Paddington
Dir: Paul King
2014
****
The very idea of a half real life and half animated version of Paddington Bear filled me with absolute dread when I first heard of it. I loved Paddington Bear as a child and I couldn't bare to see yet another classic from my childhood shamelessly exploited for a quick profit. So it came as a surprise and a great relief when from between my fingers I watched a genuinely warm and respectful retelling of a nations favorite. I think it was a canny work of genius to have the Mighty Boosh's Paul King direct as his recognition and understanding of the subtle and the silly guided the film through what would have been an exercise of all the usual cliches. I'm not sure why British films still have to have to be fronted by an American A-Lister or why it seems to be an unwritten law that Julie Walters has to appear in every single one of them but both Nicole Kidman and Walters are fine. As far as the story goes, it's pretty fresh (apart from the bathroom filling with water scene) and rather endearing. I thought the introduction to how Paddington came about via a 1930s news reel was fantastic, original but in keeping with the overall feel of the character. It's not often that a film can be a half animated take on an English classic that is quite obviously aimed at an American audience and an absolute joy at the same time.