Film

How Paddington Became Cinema’s Most Wholesome Franchise

Paddington is pure cinema, baby.

by Merryana Salem  25 February 2021
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It’s been confirmed that another Paddington film is finally on the way and 2021 may be looking up after all. A representative from the studio who produced the first two beloved films said in a statement, “We can confirm Studio Canal is working very hard on film 3 with the utmost craft and care — as with film 1 and 2.”

Celebrities, journalists and Twitter users alike are delighting at the news. Even Dan Levy from Schitt’s Creek tweeted his faint-inducing excitement at the prospect of a third film.

At this point, you might be wondering why an instalment in a children’s film franchise had inspired a diverse uproar of excitement from both major professionals in the film industry and kids alike. I mean, this class of fervour is typically reserved for teens and film bros with their major action and YA franchises, right?

The answer is as simple and complex as this — Paddington is wholesome, pure cinema with one purpose, to be enjoyed by all. Not just by children, and the adults who accompany them to the movies, but by anyone who watches film.

The transcendent magic of Paddington lies in its gentle, but determined intention to teach everyone who sees it the value of kindness — with a killer cast and heartwarming narratives of daring, community and found family.

Paddington is a film franchise directed by Paul King with a mixture of CGI and live-action, following the adventures of Paddington the Peruvian bear as he endeavours to make modern-day London his brand new home. The first film, released in 2014, sees Paddington’s arrival in London and subsequent adoption by the Brown family. The villain is played gleefully by Nicole Kidman as a taxidermist hellbent on adding Paddington, a rare specimen, to her collection in a museum.

On the surface, the 2014 film appears as a run of the mill cat and mouse (or taxidermist and bear) charade. The main mystery pushes and pulls between Paddington’s skittishly hilarious attempts to find the explorer who invited his family of bears to London all those years ago, and Nicole Kidman’s unhinged taxidermist act hunting him down as he does.

But beneath the wild bear chase lies confident pro-immigration and anti-Brexit messaging, with a strong dash of anti-colonialism for good measure.

Throughout the film, Paddington is established as a kind, perfectly mannered bear whose real obstacles to finding belonging are not just his unfamiliarity with the way escalators work — or his belief toothbrushes are for your ears — but that he is unwelcome and othered by the Londoners in his own community. The film’s commentary on growing xenophobia in Britain is especially clear when Paddington’s own neighbour (played gloriously pitifully by Peter Capaldi) rats Paddington out to Nicole Kidman for not “sharing community values.”

Paddington’s brilliantly clever critique of British colonialism borders on scathing too, linking it with the xenophobia Paddington experiences so seemingly effortlessly. In the film’s introductory sequence we learn that the reason Paddington and his aunt and uncle are so well versed in the King’s English and British manners is because of their friendly encounter with a British explorer who spent time with them in Darkest Peru. Before leaving them, the explorer makes it clear the family of bears would be welcomed warmly in London whenever they chose to visit.

It’s a promise, unsurprisingly to any immigrant family, that goes unfulfilled. London greets Paddington with indifference at best and hostility to his difference at worst. The initial promise of a warm welcome made by a colonising explorer whose race and nationality has never been met with anything other than welcome by those in his homeland. It’s a straightforward, yet gentle commentary on Britain’s long history of promising those in countries they have colonised prosperity on British home soil, only for Britain to treat immigrants as second-class citizens when they arrive.

Similarly, Paddington 2 also uses Paddington’s position as an immigrant from Darkest Peru to critique British law and order’s racial and xenophobic bias. In the beloved sequel, Paddington is framed for the theft of an antique book with a hidden treasure map. The theft is committed by washed-up depraved theatre actor, Pheonix Buchanan (portrayed to fiendish perfection by Hugh Grant). Yet Paddington is the one who goes down for the crime due to a justice system already rigged to view him as a criminal for his foreign roots.

Our favourite bear even has a stint in the big house due to this unjust prejudice. There he manages to keep his spirits up, teaching prisoners like Knuckles McGinty to make marmalade sandwiches in a series of events that evolves into one of the most fulfilling prison escape scenes ever put to screen. It’s a sequel that makes no bones about its central message. Kindness, genuine kindness, is not easy living in a world where even the law expects you not to be so, and in the absence of justice, kindness is really all we have.

Paddington repeats throughout both films the mantra that, “if we’re kind and polite, the world will be right.” It’s a motto that could easily be relegated to a harmless platitude, asking people to endure things as they are, but Paddington’s kindness is radical. It’s a kindness that advocates for the abolition of just acting nice for the choice to be kind. The choice to be kind to criminals, immigrants, and the ill– all the people kindness is rarely afforded.

When I say Paddington is wholesome, pure cinema, it’s not an ironic statement. A film’s first and foremost purpose is to create a story using images and sound that says something about the world to the people who will see it. It’s so rare that a film comes along with such a specific intention to be for everyone, regardless of age —  and not only pulls it off but has people asking for more.

There are so many reasons the Paddington films are so loved. Paul King’s direction is whimsically grand, portraying the London locales with vibrant detailing and symmetrical cinematography that reminds many of Wes Anderson’s films. The scripts are complex narratives told simply, but without condescension for grown-ups and those soon to be. As for the performances? They’re are nothing short of heartfelt brilliance. If you don’t believe me, Paddington has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the sequel? 100%.

I really couldn’t have said it better than the Studio Canal rep who announced the sequel today, the Paddington films are made with the utmost craft and care and it is for that reason they’re so loved.

Also, just one last note, the next Paddington villain should 100% be played by either Chris Hemsworth, Toni Collette, or Daniel Radcliffe. No, I will not be taking criticism at this time.

Merryana Salem is a proud Wonnarua and Lebanese–Australian writer, critic, teacher, researcher and podcaster on most social media as @akajustmerry. If you want, check out her podcast, GayV Club where she gushes about LGBT rep in media with her best friend. Either way, she hopes you ate something nice today.