Based on the beloved novels, Paddington follows the comic misadventures of a Peruvian talking bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) making his way from his destroyed rainforest habitat to England in search of a new home. The young bear finds himself lost and alone in a big city, until Henry (Hugh Bonneville) and Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins) discover him and offer him temporary safe haven. When an unscrupulous museum taxidermist (Nicole Kidman) sets her sights on this rare bear, the Brown family rallies together to protect Paddington. Available for the first time in 4K in the U.S., the acclaimed franchise’s first film is a timeless, whimsical story about courage, love, and the bonds of family.
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Video Quality
Paddington debuts domestically on 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation in 2.39:1 which provides a rich viewing experience. The accompanying Blu-Ray likewise looks quite nice, as it has been updated with a new encode and additional supplemental features, and it is not a recycling of the original 2015 Blu-Ray. The 4K UHD presentation delivers the vibrant and sumptuous presentation fans deserve. Throughout the journey, this format provides a depth of field within both the jungle and the city that is not as readily apparent on the Blu-Ray. You will find a terrific amount of detail in the most discrete facets of the production design, costumes, and facial features. Skin tones are consistent and show a terrific amount of facial detail.
Color complexity is another area of delightful improvement thanks to the implementation of Dolby Vision. The film has a very vivid color palette with a true sense of warmth emerging from nearly every corner. Colors look more complex and deep in this presentation with impeccable saturation. One of the most impressive upgrades comes in the handling of the contrast. With so much of this narrative taking in the bright daytime or parallel to brilliant light sources, you run the risk of blooming, which occasionally happens in the standard Blu-Ray presentation. The 4K UHD Blu-Ray shows off with firm highlights with digital noise almost completely absent from the screen. The presentation also provides a steady handling of the black levels that are deep without swallowing up detail. This 4K UHD upgrade is more than worth it for fans of the film.
Audio Quality
This disc gets an upgrade with an effective Dolby Atmos presentation that deftly transports you into this whimsical world. The sound design can be surprisingly kinetic given the interpersonal nature of the story. But you have to remember, Paddington is known for causing more than a little bit of chaos, and that translates into the source digging deep in the low end. The mix here is tastefully upgraded with significant engagement of all the channels, so those with a proper system should be pleased.
Dialogue is presented crisp and clear without ever being overshadowed by any of the competing sonic elements. This track is often immersive with numerous moments engaging the height channels, especially when it comes to weather effects. Sounds are thoughtfully deployed with pinpoint directionality from the more raucous moments to the dialogue-driven scenes. The pleasant score from Nick Urata flows through with great ease. Lionsgate has come through for fans of the film. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided.
Special Features
This release comes with a sleek new SteelBook exclusively at Lionsgate Limited that is quite fetching in person. Video of the SteelBook can be found at the top of this review.
- Please Look After This Bear: A new 22-minute retrospective with director Paul King in which he discusses his Hail Mary attempt to land this directing gig, developing the live-action look of the titular bear, fleshing out the qualities of the character for the feature, bringing on Ben Whishaw to voice Paddington, and more.
- Meet the Characters: A three-minute piece with the cast and creative team discussing the characters in the film.
- When A Bear Comes to Stay: A two-minute featurette that looks at some of the physical comedy that comes from the accidentally destructive bear.
- From Page to Screen: A three-minute look at the process of bringing the bear to life on screen from his literary beginnings.
- “Shine” Lyric Music Video (1:34)
- The Making of “Shine” with Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams: A nearly five-minute conversation with the artists diving into the creation of this original song.
- Theatrical Trailer (2:24)
Final Thoughts
Paddington is an ideal family film that manages to charm viewers of all ages. It could have gone very wrong when trying to adapt this beloved bear for the big screen, but director Paul King understood the inherent charms of the character and how best to express them cinematically. The movie fully embraces the optimism of the text, which is in short supply in daily life for numerous reasons. This allows a degree of warmth to come from the viewing experience that makes the laughs land that much more effectively. It is a joyous production that is easy to return to again and again. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports an amazing A/V presentation and a valuable selection of special features in lovely SteelBook packaging. If you love the movie, you will be thrilled. Recommended
Paddington is currently available to purchase exclusively at Lionsgate Limited on 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.