I agree, Paddington was wonderful!
I must confess I have no knowledge of the books; I'm aware that the character has been around for decades, that's it. Luckily the move is an "origins story" and self contained. Pretty much everything about the movie hits on all cylinders. The cast is uniformly terrific. The actors that play the parents are great; they mix warmth, humanity and humor in equal measure. The child actors are also good. I was extremely impressed by the CGI! Paddington looks pretty real, at least in the sense of physically inhabiting the world.
The humor is very sweet and good natured but also wry and sardonic at time. At one point little Paddington is missing and Mrs. Brown describes him to the police as "three feet tall, blue peacoat and a red hat. Oh, and he's a bear." The cop says, "That's not much to go on" completely deadpan.
Nicole Kidman is the villain of the film and plays the role wonderfully. She's a taxidermist out to stuff Paddington and put him on display! But even she is more than she initially appears and has a backstory that is tied to the bears. She plays the role well. She's certainly the villain but not too scary for young kids.
Two thumbs up! This was a film that was much better than it would have had to have been to succeed commercially (if that makes sense). That it succeeds on so many levels is a pleasant surprise. I think any kid will love it but there's enough depth and wit that it never insults the grownups, either. I actually found myself laughing out loud at several of the gags, something I don't normally see in a kid's movie.
Funny and sweet without being maudlin or sappy, Paddington really is a hoot! As the OP says, great fun for kids of all ages!
