How Winnie The Pooh Has Changed In The 'Christopher Robin' Trailers

Christopher Robin looks charming as hell, the type of film even the most cynical of folks might flock to with some hope of rekindling the magic of their childhood. But since the debut of the first Christopher Robin trailer, the CGI Winnie the Pooh at the center of the film has been undergoing a subtle change. What gives?

When the first Christopher Robin footage debuted back in March, the reaction was generally positive. Viewers thought the movie – about Winnie the Pooh's boyhood pal Christopher Robin all grown up and rediscovering his stuffed friends from the Hundred Acre Wood – looked pretty darn enchanting. That said, a few folks thought the design of the CGI Winnie the Pooh was a bit...off.

Rather than the well-rounded Winnie the Pooh from the animated Disney films, this "live-action" Pooh looked a bit rough around the edges. In many ways, the character resembled the real Winnie the Pooh doll that inspired A. A. Milne's story.

Since that trailer, however, Pooh has been undergoing a transformation. An eagle-eyed viewer uploaded the differences to Imgur, pointing out that between the first trailer and the most recently released footage for Christopher Robin, Pooh's image has softened considerably.

Here are the the two Pooh's for comparison's sake.

Here's the first Winnie the Pooh – his fur is faded, his mouth is tiny, and he looks a bit sad.

And here's the second Pooh. As you can see, there's a noticeable difference. His fur has been brightened a bit, his eyes have been enlarged, and a slight smile has been animated onto his mouth.

I don't know about you, but I personally prefer the first, sadder Pooh. A weary-looking, slightly dirty Winnie the Pooh makes full sense within the context of the film. Years have passed since the young Christopher Robin played with his stuffed bear, and time has likely taken its course with the creature – as it does with us all. You can't beat time, folks. It will wear us all down into sad, slightly dirty, frayed bears some day.

The new and improved Pooh looks too chipper. Too bright. Too joyful. Look, I get it. This is a family film, and Disney wants audiences to have fun, not spend the whole movie thinking about the terror of mortality and the inevitability of decay. But I'll always be slightly resentful that we won't get to see the sadder, more worn-down Winnie the Pooh when Christopher Robin opens on August 3, 2018.