Notes on "Paddington 2 (2018)"
2 July 2018 (4:30ish)
In the future, if we still exist, and we look back at the canonized list of children's cinema, it would be greatly remiss if at the center of that cinema did not sit, like The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, the equally powerful summits of cinema, twining the beauty of live action with the aspirations of animation, Paddington and Paddington 2. In its formal construction, Paddington 2 does not quite reach its predecessor's heights, in part because the sequel has on its mind things more important than formal aesthetics. Bright vibrant colors, variety of expression, and multipart gags fill 2 just as the first, but it builds on the vague political aspirations of the first with more dynamic and specific optimisms and hopes, clearly targeting Brexit as rude fascism. The narrative drive is direct and all digressions and excursions occur more or less naturally integrated to the central plot, which is to acquire Aunt Lucy a proper birthday present. It begins that way, and ends that way, and in its unwavering attention to this, eschewing even an excessive characterization of Aunt Lucy, pays homage to the people who have made possible immigration and its potentials for upward mobility and achievement. Now, perhaps, more than ever, this is the narrative that must be told if we are ever to really figure out how exactly to get out of this globalized mess we are in. In its major narrative detour, sending the eponymous bear to jail, Paddington 2 manages to separate Paddington from his adoptive family without ever feeling split or fractured. Perhaps the reason why the sequel feels at times less successful than its predecessor is because of the minimization of the children in the Brown family to make room for the new characters introduced, all of whom are very welcome. In its invocation of prison, nighttime London, a small protagonist against a big world, and staring out of windowpanes, the film suggests a sort of Oliver Twist in Paddington, whose reunion with both Aunt Lucy and the Browns points towards this, and in the inversion of the criminals being, well, morally criminal, extends its good will and good faith to all. Even Hugh Grant's character, Phoenix Buchanan, gets a happily ever after in his prison show in the credits. And although the far-ranging cast is delightful in its Dickensian way, and although Paddington is a charismatic and sympathetic protagonist, I have to single out especially Sally Hawkins, whose Mrs. Brown is just as wonderful as in the first, even if she doesn't have as much to do–––Hawkins's natural energy and joy, something witnessed a decade ago in Happy-Go-Lucky, is the closest perhaps any human being can come to expressing in a natural bodily way the cheerfulness and generosity of these films themselves. In an unexpectedly tender and near-tragic moment, Hawkins and Paddington share a look as all hope seems lost underwater, Paddington unable to escape. It's difficult to understand exactly what is running through their minds, as they consider perhaps that Paddington won't escape. Hawkins manages to do much, considering she has to communicate all this with a CG bear, and without her, the films would be lacking one of the most vital pieces to the puzzle.
In the future, if we still exist, and we look back at the canonized list of children's cinema, it would be greatly remiss if at the center of that cinema did not sit, like The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, the equally powerful summits of cinema, twining the beauty of live action with the aspirations of animation, Paddington and Paddington 2. In its formal construction, Paddington 2 does not quite reach its predecessor's heights, in part because the sequel has on its mind things more important than formal aesthetics. Bright vibrant colors, variety of expression, and multipart gags fill 2 just as the first, but it builds on the vague political aspirations of the first with more dynamic and specific optimisms and hopes, clearly targeting Brexit as rude fascism. The narrative drive is direct and all digressions and excursions occur more or less naturally integrated to the central plot, which is to acquire Aunt Lucy a proper birthday present. It begins that way, and ends that way, and in its unwavering attention to this, eschewing even an excessive characterization of Aunt Lucy, pays homage to the people who have made possible immigration and its potentials for upward mobility and achievement. Now, perhaps, more than ever, this is the narrative that must be told if we are ever to really figure out how exactly to get out of this globalized mess we are in. In its major narrative detour, sending the eponymous bear to jail, Paddington 2 manages to separate Paddington from his adoptive family without ever feeling split or fractured. Perhaps the reason why the sequel feels at times less successful than its predecessor is because of the minimization of the children in the Brown family to make room for the new characters introduced, all of whom are very welcome. In its invocation of prison, nighttime London, a small protagonist against a big world, and staring out of windowpanes, the film suggests a sort of Oliver Twist in Paddington, whose reunion with both Aunt Lucy and the Browns points towards this, and in the inversion of the criminals being, well, morally criminal, extends its good will and good faith to all. Even Hugh Grant's character, Phoenix Buchanan, gets a happily ever after in his prison show in the credits. And although the far-ranging cast is delightful in its Dickensian way, and although Paddington is a charismatic and sympathetic protagonist, I have to single out especially Sally Hawkins, whose Mrs. Brown is just as wonderful as in the first, even if she doesn't have as much to do–––Hawkins's natural energy and joy, something witnessed a decade ago in Happy-Go-Lucky, is the closest perhaps any human being can come to expressing in a natural bodily way the cheerfulness and generosity of these films themselves. In an unexpectedly tender and near-tragic moment, Hawkins and Paddington share a look as all hope seems lost underwater, Paddington unable to escape. It's difficult to understand exactly what is running through their minds, as they consider perhaps that Paddington won't escape. Hawkins manages to do much, considering she has to communicate all this with a CG bear, and without her, the films would be lacking one of the most vital pieces to the puzzle.
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