Paddington

Prior to release, Paul King's Paddington was already making headlines as the character that was one protagonist too far for uberthesp Colin Firth - that character being the eponymous bear from Peru. Guffaws aside, you do wonder why he was put forward in the first place as surely most people would expect a younger voice to emerge from the hirsute South American rather than that of a man in his mid-50's? Anyway it was Ben Whishaw who got the gig in the end so let's move on. The storyline is a basic as it comes; Paddington arrives in London, a family takes him in, then can't decide if too keep him or not, whilst a boo-hiss museum owner looks to capture him and stuff him for display. However, despite the script not pulling up any trees it does exactly what its required to do, i.e. just be a peg onto which to hang many silly and amusing moments, plus of course, messages about families and friendships. King's only other previous film to date was 2009's bonkers, but surprisingly tender, Bunny And The Bull. The balance isn't quite the same here (more cheese than real emotion), but its thoroughly entertaining on the comedic front with plenty of laughs for children and adults alike, the latter coming with its dry comments on the banalities of British life and some inspired moments including a sat nav instruction and the best gag ever concerning the "Dogs must be carried" sign on the London Underground. Speaking of the capital, be warned: This is the animated equivalent of Richard Curtis' London. It's all warm colours, empty streets and polite manners. Peeps who live in London (I'm one of 'em guv'nor) might think about a lawsuit for false representation. Stuffed with actors you'll know from mainstream British TV (The Earl of Grantham! Super Hans! Malcolm Tucker!) the performances range from standard to appreciatively more than is required. Sally Hawkins is great as the mother of the clan - Julie Walters "comedy" Scottish cleaner appears to only be in there for the North American audience. Plus, Nicole Kidman basically just channels Cruella De Ville in her role as the baddie, but at least she appears to be having fun and she does a good job. On the animation front, the effects range from seamless to, err, not quite so seamless, but overall this is great fun and one for the whole family, though not quite enough here for adults to take in a second viewing. Rating: 8/10.