SNAPSHOT
From David Heyman, the producer of Harry Potter and Gravity, Paddington is set to be the must-see family film this Christmas.Paddington has grown up deep in the Peruvian jungle with his Aunt Lucy who, inspired by a chance encounter with an English explorer, has raised her nephew to dream of an exciting life in London. When an earthquake destroys their home, Aunt Lucy decides to smuggle her young nephew on board a boat bound for England, in search of a better life. Arriving alone at Paddington Station, Paddington soon finds that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family, who find him with a label tied around his neck which reads ‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’ They offer him a temporary home whilst he searches for the explorer who impressed Aunt Lucy all those years before.
But when Paddington catches the eye of a sinister, seductive taxidermist, it isn’t long before his home – and very existence – is under threat.
Adapted from Michael Bond’s beloved books, Paddington follows the comic misadventures of a polite young bear with an endearing talent for comic chaos. (official synopsis via Hey U Guys)
We don’t have long to wait to find out of the producers of Paddington, which stars Ben Whishaw as the voice of the intrepid young Peruvian bear who first came to life in the much-loved books of Michael Bond, have successfully channelled the innocent charm of this most unusual of British immigrants in their big screen adaptation.
While initial publicity suggest they had conjured up a CGI-generated Paddington that was more scary meme that beloved icon of childrens’ literature, things seemed to have settled down with later images, including the newly-released poster (above) suggesting the Paddington we all know and recognise, he of marmalade sandwiches, duffel coats and distinctive red hats, is alive and well.
With the release of the movie only 6 weeks away, London is also preparing to launch The Paddington Trail, a series of Paddington sculptures decorated by the likes of creator Michael Bond, Emma Watson, David Beckham, Benedict Cumberbatch and of course, Bear Grylls (as if he could be left out of this wonderful campaign which will raise funds for various charities as well as giving London a little extra whimsy for a while).
Initial publicity missteps aside, the latest trailers and posters give me every confidence that the Peruvian bear left at Paddington Station, with a note attached saying “PLEASE LOOK AFTER THIS BEAR. THANK YOU” is in very good hands, even if he is in rather more peril than was the case in the books with Empire Magazine noting that “The days of Paddington suffering the ire of grumpy Mr. Curry before heading home for tea are over and there’s real menace in his big-screen debut represented by Kidman’s Millicent”.
All the indications (bar accidentally creepy would-be meme material) seem to point to the fact that we can safely look forward to his sweet, clumsy chaos-causing innocence triumphing over the cantankerous and the conniving in the movie, just as he has always done in the much-loved series of books.
Paddington opens in UK on 28 November 2014, Australia on 11 December and US & Canada on Christmas Day.