A young Peruvian bear is living with his aunt and uncle when an earthquake strikes. 40 years earlier, Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) and Uncle Pastuzo (Michael Gambon) had met and befriended a British explorer when he came to Darkest Peru. He assured them they would receive a warm welcome should they ever find themselves in London. Now too old and too tired to make the journey herself, Aunt Lucy decides it’s time for her to settle down at the home for retired bears. She recalled the explorer’s stories of how during the war people would send their children off on a train, and another family would take them in and care for them. She hopes that they will do the same for her nephew, so she puts him on a ship to London, along with his Uncle’s red hat, a suitcase full of marmalade for the trip, and a note asking “Please Look After This Bear”.

When the bear arrives in London, he heads to Paddington Station, looking for a family to take him in. However, people don’t seem as welcoming as in the stories he had been told. As the station clears out, The Brown family arrives. Patriarch Henry (Hugh Bonneville), a risk analyst, tries to ignore the bear, like he would a beggar on the street trying to con him. However, his wife Mary (Sally Hawkins), an illustrator of adventure stories, is more caring and open, offering to let the bear stay with them for the night. With the bear’s real name being impossible to pronounce in English, they decide to call him Paddington, after the station where they found him. They hope to reunite him with the explorer so that he can find a more permanent home. Mary hopes her friend, antiques store owner Mr. Gruber (Jim Broadbent), may be able to help.

The Browns live in a townhouse in Windsor Gardens with their two children and elder relative Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters). Judy (Madeleine Harris) is your typical teen, always suffering from embarrassment, especially when it comes to her parents an her boyfriend. However, she is smart and good with languages. Younger brother Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) wants to be an astronaut when he grows up, and he is constantly getting into trouble building all sorts of contraptions.

Paddington (Ben Whishaw) means well, but he is inquisitive and unfamiliar with the human way of life. He is also quite clumsy, constantly but unintentionally causing chaos and mayhem, which just fuels Harry’s annoyance with their new houseguest. However, Paddington always remains upbeat and positive, and things always seem to have a way of working out for the better. Though nosy neighbor Mr. Curry (Peter Capaldi) keeps tabs on the oddities happening at the Brown home. Unbeknownst to Paddington, he is also under the watchful eye of Millicent (Nicole Kidman), the director of a museum. She appears to have some familiarity and connection with the bear, and wants to capture and stuff him for her personal collection.

Paddington Bear was first introduced to world in author Michael Bond’s 1958 book “A Bear Called Paddington” and has been a beloved character ever since. My main familiarity with the bear is the 1976 stop-motion Paddington series, which was repurposed as part of several different TV shows when I was a kid. There is just something so innocent and charismatic about this bear that you can’t help but love him, and this 2014 film adaptation brings Paddington to life in a whole new way, interacting with the real world.

Paddington is fun, delightful and charming, and a large part of that is due to the voice provided by Ben Whishaw. He gives this bear emotion and heart. The visual effects are also really well done—you almost instantly forget that he’s animated, and just think of Paddington as another character who is walking around and interacting with the real world.

Overall this is a story about how this family discovers that they needed Paddington as much as he needed them. Speaking of The Browns, this film has a wonderful and talented cast. Hugh Bonneville is particularly hilarious, not just with the lines he is given, but in the way that he delivers them. He is also great with the physical humor—one scene finds him dressing up like a cleaning lady so he and Paddington can sneak into a place where they shouldn’t be. The rest of the actors also do a wonderful job of bringing this world to life. London itself is also a major character in the movie.

The film has a bit of a surreal look at feel, while also remaining grounded and not too cartoony. The Brown home, and their entire neighborhood, is filled with color. There’s also these recurring street musicians who pop up now and then to help move the story along. The dialogue is cleverly written, with varying layers of jokes, wordplay, and puns that work for both adults and children, making the film the perfect movie the whole family can watch together. There is a lot of physical humor in this film. Paddington is quite clumsy, and is constantly falling, causing chaos and destruction, and getting into awkward situations. But no matter how crazy things yet, everything always seems to work out and usually takes some delightful or fun turn.

