510 million dollars worldwide: this British icon is back in cinema!

Just 10 years ago, 2.8 million viewers flocked to French cinemas to meet England’s most famous teddy bear: Paddington.

Born in 1958 under the pen of Michael Bond, the British icon had 23 literary adventures between 1958 and 2012, as well as several animated series between 1976 and 2019. In 2014, under the guidance of producer David Heyman (Harry Potter), directed by Paul King. (to whom we owe the recent Wonka with Timothée Chalamet) decides to bring the famous bear to life with a big screen adaptation of the books. With over $282 million at the international box office and 2.8 million viewers in France, the film adaptation is a true success.

Three years later, a sequel, soberly titled Paddington 2, saw the light of day. Still directed by Paul King, the feature film brought in 1.9 million viewers in French theaters and earned $227 million at the international box office.

Summer with Paddington until the release of the third part

Paddington in Peru, the third installment is scheduled to hit our theaters on February 5, 2025. In this opus, the bear returns to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy at the Retirement Bear House. But the latter has left for a trip into the jungle, and Paddington is determined to go get it, much to the Browns’ dismay.

Before the bespectacled bear and the Brown family reunite in a new adventure, StudioCanal will release the first two parts in cinemas. That’s it PaddingtonStarring Nicole Kidman as the main antagonist, you can (re)discover it in theaters starting this Wednesday, July 24, while Paddington 2 With Hugh Grant as the villain, it will hit theaters on August 7. A perfect opportunity for children to rediscover these two funny, caring, tender and touching films on the big screen.

Paddington tells the story of a young Peruvian bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw in the original version and Guillaume Gallien in French) who has just arrived in London, looking for a home and a better life. He quickly realizes that the city of his dreams is not as welcoming as he thought. By chance he meets the Brown family (Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin and Julie Walters) and slowly becomes a full-fledged member.

How was Paddington born?

Do you know the story of this funny bear with glasses wearing a blue coat and a red hat?

It all begins in London in 1956, on Christmas Day. Michael Bond is returning home when he sees a bear in the window, looking very lonely. He then decides to buy it and give it to his wife, who names it Paddington, after the station near which the couple lived at the time. Soon Michael Bond started writing stories about him.

The author publishes his first album, entitled A bear named Paddington (A bear named Paddington), on October 13, 1958. This is followed by about twenty works published between 1958 and 2012, all translated into 40 languages. With more than 35 million copies sold worldwide, the books have become a true phenomenon. A bear sculpture signed by Marcus Cornish is installed at Paddington Station. It was inaugurated on February 24, 2000 by Michael Bond himself.

Thousands of children have been lulled to sleep by the fantastic stories of this naive bear for generations. for that Hugh Bonnevillewho plays the father of the Brown family in the Paddington filmsis part of British culture, part of our DNA, due to its big heart and optimism.” This mischievous and clumsy bear is a character of incredible kindness, which makes him an ideal character for children. So it seemed logical to make a film adaptation.

Stay true to the literary work

The Michael Bond albums have already been the subject of several television series aimed at young children: the British Paddington Bear, first broadcast in 1975, the American animated series from Hanna-Barbera, Paddington BearBroadcasting since 1989, or Canadian series The Adventures of Paddington Bear (1997). Therefore, Paul King’s big screen adaptation is the bear’s first foray into cinema and is aimed at all audiences.

The feature film, which skillfully combines real and computer-generated images, is a technical feat that will be appreciated by critics as much as the public. As true Bear fans, the creators chose to stay true to Bond’s work and the drawings of Peggy Fortnum, the illustrator of the first books, so that the movie bear awakens the child in each viewer. .

A work on immigration

Paddington is a young spectacled bear who lives in Peru with his aunt Lucy. But when he goes to live in a nursing home, Paddington decides to leave. He then boards a lifeboat and arrives in London. In Bond’s work, the Brown family finds a small teddy bear alone at a train station with a sign saying ‘Please take care of this bear. thank you”.

These novels, full of imagination and kindness, also send a message of acceptance of others. Paddington’s main themes are immigration and integration, topics rarely discussed in children’s literature in the 1960s.

The story begins with the arrival of a bear in Great Britain who crossed the ocean in a lifeboat to leave his country. It is a matter of integration into a society that does not share the same customs and how the inhabitants of this new country perceive and welcome this newcomer. Approaching so many difficult topics with children, who are nevertheless at the center of the story, with subtlety and wit. A good way to convey positive values.