PADDINGTON 2. Kind, good-hearted, full of warmth

Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond, who passed away in 2017, is a British national treasure and the perfect role model—kind, helpful, and good-hearted, yet never boring. He’s the ideal buddy—just like any teddy bear. And that’s exactly how the first film adaptation from 2014 was—full of warmth, funny, packed with universal humor (plenty of playful slapstick for kids, wordplay, and witty dialogue that appeals to older audiences), thoroughly British, with a fantastic cast. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but there was little to fault it for—Paddington, with his red hat, did his job, fitting into the life of an average British family and their neighborhood, and everything got better because the big-hearted furry guy had love to spare.

The sequel follows a similar path, but this time director Paul King didn’t have to worry about setting the stage or how audiences, who grew up with Paddington’s adventures, would react to his take on the iconic character. He allows himself to be more adventurous, and while still maintaining a great deal of warmth, the story takes delightfully bizarre turns. About twenty minutes in, the movie feels deeply inspired by Wes Anderson’s films. Paddington, who wants to give his aunt a present, gets involved in a treasure map mystery and, after being wrongfully accused of theft, ends up in prison. Interestingly, much of the movie takes place in this prison, where the bear—previously known for brightening up the lives of decent Britons—suddenly becomes a beacon of hope for a group of potentially dangerous criminals.

These absurd circumstances work brilliantly—the humor in the prison scenes, which continually raises the bar of charming madness, complements Paddington’s family’s efforts to clear his name. Add to that the scheming of the fantastic Hugh Grant as an aging movie star (who portrays a dozen different characters throughout the film and seems to enjoy every moment of it), and you get three well-interconnected plot threads, together forming a surprisingly cohesive narrative flow. The story moves at a great pace, and despite the large cast of characters, it never feels overwhelming, as each one has their own integral role.

As for the acting, we’re treated to a true British ensemble: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and the aforementioned Hugh Grant all complement each other wonderfully, and it’s simply fun to watch a group of seasoned actors clearly enjoying themselves on set. But that’s predictable—the bigger surprise lies in the technical acrobatics of Erik Wilson on the cinematography side, along with the set designers and editors. There’s symmetry in shot composition, playful transitions, a mix of animation techniques (with brilliant use of comic book aesthetics in places where other filmmakers might have opted for something simpler, or the stylization of time passing through stop-motion animation), and a lovely use of a full range of pastel colors. For a film that would have sold well even with less effort, the creators ensured that everything feels alive—even London itself changes with the emotional state of the characters (fairy-tale-like, colorful, and styled after the 1950s during moments of bliss, turning gray and grim when trouble arises, and eventually becoming tattered, graffiti-covered, and worn down when the bear finds himself in dire straits).

It’s really hard to find any faults with King’s film. “Paddington 2” is a technically excellent spectacle, visually delightful, written with humor, full of suspense, wonderfully acted, and as universal as Bond’s books, appealing to all age groups. The story is wild, engaging, and effortlessly conveys beautiful life lessons (and a few sharp observations about Brexit). This production is just like its main character: kind, good-hearted, full of warmth, yet never childish or bland.

Maybe I’m being a bit too optimistic here, but this is truly the kind of movie where the flaws are practically unnoticeable because the strengths quickly outweigh them, and it offers much more than it needs to. While it may not be a timeless masterpiece, you can confidently watch it with your kids and have a great time together—I guarantee everyone will agree afterward that it would be wonderful to know a cool guy like Paddington.