PADDINGTON (2014)

7/21/18 - Paddington (2014) - 7-/10

I thought that it would be daft, but it was impeccably cute and inventively soulful. Quite the gem of a children’s film, soaring above those shallows depths on a cloud any adult would find airy and whimsical. Smart  in its naivete and sharp in its dulled shine; this is a fun film of charm and darling sincerity.

The penchant for magical realism let it all work smoothly and pop with the right amount of artistic flourishes. It has its “for the kids” humor moments, but they are thankfully a bit few and far between, instead sewing a purer and intrinsically likeable laugh throughout the fabric of the piece. It internalizes its sweetness, rather than squeezing infantile saccharine into your waiting gob.

It had one helluva British cast, boasting stars and “Hey! I know that actor!” types throughout. The humans were terribly solid, but Paddington’s cgi was also remarkably well done. It had moments of lightness and restricted dimensionality, but overall it was fluid, intricate and well done.

This was a brilliant little film that surprised with its earnestness and adult inner-child approach. A welcome addition to a genre so often given little effort.