Paddington

When the announcement was made of a feature-length adaptation of Michael Bond's beloved Paddington bear - the polite, marmalade- loving, bespectacled bear from deepest, darkest Peru - I'm sure the common assumption was that disaster was afoot. How do you take a character so steeped in nostalgia, some distinctively old-fashioned, and so quintessentially British, and translate it for a modern audience of children raised on multi-film franchises, CGI and fat suits? Based on the strength of the film's finished product, you employ a young, ambitious director with a real talent for visual flair.

His name is Paul King, and his only previous film, Bunny and the Bull (2009), was a funny, sweet odyssey into the weird, similar in many ways to his most popular TV work, The Mighty Boosh. Paddington is an enormous step up into the mainstream, and could have easily been yet another cheap and formulaic Brit-com; films that are churned out quicker and lazier than they are placed in Asda's bargain bin. Yet despite it's thread-bare plot and familiar genre tropes, Paddington not only offers excitement in some slapstick set- pieces that will surely please the kids, but King makes the film an interesting analogy of immigration, a hot topic in modern society.

When Paddington (voiced with adorable naivety by Ben Whishaw) arrives at Paddington station, leaving his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) and Uncle Pastuzo (Michael Gambon) after an earthquake destroys his home, the image of the tiny bear, adorned with a sign around his neck asking any friendly Londoners to "please look after this bear, thank you", brings to mind the images of poverty-stricken immigrants arriving at Ellis Island in the 1900's as much as it does the child evacuees during World War II, Bond's original inspiration. He is taken in by inner city statistical analyst Henry Brown (Hugh Bonneville) and his wife, artist Mary (Sally Hawkins), and is soon causing chaos in their home.

Evil taxidermist Millicent (Nicole Kidman) shows up about a third of the way in, intent on capturing and stuffing the rare talking bear, teaming up with grumpy (and randy) next-door neighbour Mr. Curry (Peter Capaldi) in what is the only contrived plot-thread of the movie. Her purpose is to be Paddington's antagonist, and it's during these scenes that the film stutters. When the focus is on the curious bear's adventures and pratfalls, and his relationship with the Brown family, this is an incredibly warm, visually engaging experience. It's peppered with wonderful moments, such as Paddington's scribbled addresses appearing out of the London skyline and the ever-changing wallpaper, which blossoms and fades to fit in with the film's various moods. This is a delightful surprise, and I'm eager to see where King will go from here.

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A geographic explorer goes to the darkest Peru and encounters two ingenious bears. He names them Pastuzo and Lucy wondering what will come of them. They learn English, admire London and love marmalade. Many years later, they are joined by their young nephew. After a storm devastates their home, the young bear goes to London with Aunt Lucy promising a welcoming place. Instead he is alone and only taken in by Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins) although her husband Henry (Hugh Bonneville) is very risk-adverse. She names him Paddington after the train station. There is also Millicent (Nicole Kidman) who wants to stuff the bear.

This honors the children series with a bear that is charming and delightful. It's a lot fun comedy without too many pop culture references. That gives it a timeless quality. The family is terrific and Nicole Kidman is interesting as the villain with a real story of her own. This is a perfect little family film.

Based on the works of author Michael Bond, "Paddington" tells the story of a talking bear (Ben Whishaw) from "darkest" Peru who stows away on a cargo ship to start a new life for himself in London. Once there, he becomes involved with a family named Brown (Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin), who take him into their home on a temporary basis, and a villainous taxidermist (Nicole Kidman) intent on literally "stuffing" the bear for an exhibit in a natural history museum.

Written by Paul King and Hamish McColl and directed by King, "Paddington" is a seamless blend of live action and animation, cheery in tone and beautiful to look at, thanks to the highly stylized art direction and production design that adorn the film. The humor ranges from the brittle to the overly broad (Bonneville dressed as an old scrubwoman sounds a discordant note in an otherwise fairly sophisticated screenplay). The movie also includes some subtle little homages to "My Fair Lady," "Home Alone," "Mission Impossible" and, most notably, Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins."

Fast-paced, well acted, and with warmth and charm to spare, "Paddington" is a whimsical treat that should appeal almost as much to oldsters as it does to youngsters.

When his home in Darkest Peru is destroyed, a young bear travels to London in order to find a new home. He's helped by a couple with two kids, which share different opinions regarding the new troublemaker which "landed" in their home. Although helping him find a proper home, the Browns start to attach to the newcomer but his negligent way of life and an evil hunter from a local history museum tend to interfere in their relationship, for better or worse.

We're presented with the amusing and entertaining adventures of this strange bear which comes to a big city in search of a new life, but ends up in a lot of trouble, more or less due to his actions. It's a movie which doesn't have an extraordinary plot, but it's enough to keep you interested while making you laugh with almost everything the cute bear does. By the way, the CGI is top notch, and together with the actors' performance, create a good movie for everybody to enjoy. As downsides, it tends to exaggerate in many scenes, while being very simplistic when speaking about the "evil" part which hunts Paddington.

Still, it manages to create a very enjoyable atmosphere which makes this movie a very good watch, especially during winter holidays.

I saw "Paddington" with my granddaughter (almost four) and it's hard to be sure who enjoyed it most since this is such an utterly charming and entertaining movie.

Visually it is a delightful CGI representation of the eponymous bear (politely voiced by Ben Wishaw) and deploys some neat cinematic devices; script-wise it combines humour, word play, and sharp allusions to the plight of the immigrant; while acting- wise we have a slew of marvellous British performers including Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Julie Walters as the adults in Paddington's new family and Nicole Kidman who has other plans for our furry friend.

In a movie full of delights, the bathroom scene is a classic. A sequel or even a series is inevitable and would be most welcome.