, and Nick Mohammad as Piglet.

Although young Christopher Robin (acted by Orton O'Brien) definitely knew how to play, grown-up Christopher has forgotten how to. Back when they were younger he was the one saving Pooh and his friends, but now it was time for them to save him. 

Thoughts On the Film

When I previously said how the books weren’t real enough for me, this film definitely helped fill that void. It isn’t a retelling of the stories in them, no, it is an extension of them and makes them real. 

The film itself runs for 1hr and 44mins, so it doesn’t take up much of your time as well… But, I think that’s up to how much it is able to engulf you. I am the type of person who, you could say, gets distracted easily. I tend to take notice of small things that don’t really matter and obsess over them. Something is always buzzing up in my head, so I appreciate it when a film or show is able to truly bring me someplace else without me having to try. The film Christopher Robin, I’m happy to say, is able to do that. I found myself bawling for most of it, thinking about what it must feel like to be so lucky as Christopher that his private universe is real. Everything you’d think that is made up is all real. Just to have that place where you can run off to and just… be and do nothing.

As it is said by Pooh and Christopher, 

“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.”

I am grateful for films like this that are able to create something real for you. Yes, there are no full descriptions and explanations for how things work in the world it’s trying to put out for you- But, that’s just it! For me, it’s relieving to not have to worry about piecing together bits of information written out and to be able to just have it… be right in front of you. Yes, there isn’t much room for you to make up and add things, - imagination - but they do make up for it by doing their best to make it real. They very carefully and lovingly piece together everything for you; the people acting for you, the composition, production design, lighting and color, costume, hair and makeup, texture, sound - Mise-En-Scène! All these things come together to make something surreal real for you. It’s as if that world is now your life, even just for that 1hr and 44mins. 

Playing Again

Something we can really learn from the film is to play again. Oftentimes, we take ourselves so seriously, thinking that it’s just the way life has to go in order to make our dreams a reality. We often are so busy chasing after our dreams that we forget that now can be a dream too. 

“Your life is happening right now in front of you.”

Evelyn says this to Christopher when discussing why he can’t go out to the cottage with them. 

I think this film does a very good job of reminding us that it is okay to play and be happy, even when things aren’t exactly perfect yet - whatever perfect means. Eeyore, Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger are here telling us to go and play again. 

[whitebunny-shen]

羅賓們…. Different Christopher Robins(?

[polarkeet]

I loved designing these musical pull mobiles for Disney Baby. This line was loosely based on the original E.H. Shepard illustrations. I love the way they turned out :) 

[bonecolora]

Cosy childhood books🪻

E.H.Shepard - Christopher with Winnie The Pooh

Ilon Wikland - Lotta with Bamse

[osalra]

Winny de Puh

Winny de Puh - Alan Alexander Milne Hashtag: #winnydepub #alanalexandermilne Con ilustraciones a color de E.H. Shepard. Winny de Puh...

[arco-rc]

MILNE, A.A. The house at Pooh Corner (with decorations by E.H. Shepard). Methuen, London, 1973 [1928]