Paddington 2

My introduction to Paddington as a child was through the 5 minute short animations that were shown on BBC-1 in the 1970s (and repeated ever since). From then I moved onto the books from which the television series had been adapted (by Michael Bond himself), which were familiar from my knowledge of these truncated adaptations, but so much more satisfying.

When the first Paddington film was released, I thought it would be another horrible film version that completely fails to understand the property it is turning into a popcorn sales-generating machine - but surprisingly not only was the film a decent piece of entertainment, but it was true to the spirit of the small bear with the hard stare,

Of course Paddington 2 as a sequel would likely Ghostbuster 2 the original (yes, that is an verb now).

Except it didn't. Paddington 2 is at least every bit as entertaining as the original (if not more so). Usually when I go to see family films at the cinema, I'm the only adult sans children, but this time I was not the sole single adult in the cinema (and there were some adult couples too).

The humour in Paddington works for the multiple generations - there are jokes that are aimed for the adult audience, but it's because of their sophistication, not because they are the pop culture plundering jokes that Dreamworks animations like to employ.

The story is well-told and is again in keeping with the Michael Bond books, although obviously expanded for a big screen adventure, rather than the chapter approach his books take. The overall tone is appropriately light, although there are some moments of genuine peril for the bear. There are also some moments that only the flintiest heart would fail to be moved by.

Furthermore, the morality of Paddington is a welcome thing in a world where heroes are being (rightly) knocked off their pedestals left, right and centre. Paddington's small acts of thoughtful kindness are something that everyone should be aspiring to. It's a shame though that the one hero you can always count on is a fictional, (very-well) animated bear.