Upon first hearing about the movie “Paddington,” a family-oriented live-action adaptation of Michael Bond’s series of children’s books, I was skeptical. The simple origin-story premise consists of Paddington, a talking Peruvian bear forced to leave his home in South America due to a natural disaster, heading to London in search of a new home. However, despite the humble premise and evident deterrent that is the phrase “live-action family movie,” “Paddington” reveals itself to be irresistibly warm-hearted, adorable, impeccably well shot, just artsy enough to avoid being pretentiousness, refreshingly focused and, above all else, just plain fun.
Paddington’s kind, lovable and naïve nature makes this simple story come to life. With an opening scene emotionally equivalent to the beginning of “Finding Nemo,” the movie gets underway quickly and stays concentrated throughout. For such an open-ended idea, it is welcome that “Paddington” avoids spending excessive time explaining how the bear gained the uncanny ability to speak with such an effortless British accent, what the general populace’s reaction to such an anomaly would be or the inner-workings of the supporting characters. And while those characters are touched on, Paddington remains the impeccable star of the events. Even though it was made from a series of books, “Paddington” miraculously never feels episodic.
I cannot emphasize enough just how overwhelmingly charming Paddington himself is. Even though he is made entirely from CGI, Ben Whishaw’s voice fits the bear perfectly, and the technology is incredibly convincing. You can’t help but relate to Paddington’s situation, as he tries to piece together all of the eccentricities of an entirely new environment with his limited knowledge of the culture and language. This leads to some highly comical situations, consisting of both slapstick and clever humor that might go over the heads of some of the target audience.
Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins add to the situation as delightfully contrasting characters Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and Nicole Kidman is remarkably creepy as a taxidermist. In fact, she is unnerving enough to the point that she could potentially scare small children, as she carries a tranquilizer gun and desires to kill and stuff Paddington. Outside of her creepy factor, the only thing parents need to be wary of is a scene involving alcohol.
“Paddington” surprised me. You don’t expect masterful camerawork, deft use of color or artsy symbolism in a children’s movie, because those aren’t things that children would normally pick up on. But this movie has all three. Portraying the home from the side like a doll house allows for the efficient and fun delivery of lots of information quickly, and changing the color filter of the shots based on the emotional climate adds to the distinction of Paddington’s effect on the Browns. A few of the shots were reminiscent of the work of Wes Anderson. In addition, the score’s alternating use of orchestral compositions, recognizable tunes and calypso music fit the tone of the movie perfectly.
While I am fully aware that as a college-aged male I was definitely not the target audience of “Paddington,” I would be lying if I said that I did not love everything about it. We’ve seen family-oriented movies tackle the subject of kindness before, but not like this. Instead of teaching some sort of fairytale lesson like, “love everyone and everything will be happily ever after,” we see instead the realistic idea that even if you are the kindest person (or bear) ever, people still might be mean to you just because you’re different. However, this is not presented as an excuse to stoop to their level but instead as motivation to continue showing kindness, especially when it isn’t shown to you. I dare you to see “Paddington” and leave without a smile on your face, a warm feeling in your heart and the desire to tip your hat and smile at the next person you see because, at this point, I’m not sure it can be done.
*_Pass the popcorn if:_*
_You have a soul and enjoy happiness._
_You are tired of conventional, convoluted PG storylines._
_You were a fan of the books as a child._
_You’ve never heard of a bear called Paddington._
*_Pass it up if:_*
_Your children are too young to handle the knife-throwing, gun-toting antagonist._
_British accents irk you (but honestly, how could that happen?)._
_You think you’re too cool._
_You hate joy._
