Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin brought Disney’s Winnie the Pooh to the streets of London.
The huge production, featuring up to 200 cast and crew on location shoots, worked hard to rub along with real Londoners, inviting them to set visits, making donations to local communities and respecting special requests.
FilmFixer manages the film office service for Southwark, Lambeth, Haringey and Camden which hosted the filming.
FilmFixer CEO Karen Everett explains, “In the trailer there are some lovely scenes of Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin, speaking to Pooh Bear in a garden square.
“This was Merrick Square in Southwark where 150 cast and crew filmed over four days in September last year.
“In nearby Trinity Church Square, Christopher Robin jumps on and off the bus that runs between his office in the city and home in Merrick Square. They were big crowd scenes filmed in the quiet Georgian square.
“Christopher Robin’s home, set in Merrick Square, saw many scenes filmed as he, his wife played by Hayley Attwell, daughter played by Bronte Carmichael, Pooh Bear and his friends from The Hundred Acre Wood, arrive and leave the house, walking or cycling through the square.
“Scenes filmed inside the private gardens at Merrick Square are extremely picturesque and sweet. This is where Christopher Robin’s tree transports the characters between London and Hundred Acre Wood.
“The production spoke to residents in each home and really got to know everyone in the square. And we arranged a set visit for secondary school students, aged 15 and 16, from the nearby Ark Globe Academy.”
Josh Mansell from the school, who took the students on the set visit, said, “After the trip to the film set, we discussed the experience of being on a professional film shoot.
“The students were amazed at the time and effort that goes into shooting the scenes.
“They kept mentioning the clear enjoyment the professionals had for their jobs, as they were showing us around the set. The experience excited our students about career opportunities that look a lot more interesting than many other jobs. They came back motivated to look for jobs they could be passionate about.
“The passion of the film’s production team made it easier for our students to feel comfortable on set. It is important for students of any background to have experiences that take them out of what they are comfortable with.
“Of the students who visited, we now have at least one aspiring film music composer and one aspiring director – who were both delighted to see that this type of work could be available on their doorstep, so to speak.
“Being on the film set was something they won’t forget. It was incredible to see Merrick Square and Christopher Robin’s tree in the trailer – just as we’d seen them on set.”
Karen Everett continues, “The area around Morocco Street in Southwark, taking on Leathermarket and Bermondsey Streets were used for LIDAR scanning and are seen in the film with the Pooh Bear and the other Hundred Acre Wood characters capering through.”
Two hundred cast and crew filmed the hectic city street scenes in Camden in September and October.
Karen Everett says, “Action cars were filmed along Keppel and Malet Street in front of Senate House one Sunday in September.
“Over two days in October, Christopher Robin and Pooh Bear were filmed along Duke’s Road, stepping into the hustle of 1950s London.
“Scenes involving the period double decker bus crossing Lambeth Bridge were filmed in September – the bus Christopher Robin takes to and from work. These night and day shoots involved 50 cast and crew.
“And over six days at the end of August last year, 200 cast and crew moved into the Old Hornsey Town Hall in Haringey to shoot interiors. The features in the old town hall building lent themselves beautifully to the 1950s period the film was set in.”