As Aventuras de Paddington

I have to state this before continuing with this review, prior to seeing this I was very reluctant and hesitant as to what I was due to view. After growing up hearing the stories and watching the animated tales of Paddington Bear, I was unsure as to whether a CGI-heavy live- action tale could really establish a story that portrays the bear in all his charm, well my predictions were woefully inaccurate. 'Paddington' is a very well-executed adaptation of the titular bear for a 21st century audience. From the producers of Harry Potter, 'Paddington' delivers a family-friendly and charming atmosphere whilst conveying an endearing and gloriously comedic tale about a bear and his adventures in London. One of the late and great films of the year, Paul King's irresistibly warm story creates a sense of nostalgia whilst boasting a quintessentially British feel and pitch-perfect humour that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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

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.

One of the things I resent the most in modern children's film and stories and in modern animation is that they can be visually enthralling but have not magic, no soul or no charm. I also dislike the fact that too many fables and old-books stories are brought to the screen with no soul and respect for the original characters and stories.

To my delight, this is not Paddington's case.

Paddington is a brilliant exception to the dullness, soulless bunch of animated movies for kids out there. This is so mostly so because the original story is there, Paddington and the the Brown's family's souls and personalities are there, they feel modern and contemporary, but not too far removed from the original. Pablo Grillo's animation is fantastic per se, but there are many amazing animators out there; what sets this film animation apart is the magic infused into it, so we come to see Paddington as Paddington, not as a puppet, not as a CGI character, not as a fictional. Paddington feels real in this movie, as real as any of the actors.

The ambiance of the film is whimsical, it mixes elements that are very modern but also capturing a bit of the old London where the original story is set. The film has a great tempo, is full of fancy and fun, innocence and naughtiness, havoc and tenderness, action and stillness, happiness and sadness, adventure, laughter and family love.

The cast in this film is great, per se, but that not always guarantees a good movie in the end. However, all the actors are great and believable in this film. I especially liked Nicole Kidman in her evil sassy ruthless manipulative and sweet villain role.

The music is also fantastic with plenty of Latin rhythms throughout the film. Paddington is Peruvian, after all.

Paddington is not only a very sweet, fun an enjoyable film. It also has a great message about accepting those who are different and welcoming those who need of our care because have nowhere to go; two things that we should be reminded of in these troubled times when refugees are sometimes treated as an "it" not as Paddington. There should be more Brown families in the world.

I was expecting another dumb movie for kids. To my delight, Paddington is a a tender fun-filled magical film that made me feel a kid again.

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.