As Aventuras de Paddington

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.

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.

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.

I confess that I was never taken with the marketing for "Paddington". MOstly, the CG in the bear himself. But that tends to be absorbed into the movie's overall sweetness and playful visual style. At the heart of this is a wholesome message about human decency and belonging, and it's populated with likable Brits (Hugh Bonneville, in particular). Some good laughs, too; like seeing a trying to figure out a toothbrush or negotiate scotch tape.

It's a good-natured movie, and what makes it a cut (or two or three) above modern family fare is that there's very little in the way of pop culture references and hipness.

Just warmth.

7/10