Paddington Preview
by Laura Patricia Jones
Everyone’s favourite furry friend from Peru is about to burst onto our screens red hat in hand this Christmas. A modern take on the classic family tale, Paddington Bear has been revised for contemporary audiences with mischief and marmalade for all!
Paddington is the story of a young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British, travelling to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined it to be – until he meets the Brown family, who read the label around his neck (‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’) and offer him a temporary place to stay. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of the evil but beautiful National History Museum taxidermist…
Boasting an all star cast including Hugh Bonneville, Ben Whishaw, Nicole Kidman, Julie Walters, Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent, the producers of Harry Potter have more magic up their sleeves as they bring this iconic bear to life. In the run up to the release we were invited to take a sneak peak at what is in store for the Browns of Windsor Gardens. What seems to be the selling point of this beloved bear tale is not just its vintage heritage, but the genre of comedy that has something for children and adults alike; the kind of film you could put on at Christmas and everyone from the toddlers up to great aunt Aggy with her false teeth and sherry number six would be engrossed. The CGI used to create Paddington himself is really quite a spectacle and the views across London make it feel like an afternoon of sightseeing as we travel across familiar scenes of the city for a little bear’s big adventure.
Hugh Bonneville introduces footage from Paddington
Paddington opens in UK cinemas November 28th, 2014.
