We’ll be honest: When we first heard the phrase “Live-action CGI Winnie The Pooh sequel” floating around the pop culture ecosystem, we cringed a bit. In a world where CGI version of The Smurfs and Alvin And The Chipmunks are hiding everywhere, just waiting to force you to listen to them rap, the idea of A.A. Milne’s beloved characters getting a similar treatment was just a little too grim to countenance.
Luckily, Disney appears to have dodged that bullet admirably; the studio released the first full trailer for its new Pooh film, Christopher Robin, today, and it’s one of the more enjoyably sweet things we’ve seen in a while. Part of the fun is Ewan McGregor in the title role; it’s hard to imagine another actor landing the mix of harried businessman and boyish delight the part calls for. But most of the joy here is the film’s depiction of the residents of The Hundred-Acre Wood themselves. The film’s take on Pooh and his pals—lovingly crafted to look like sentient, moving stuffed animals—is absolutely gorgeous, and the voice acting and tone makes it clear that, even when they head out into our world to try to save their old friend, nobody’s at risk of having to watch them sing along to a Smash Mouth song or some other embarrassing, depressing shit.
Christopher Robin gently floats into theaters on August 3.