Paddington – A Beloved British Icon That Delivers Charm and Class, Out April 28 on DVD
This 21st Century version of Paddington comes with all the charm that this classic British character deserves. Now out on DVD, it has lots of insightful bonus features to enhance the viewing experience. The storyline follows a young Peruvian bear who 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. KIDS FIRST! Critic Samantha comments, “This movie is great movie that is funny and enjoyable in every way.” Kamren adds, “This movie is hilarious and heartwarming. Paddington has so many good parts it is hard to choose just one.” See their reviews below.
Paddington
By Kamren W., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 8
Paddington is a British film based on the book A Bear Called Paddington, by Michael Bond. This movie is about a young bear from Peru and his crazy adventures in London, England. The movie shows how one family learns to love and accept Paddington as their own.
This film stars Tim Downie as Montgomery Clyde, Ben Wishaw as Paddington, Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown, Nicole Kidman as Millicent (Montgomery’s daughter). All of the actors and actresses have British accents, even Nicole Kidman who is Australian. This to me, makes the film seem more authentic.
This movie is hilarious and heartwarming. Paddington has so many good parts it is hard to choose just one. One of my favorite scenes is when Paddington is in the bathroom and he mistakenly floods it. This is my favorite because it shows how curious Paddington is. The part that I disliked is when the explorer’s daughter (Nicole Kidman) wants to do something mean to Paddington.
The visual effects don’t look real but they are exciting. I like the realness of Paddington the bear. The visual effects team, Framestore does a fine job in making this bear warm and cuddly from his wet nose to his flowing fur. I love that Paul King (Director) stays true to Michael Bond’s original story. Paddington contains a hidden message about being caring and working together, without having too much drama.
This movie is rated PG for mild language. I did not understand some of the British wording, so I recommend this film to kids ages 6 to 18. This is a great film for the whole family to enjoy together. Younger kids will enjoy the many adventures Paddington experiences and older kids and adults will appreciate the entire story. The film proves that a family feature does not have to be too silly or mean. This is a total feel-good movie. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The DVD/Blu-ray has a few bonus features which show how the movie was made, gives you insight into the characters and more.
Paddington
Samantha A., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11
Paddington is a heart-warming family film about a small curious bear living in Peru with his aunt and uncle. They have been talking about a trip to England for 40 years but never got around to actually going, because they never had a good enough reason to go. One day, they get a reason to go but it’s very tragic and unfortunately, only Paddington can go on this long and tiring journey by himself.
This DVD of the movie contains many bonus features that are very fun to watch and give a different perspective on the movie and its characters. Some of the bonus features include a lyric video to the song “Shine,” one of the songs featured in the film, by Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams. Another bonus features lets you “meet the characters.” This is basically and inside look at the actors and their feelings about the movie while it was being made as well as the finished product. There are also two bonus features about Paddington coming to life during animation and another about how Paddington evolved from the pages of the book and then became a very well-loved animated character.
Another thing that is great about this movie are the actors – Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and Nicole Kidman. Their performances are outstanding and extremely entertaining. While watching the movie you can see their characters progress and watch them change in thoughts and feelings. It’s something I always like to see in movies because it makes it all that much more interesting to watch. Another reason I like the actors in this film is because their roles tell a little bit about them when they are not acting. This is part of the “meet the characters” bonus feature.
This movie is great movie that is funny and enjoyable in every way. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 6 to 15. At times, the humor is “silent humor” and some things are hard to understand but they are funny if you “get” them. It is certainly a great film for the whole family!
