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One day, while passing through Paddington station, the kids and I passed by the statue of Paddington Bear. I immediately made them sit and take pictures with the bear, but they were a little bemused and puzzled, as Paddington wasn’t a big deal for us when the movie was released.
Anyway, I used to be a bit of a Paddington fan as a kid, so after coming home, I proposed watching the two Paddington movies. I wasn’t sure how the story would age, or if the kids would like the movies, but turns out everyone (even K) loved them!
Paddington
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.
The tone of the film is spot on – you truly feel for Paddington, and you truly feel the threat from Nicole Kidman’s character. Even though every single second of the film is very family friendly, it doesn’t treat its audience like idiots.
From a filmmaking standpoint, it’s top-notch. The production design is beautiful, the cinematography really helps bring you into the world, the score is amazing, as well as the script being so wonderfully written, the performances are really well pitched and handled.
I cannot recommend this enough. I personally loved the Britishisms and how beautifully London is portrayed. Many sweetly eccentric moments utterly charmed me with its unexpectedness – the tree painted on the house wall, the Cuban band throughout the film. We loved it all!
Paddington 2
Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.
All reviews on the web said the sequel was even more phenomenal, so I had high expectations of this one – especially when I saw that Hugh Grant was going to be the villain in this movie.
I have to say, it’s the sweetest movie I have seen in such a long time. It really takes you back to an innocent state of mind that’s often in the background as an adult. It exudes such a loving, caring, and sentimental feeling that just feels so good.
I love how Paddington’s initial goal from the beginning to give his aunt a loving gift ends up so much better due to his unconditional kindness that leads his friends and neighbours to give him more than he could ever have imagined. Just beautiful.
I also don’t know why the movie is so pleasing to my eyes compared to other CGI-type movies. Maybe it’s the color palette, or some techniques that were used. The animators deserve a lot of credit. Paddington’s movements and expressions are simply delightful and beautifully rendered. Also, Hugh Grant is a big part of the film’s success. He was clearly having the time of his life and that showed in every scene he was in.
Both movies, in short, were a stupendous success with the family. I even spotted K having a tear in his eyes in the end – which he denied profusely. But Piglet and Snubnose were all praises, and we will definitely be catching Paddington in Peru when it turns up on streaming.
