Paddington (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paddington |
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UK theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Paul King |
| Produced by | David Heyman |
| Screenplay by | Paul King |
| Story by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Nick Urata |
| Cinematography | Erik Wilson |
| Editing by | Mark Everson |
| Studio |
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| Distributed by | StudioCanal |
| Release date(s) | 28 November 2014 |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country |
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| Language | English |
| Budget |
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| Money made | $282.8 million |
Paddington is a fun comedy film from 2014. It mixes live-action actors with an animated bear. The movie was written and directed by Paul King. It is based on the famous stories about Paddington Bear by Michael Bond.
In the film, Ben Whishaw is the voice of Paddington. Other stars include Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and Nicole Kidman. The story follows Paddington, a polite bear who travels from the jungles of Peru to London. There, he is adopted by the kind Brown family. But a mean taxidermist named Millicent Clyde (played by Nicole Kidman) tries to add him to her collection!
Paddington was made by companies in the United Kingdom and France. Filming started in September 2013 and finished in June 2014. Originally, Colin Firth was going to be the voice of Paddington, but he was replaced by Ben Whishaw. The film was released in the UK on November 28, 2014. It was a big hit, earning $268 million worldwide. It also received great reviews and was nominated for two British Academy Film Awards. A sequel, Paddington 2, came out in 2017.
Contents
The Story of Paddington
A Bear's Journey from Peru
The film begins in the deep jungles of Darkest Peru. A British explorer finds a new type of bear. He learns that these bears are very smart and can even learn English! They also love marmalade. He names two bears, Lucy and Pastuzo. As he leaves, he tells them they are always welcome in London.
Forty years later, Lucy and Pastuzo live with their nephew, a young bear. An earthquake destroys their home. Uncle Pastuzo is sadly killed. Aunt Lucy tells her nephew to go to London to find a new home. She moves into a home for retired bears. The young bear hides on a cargo ship and travels to London.
Finding a Home in London
The young bear arrives at Paddington Station in London. There, he meets the Brown family. They decide to take him home for a short time and name him Paddington, after the station. Mr. Brown, the father, is not sure about keeping a bear. But Mrs. Brown and their children, Jonathan and Judy, quickly grow to love him. Mrs. Bird, their housekeeper, also finds him charming.
Paddington hopes to find the explorer who met his aunt and uncle. He doesn't know the explorer's name. Mrs. Brown takes Paddington to Samuel Gruber, an antique shop owner. Mr. Gruber finds a clue: the explorer's hat has a special stamp from the Geographers' Guild. With Mr. Brown's help, Paddington sneaks into the Guild's archives. He discovers the explorer's name was Montgomery Clyde.
Millicent Clyde's Plan
Meanwhile, a mean museum taxidermist named Millicent Clyde works at the Natural History Museum. She collects and stuffs exotic animals. When she hears about Paddington, she decides she wants him for her collection.
One day, the Brown family leaves Paddington alone at home. Millicent, with help from the Browns' nosy neighbor, Mr. Curry, tries to capture Paddington. He bravely defends himself but accidentally starts a fire in the kitchen. Paddington tries to tell the Browns about Millicent, but they don't believe him.
The Rescue and a New Family
That night, Paddington leaves to find Montgomery Clyde himself. He finds Millicent's house and learns that Montgomery Clyde was her father and passed away. Millicent is angry because her father refused to bring a Peruvian bear specimen home, even though it would have made his family rich. She wants to succeed where he "failed" by stuffing Paddington. She tranquilizes Paddington and gets ready to stuff him.
Luckily, Mr. Curry realizes Millicent's evil plan and tells the Brown family. They rush to save Paddington. They rescue him, and on the roof, Paddington stops Millicent by throwing a marmalade sandwich at her. This attracts many pigeons, distracting her. Mrs. Bird then opens a roof hatch, pushing Millicent off the roof and trapping her on a flagpole.
After all the excitement, the Browns let Paddington live with them permanently. Millicent is arrested and has to do community service at a petting zoo. Paddington writes to Aunt Lucy, telling her he is happy and has found a loving home. The film ends with Paddington enjoying a snowball fight with his new family.
