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Paddington Movie Review – It’s Great Fun!

England. Oh, how we heart England in our house.

My love for the Brits began well before our recent summer vacation. It predates my obsession with Downton Abbey. It started long before my Brit-born husband swept me off my feet.

In fact, there was one special Brit that I fell hard for at a very young age. Enchanting and giggle-filled stories a dashing young bear wearing a blue coat and red hat were among my favorite when I was little.

Paddington Banner

To this day, the grand adventures of Paddington Bear make my heart smile. So much so, that I’ve kept every one of my Paddington books from my childhood, in hopes that the Cupcake would one day also share a love for this well-intentioned, havoc-finding bear’s misadventures.

paddington books

I mean seriously. Can you even see the prices on these books? Ha!

old paddington book

But… a Paddington MOVIE? I couldn’t have been more excited to share it with the Cupcake. She sat on my lap as we busted a gut laughing at the innocent bear’s antics in the movie trailer, and the hilarity of Hugh Bonneville’s disapproval. We must have watched it 5 times in a row when I finally said enough (for now).

A perk of blogging is that sometimes you get invited to sneak previews of movies and when THIS invitation came through, I was so excited to tell the Cupcake that I literally had to remind myself that she can’t get text messages at school since she has no phone (I find myself doing that a lot — trying to text her, lol!). I couldn’t wait to tell her we were going before it was released in theaters!

paddington movie screening

Trust me when I say it was delightful. The trailer was the perfect appetizer to the rest of the movie.

Paddington bear with chihuahua

The set is classically British (and somewhat remincient of our time spent in Notting Hill) and the CGI nearly flawless.

Nicole Kidman is the perfect taxidermist villainess, not too scary for the bitties, but intense in a Lara Croft-lite kind of way.

Woman in front of phone booth

It has the makings of every good plot : a mood-swinging pubescent teen, hilarious and relatable dynamics between the husband (Hugh Bonneville is just so good) and wife, a nosy neighbor, and the smart little boy with the big heart.

The word, “endearing” doesn’t do this movie justice. It’s funny. It’s sweet. It’s beautifully put together and certainly does justice for this British national treasure. Paddinton’s eternal optimism and determination make this movie destined to become a family classic that everyone will love to watch over and over. With its message of friendship and faith, bravery and love, Paddington Movie will capture your heart and I dare say, permanent space on your iPad. You’ll find yourself rooting for Paddington every step of the way, and likely leave the theater surprised you didn’t even touch your phone for the last hour and half and actually hoping for a Paddington sequel. After all, there are a boatload of Paddington books to choose the next story from.

Padding bear poster

Paddington Movie appears in theaters this Friday, January 16th. 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.

Starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman, and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington.

Fun fact of the movie: The Paddington book series author Michael Bond makes a cameo appearance in the early part of the movie. Paddington has just arrived in London and is accompanying the Brown’s back to their house in a black taxi. Bond is seated in a restaurant and catches Paddington’s eye and raises a glass to him as he passes.

Paddington App

Paddington loves sending postcards to family and friends! Now, with the Postcards to Friends app, you can send your greetings from anywhere in the world. Share a message with your loved ones!

“Like” Paddington on Facebook, follow on Instagram, Twitter and even Pinterest

Paddington Bear

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