Paddington 2 (2017)

Directed by: Paul King | 103 minutes | animation, adventure, comedy, family, fantasy | Original voice cast: Ben Whishaw, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon | Actors: Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Samuel Joslin, Madeleine Harris, Marie-France Alvarez, Ben Miller, Jessica Hynes, Robbie Gee, Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley, Tom Conti, Noah Taylor | Dutch voice cast: Beau van Erven Dorens, Daan Schuurmans, Frank Lammers

He is a true classic in British children’s literature: Paddington Bear. The creation of Michael Bond, who first appeared in the 1958 booklet ‘A Bear Called Paddington’, is recognizable by his old red hat, blue toggle jacket, his dented suitcase with secret compartments that fit much more than you would in at first thought and his immense love for marmalade. Born in the dark forests of Peru, Paddington grew up with his Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo. After an earthquake, Pastuzo disappeared and when Aunt Lucy was too old to care for Paddington – she had to go to the home for retired bears – she sent him as a stowaway on a steamship to England. From the port of Southampton he went by train to London. He waited for hours at Paddington Station, until the Browns found him and took him home. The first ‘Paddington’ film, from 2014, tells the story of the bear and shows the adaptation difficulties he has once he moves into the house with the Brown family. Meanwhile, he gets into a fight with a taxidermist played by Nicole Kidman. Paddington made a successful transition to the silver screen, as the film was a resounding success with both press and public. Both the style – computer-animated in combination with live-action – and the tone – mild, humorous and quintessentially British – struck just the right chord. A sequel was therefore not long in coming.

In the second film, simply called ‘Paddington 2’ (2017), the bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) seems to have found his niche in London’s Windsor Gardens. Most people in the neighborhood run away with him. Only the soured one-man neighborhood patrol Mr. Curry (Peter Capaldi) insists that Paddington get out of town, but no one cares. As the 100th birthday of Paddington’s beloved Aunt Lucy (voice of Imelda Staunton) approaches, the bear searches for the perfect gift. He finds this with his good friend, the antique dealer Mr. Gruber (Jim Broadbent), who owns a special collection of the mysterious Madame Kozlova. Paddington immediately falls for a classic pop-up book from London, especially because he knows that Aunt Lucy always dreamed of coming to London one day and thanks to this book she can still be in the English capital for a bit. However, the jewel is precious and so Paddington has to work. He tries as a hairdresser, but it doesn’t go well. He is more successful as a window cleaner. Just as he’s nearly reached the target amount, a thief shows up in Mr. Gruber. He too is after Madame Kozlova’s pop-up book. Paddington discovers the theft and wants to intervene, but in the end it is not the real thief but himself blamed for the burglary. While he ends up in jail, the Brown family struggles to prove their little bear’s innocence.

The first Paddington film was praised, among other things, for the inventive way in which director/writer Paul King and producer David Heyman managed to mix the easy-going charm of Michael Bond’s books with the dynamic rhythm of the twenty-first century. We also see that in the second film, because nothing has been lost of that wonderful vibe. The always polite and friendly Paddington bear might have come across as a bit dull and childish in less capable hands, but King knows how to turn it into a real cuddly bear that makes it a little happier and sweeter everywhere he goes. Even behind bars, where despite or because of his clumsiness, he manages to steal the hearts of the toughest boys and persuade the everyone-dreaded prison chef Nuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson) to make marmalade together; a plan that hilariously culminates in a culinary feast of sandwiches, pastries and high teas. Of course, there is also a villain in this story, and that is the wonderfully grotesquely played Phoenix Buchanan by Hugh Grant. He was once a celebrated actor, but his vanity has run away from him. Today, in a furry suit, he promotes dog food, although he still considers himself a big man who doesn’t want to share the stage with anyone else. Grant plays the part with visible pleasure and – as we know him – full of self-mockery. Incidentally, a host of great British actors appear in major and minor roles. In addition to the aforementioned names, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Joanna Lumley, Tom Conti, Noah Taylor and Ben Miller, among others.

And then in ‘Paddington 2’ also visually very nice to watch. With infinite imagination, a world has been created here that is close to ours, but where there is plenty of room for a good dose of magic as we know it from the picture books. The eye-catching highlight is the pop-up book that comes to life and takes Paddington and the viewer into a miniature version of London. But the Steam Fair (classic funfair), the spectacular glass skyscrapers and the aforementioned prison scenes are also beautiful to see: beautifully stylized, with an eye for detail and frivolity, room for slapstick (for example, a great prison break and the scene with Tom Conti in the barbershop is also worth mentioning). And so this film is full of visual gems. Because we haven’t even mentioned the spectacular action scene yet, in which not one but two old steam trains play a prominent role. The great thing is that, despite all that craziness, the film always remains heartwarming and sympathetic. That core, which Michael Bond once created, is still rock solid sixty years later. Bond died in June 2017 at the age of 91 and has therefore not been able to see this film himself, but Paul King’s irresistible family film had undoubtedly received his approval.