Meet the Cast
- Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington Bear
- Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown
- Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown
- Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown
- Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown
- Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird
- Nicole Kidman as Millicent Clyde
- Peter Capaldi as Mr. Curry
- Jim Broadbent as Samuel Gruber
- Imelda Staunton as the voice of Aunt Lucy
- Michael Gambon as the voice of Uncle Pastuzo
- Tim Downie as Montgomery Clyde
- Simon Farnaby as Barry
- Matt Lucas as Joe
- Matt King as Andre the Thief
- Madeleine Worrall as Agatha Clyde
- Geoffrey Palmer as the head geographer
- Michael Bond as the kindly gentleman
Making the Film
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The idea for a Paddington film was first announced in 2007. David Heyman produced the movie, and Hamish McColl wrote the first script. Filming officially began in September 2013. Paddington was a big movie for the French company StudioCanal, costing about €38.5 million (around $50–55 million).
Filming Locations
Most of the filming for Paddington happened in West London.
- Scenes at London Paddington station were filmed inside the real station.
- The outside of the Brown family home was filmed in Chalcot Crescent in Primrose Hill.
- Mr. Gruber's antique shop scenes were shot in a real shop on Portobello Road.
- The exciting skateboard chase was filmed in Portobello Road Market and Maida Vale.
- For the fictional "Westbourne Oak" Tube station, three different real Tube stations were used: Maida Vale tube station, St. John's Wood tube station, and Charing Cross tube station.
- The Geographers' Guild scenes were filmed at the Reform Club on Pall Mall and inside Hatfield House in Hertfordshire.
- Museum scenes were shot at the famous Natural History Museum in South Kensington.
Bringing Paddington to Life
After filming was done, Colin Firth decided to leave the project because his voice didn't quite fit Paddington. So, Ben Whishaw was chosen to voice the lovable bear. Paddington himself was created using a mix of computer-generated imagery (CGI) by a British company called Framestore and animatronics. This made him look very real on screen!
- Filming locations for ''Paddington''
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London Paddington Station
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Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill
(Windsor Gardens) -
Maida Vale Tube Station
(Westbourne Oak Tube Station) -
The Reform Club on Pall Mall
(the Geographers' Guild) -
Hatfield House, Hertfordshire
(the Geographers' Guild) -
The Natural History Museum, London
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Film Music
| Paddington | |
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| Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
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| Released | 13 January 2015 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 53:40 |
| Label | Decca Records |
The music for Paddington was composed by Nick Urata. For the film's release in America, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams wrote a special song called "Shine". The soundtrack also features other fun songs like "London Is the Place for Me" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)".
Film Release
Video Game and Home Media
A video game based on the film, called Paddington: Adventures in London, was released on August 11, 2015, for the Nintendo 3DS. You could also watch Paddington at home on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming services starting in March 2015 in the UK and April 2015 in the United States.
Box Office Success
Paddington was very popular! It opened in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2014, and earned $8 million in its first weekend. It was the top movie at the box office for two weeks. It also did very well in France and Australia.
When it was released in the United States on January 16, 2015, it earned $19 million in its first weekend. Overall, the film made a total of $76.3 million in the US. Worldwide, Paddington earned an amazing $282.8 million!
Awards and Recognition
Paddington received several awards and nominations:
- It was nominated for two British Academy Film Awards: Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.
- It won the Empire Award for Best Comedy film.
- It also won the Feature Film award at the British Academy Children's Awards.
Paddington's Future
Sequels and TV Series
The success of Paddington led to more adventures!
- A sequel, Paddington 2, was released on November 10, 2017. Paul King returned to direct and co-write the sequel. A third film is also planned!
- An animated TV series based on the films, called "The Adventures of Paddington", was announced in 2017. It launched worldwide in 2020 on Nickelodeon, with Ben Whishaw again voicing Paddington.
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Images for kids
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Christmas shopwindow at Selfridges department store in London with a Paddington Bear theme to mark the release of the film, 27 November 2014
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See also
In Spanish: Paddington (película) para niños
