I have been watching one “new to me, culturally significant film” a week since 2018. As I finish my fifth year of this fun project, I think about how much my life has changed since I started. And that, primarily, is because of Westley. Though I started this because wanted to fill critical holes in my pop-culture awareness, these screenings became an essential, once-a-week chance to experience art and humanity at a time my life was just diapers and sleep deprivation. But as Westley grew and my world stabilized, I saw a new potential in the project: the chance to experience “new to me, culturally significant family films” WITH my son.
This is the first film I picked for both of us. When I made a batch of stove-popped popcorn and pulled the beanbag in front of the TV, I had no idea how special sharing this experience with my kid would be. So as I gush over this flick, know the context behind it (but I’m convinced I would have loved it anyway)…
A cross-cultural exchange takes place in the jungles of ‘Darkest Peru’ when a British geographer discovers a new species of intelligent bear. In his time with them, he teaches the bears to speak English, all about London, and to realize a fondness for marmalade. Forty years later, the now weirdly-charmingly British bear family is disturbed by an earthquake. Sadly, poor uncle Pastuzo perishes in the shaking. Unsure of what to do next, Aunt Lucy sends her young, bear-nephew across the ocean to London, where she is sure he will find a home. In London, the bear makes his way to Paddington Station, but as Brits pass him by, he is increasingly discouraged by the prospects of finding a home. Then, the Brown family stumbles upon him. Naming him Paddington (“a proper English name”, after the train station), the family takes him in for only one night, at the insistence of the risk-averse Mr. Brown. But despite the Browns’ most stubborn instincts, Paddington begins to change their world in the best ways, teaching them that curiosity, family, and kindness are good old-fashioned British values that haven’t gone out of style. *cue all the tears*
“Paddington” is the actually the “newest” film I’ve ever watched for this film project and a deserving addition, no doubt. I got to be honest, I don’t often get a chance to see family films that don’t land on Disney+. I’ll watch anything by Lord + Miller, but I don’t really know what’s going on with the Minions or Dragons Being Trained (I know, I know—I hear that one is good too). I’m a Pixar-man, through and through. But I couldn’t escape the relentless chatter about how good “Paddington” (and its sequel) are, so I knew I finally had to give it a go.
Oh sweet build-a-bear this film is wonderful. Cute and charming to the core. But beyond being a delightful, marmalade concoction, there are three things that really stood out to me. One, the film is really well made. It’s a beautifully visual film, from gags (“taxi—dermist”) to effects that really hold up because they are designed to be reality-adjacent. Paddington is an animated character in mostly-real looking bear clothes, allowing all of his heart and emotion to shine through without any uncanny valley shenanigans. And I was awestruck how Paul King and his team use the camera in really interesting ways, with clever angles, shadows, and a charming toy-house shot to break down the Brown family dynamic. Next, the story is a giant bear-hug in script form. I’m convinced that “Paddington” is the spiritual successor to “Mary Poppins”, with a little bit of “Lilo & Stitch” and a sprinkle of “Up.” And while it may sound like I’m describing some saccharin-sweet, no-stakes romp, the third thing that stood out to me was how meaningful the film’s message was. “Paddington” tells the story of two Englands—one that is fast-paced, cold, risk-averse, and rooted in notions of imperial glory. The second is the reminder that Briton’s are no stranger to desperation and need. A reminder that, during World War II, abandoned or orphaned children were looked after by families, communities, and those of means.
In a pre-Brexit world, Paddington asks the English to remember that it is in their heritage to be unafraid of those who are different and to be kind. To take care of those without a home—to take care of immigrants. Yes, this film is about immigration and in the most shockingly bare, yet charmingly squishy way. A story about how welcoming immigrants into your home, your community, and your heart has the potential to not only improve their quality of life, but enrich yours. And that doing so is a proper-British thing to do. The way this film is able to say this while wrapping it in the dressings of a traditional, conservative British family is a delightful magic trick and makes for one of the greatest family stories of the past few decades.