Paddington

There's plenty to be cynical about where Paddington is concerned. The first feature film about the iconic bear - red hat, blue coat, suitcase in hand - was first announced in 2007, and went through a gestation period that's extraordinarily long even for a heavily animated film. The trailer's (literal) toilet humour seemed to confirm that it was pitched firmly at kids. And last, but certainly not least, the cast experienced a shake-up of fairly seismic proportions when Colin Firth announced in July that - with the unanimous consent of all concerned - he would no longer be voicing Paddington. All signs pointed towards a disaster of a movie, one stitched together to cash in on rather than celebrate the phenomenon of Paddington, a little bear who has lived in books, TV series and cuddly merchandise around the world.

It's a flat-out joy to discover, then, that Paddington is very far from a disaster. Indeed, it's an unmitigated delight of a family film. Of course, "family films" don't really cater to everyone in the family a lot of the time - the phrase is a euphemism applied to movies that adults must put up with or suffer through for the sake of entertaining their children. But Paul King's Paddington, based on the beloved books by Michael Bond, really does have something for everyone and is, incidentally, an utterly lovely movie about families to boot. The young will be bowled over by the adorable bear who tumbles through London and into the hearts of his adopted family. The young at heart -and even a few older, crankier people - will find much to enjoy in the film's cheerfully subversive script.

Our journey begins in Darkest Peru, where a young bear (voiced with pitch-perfect charm by Whishaw) lives happily with his Aunt Lucy (Staunton) and Uncle Pastuzo (Gambon). He inherits from them a healthy love for marmalade and London, as well as a floppy, red felt hat left behind decades ago by English explorer Montgomery Clyde (Downie). When an earthquake destroys their idyllic home, Aunt Lucy urges her nephew to strike out to London. Many jars of marmalade later, he finds himself in the iconic train station that gives him his name. He meets the Brown family: risk- averse Henry (Bonneville), dreamy Mary (Hawkins) and their children, Judy (Harris) and Jonathan (Joslin). With Henry insisting that Paddington can only stay while he looks for a more permanent home, the bear begins investigations in London - unaware that Millicent, an obsessive, possibly crazy taxidermist (Kidman), has very specific reasons for wanting him to visit her museum.

Strictly speaking, there isn't anything all that new or original about Paddington. We've seen the trope many times before - in trying to find a new home, a misfit changes the hearts and minds of the people who will eventually become his family. The narrative of the film is also little more than a patchwork of wacky incidents and hijinks: Paddington floods the bathroom while trying to come to terms with the "facilities"; Paddington apprehends a criminal through sheer good luck and his incredibly honest nature; Paddington and Henry infiltrate the top-secret Geographers' Guild to hunt down Mr. Clyde.

And yet, King has crafted something quite charming and magical around the bare bones of his story. The film practically radiates love for the sweet-tempered, unfailingly polite bear at its heart. A life-long fan of the ursine hero, King peppers his script with smart references to Bond's books, from Paddington's trademark 'hard stare', used to embarrass people into behaving better, through to the meddling interference of nosy, thrifty neighbour Mr. Curry (Capaldi). He's also updated and deepened the story to give the elder Browns their own emotional arc: Mary's determination to open her heart and home to a stranger is what eventually leads Henry to getting back in touch with his wilder, more fun-loving side. The film also looks quite spectacular, whether Paddington is surfing down a flight of stairs in a bathtub or we're allowed a dollhouse glimpse at the Brown family as they go about their lives.

Most importantly, King infuses the entire film with a practically joyous strain of comedy and wit. Pratfalls and sight gags are accompanied by deliciously silly allusions to William Shakespeare and Mission Impossible. Even the film's supporting characters get their own hefty share of comedy, whether it's housekeeper Mrs Bird (Walters) distracting a security guard by means of a booze throwdown or Mr. Curry falling instantly for Millicent to a smooth burst of Lionel Richie. Millicent herself is an inspired creation. Prowling through the film, togged out in figure-hugging snakeskin and wielding scalpels, she brings to mind and subverts the icy-cool blonde archetype most beloved of Alfred Hitchcock.

The sharp script and stunning visuals would mean little without a cast wholly committed to their roles, and King has struck gold with his offbeat casting choices. Bonneville, a veteran of Downton Abbey, has no problem playing Henry's constant anxiety over his children, but also gleefully flings propriety to the winds as he slips into tunic and apron for a spot of howlingly funny undercover business. Hawkins lends Mary - the loving, tender heart of the household and Paddington's biggest champion - a soulful gravitas. Great as they are, however, the MVP here is Kidman. Her fantastically manic performance as Millicent reminds us why it's a damn shame that she hasn't been in a comedy for years - she's so cheerfully unhinged in the film that she steals pretty much every scene she's in.

It doesn't matter whether you're a fan of Bond's books, someone who only knows Paddington as a cuddly soft toy, or a neophyte who has never heard of this walking, talking, marmalade-loving bear. Paddington is a big, warm bear hug of a film, one that will enchant children and tickle adults, even as it grabs just about everyone by the heart with its charm and humour.

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.

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.

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.