Paddington Bear has been a classic children’s book character since 1958. I actually had never heard of him until very recently. I suppose he’s more popular in Great Britian than he was in America. Now there is a feature film for Paddington, and I decided to see if I would like the ol’ bear myself.

Paddington Bear’s story first starts before he was born. An English explorer goes to Peru and finds his aunt and uncle, and teaches the two bears culture and some basic English. Many years later, Paddington’s uncle dies and his aunt sends him to find a new home in London, England. While Paddington misses his aunt, he’s excited about London and Mr. Brown and his family end up giving him a roof over his head for the night.

Unknown to Mr. Brown or Paddington is that a taxidermist named Millicent has taken quite the notice of Paddington. While her habit (or perhaps passion) of stuffing animals is quite clear, her obsession with Paddington seems quite personal. While Paddington is focused on finding a home and family, he’ll end up trying to figure out how to escape from Millicent.

I can see why the polite and adorable Paddington Bear is such a classic character in the realm of children’s books. I obviously never read the books, but I don’t think fans would be disappointed in the movie. It’s like a Pixar movie, great for the children but a good film for the whole family.