Once Upon a Twilight!: Movie Review: Paddington

Paddington

Release Date: January 16th 2015
Directed: Paul King
Main Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman, and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington
Genres: Comedy | Family
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for mild action and rude humor
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Official Sites: Website | Facebook | Twitter | IMDb

From the beloved novels by Michael Bond and producer David Heyman (HARRY POTTER), PADDINGTON tells the story of the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) who travels to the city in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined - until he meets the kindly Brown family who read the label around his neck that says “Please look after this bear. Thank you,” and offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist.

Paddington is a film based on the children’s book Paddington Bear by Michael Bond. Paddington is a young bear from the region of “darkest Peru”… or, I should say, as they do in the film, he is a very rare bear from darkest Peru. Paddington is rare because he is intelligent and knows how to speak. After his home in Peru is truck by an earthquake, Paddington’s aunt sends him to London to find a new home. Paddington’s adventure begins on a boat bound for London carrying a suitcase full of marmalade jars and wearing a hat and a tag that reads “Please take care of this bear.”

Paddington’s aunt had told him that he should go to the train station and someone there would give him a new home. Of course, things did not turn out as easy as Paddington’s aunt thought that they would be. Thank goodness for the Brown family. They agree to take him in for one night and help him find the explorer who once invited Paddington’s family to visit London.

The plot centers on trying to find this explorer in London. It is quite complicated given that Paddington doesn’t know the name of the explorer and Paddington is being pursued by a taxidermist (Nicole Kidman) who is fixed on having Paddington stuffed.

The action sequences in the movie were really fun to watch. The action is completely innocent and tame enough for the whole family. My children loved it.

It is a charming film. While the story takes place in modern time, there are a lot of classic themes throughout. I appreciated that it isn’t a hip hop, ultra-modern version of the story I enjoyed as a child; it is just as I remembered it. Love the nostalgia.

The film has great messages for families. There are statements about manners and individuality. There are also messages about non-traditional families, and what it means to be a part of one. All in all, can't say a bad thing about this cute film. Great nostalgia.