Paddington had previously been released only on Blu-ray, but is now available in 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for the first time in the U.S., exclusively through Lionsgate Limited. We were sent the release for review and it looks and sounds amazing. The 4K presentation is stunning, with a crisp, clean picture and an excellent level of detail, especially in faces or textures such as Paddington’s fur. Visual effects blend in seamlessly, and colors look bright and beautiful. The Atmos track not only provides clear dialogue, but also a fully-immersive ambiance. This is especially noticeable during a stormy sequence as the sounds of the thunderstorm fill the room.

The disc release includes both a 4K and a Blu-ray disc, both of which contain the same bonus material. In addition to porting over all of the legacy bonus material from the previous Blu-ray release (about 13 minutes of featurettes plus a music video and the film’s trailer), this Lionsgate Limited release also includes a brand new 22-minute interview with writer/director Paul King, which I found quite interesting.

The two discs are placed overlapping on the right side of a beautiful SteelBook case, while an insert with redemption instructions for a 4K Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy is placed on the left. The SteelBook case is covered with a clear plastic slipcover that causes Paddington’s hat and a large bubble in the background to go away when removed, causing a marmalade sandwich to appear on the bear’s head.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:35:42)

4K UHD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Digital:

• 4K Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)
• Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 10/11/2027

Extras:
Bonus features are the same on both discs.

• Please Look After This Bear (21:52)
  New to this release is an extensive interview with writer/director Paul King. He talks about how he actively pursued the project, his early memories of Paddington, using a CG creature in the real world, finding open questions from the books that he could explore and explain, casting Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, mixing more broad physical comedy with more nuanced emotional moments, casting Michael Gambon & Imelda Staunton as the voices of Paddington’s Uncle and Aunt, the live action cast, the use of improvisation, the sets and London locations, the use of color, the visual effects, the score, and more. Includes concept artwork, archival and behind-the-scenes photos/footage, film clips, and more.
• Meet the Characters (2:21)
  The cast and crew discuss the characters and the actors behind the roles. Includes interviews with producer David Heyman, director Paul King, and stars Jim Broadbent (“Mr. Gruber”), Hugh Bonneville (“Mr. Brown”), Sally Hawkins (“Mrs. Brown”), Julie Walters (“Mrs. Bird”), Nicole Kidman (“Millicent”) & Peter Capaldi (“Mr. Curry”).
• When a Bear Comes to Stay (1:52)
  The cast and crew talk about Paddington, and his various mishaps and moments of silent comedy. Includes interviews with director Paul King, animation director Pablo Grillo, and stars Ben Whishaw (the voice of “Paddington”) & Sally Hawkins.
• From Page to Screen (3:03)
  The cast and crew discuss the origins of the character and binging this version of him to life. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer David Heyman, director Paul King, animation director Pablo Grillo, author Michal Bond’s daughter Karen Jankel, and stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville & Julie Walters.
• “Shine” Lyric Music Video (1:34)
  Stylized lyrics appear on screen, allowing the viewer to sing along.
• The Making of “Shine” with Gwen Stefani & Pharrell Williams (4:22)
  Pharrell Williams & Gwen Stefani discuss their process for creating the song for the film.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:24)

Final Thoughts:

Paddington makes its way onto 4K disc for the first time in the U.S. thanks to this new Lionsgate Limited-exclusive SteelBook release. This is such a delightful and fun film that still holds up great 12 years later. It is charming, fun and delightful, including jokes and physical humor that works for all ages. The 4K presentation looks and sounds fantastic, and the release includes an excellent new 22-minute bonus feature with the writer/director, and new SteelBook packaging. This will be a must own for fans, and also comes highly recommended for anyone looking for a highly entertaining film for the whole family.