Following his film debut, London’s favourite bear has now found a new home in Paddington Station, and his arrival is celebrated with a commemorative plaque.
London – 12 December 2014: STUDIOCANAL andNETWORK RAIL are delighted to announce today the unveiling of an iconic plaque in honour of Paddington Bear at Paddington Station, London, with the statue of the much-loved eponymous bear finding a new home in a prime location.
The plaque commemorates Paddington Bear’s unique ties with the station that gave him his name and saw him welcomed to London by the kind Brown family in Michael Bond’s book A Bear Called Paddington (1958). It also credits Paddington Station as a pivotal location for the filming of PADDINGTON, in cinemas now.
After almost 15 years in its previous location, the bronze Paddington Bear statue has now been moved to take pride of place under the station clock, with the new plaque installed on the wall to the left of the clock arch.
Nick Hartnell, Paddington Station Manager said: “The team at Paddington Station work very hard to provide a warm welcome to passengers, especially small bears. It was an honour to look after Paddington, however briefly, before the Browns adopted him. This plaque marks the spot in the film where Paddington first meets Mr and Mrs Brown on Platform 1. As one of the most important stations in the world in heritage terms, Paddington ensures that Paddington Station continues that legacy and we are delighted to feature in his big screen debut.”
Paddington’s origins date back almost sixty years to when his creator, Michael Bond, bought a small bear from Selfridges on Christmas Eve 1956, as a present for his wife, and named him after the nearest railway station to which they lived.
In Michael Bond’s original tales, on his arrival in London the young bear finds himself alone in Paddington Station. Taken in by the Brown family, he finds a warm welcome and a safe place to stay and sets out to discover more about his adopted city.
The classic tales of the much loved bear have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, been translated into over forty languages and captured the imagination of children and adults around the globe.
The film from STUDIOCANAL and Heyday Films is written and directed by Paul King (Bunny and the Bull, The Mighty Boosh) produced by David Heyman (Gravity, Harry Potter) boasting an all star cast including Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman with Ben Whishaw as the voice of PADDINGTON.
Synopsis:
From the producer of Harry Potter and Gravity, Paddington comes to the big screen for the first time in an epic new adventure.
Featuring an all-star cast and effects courtesy of award-winning VFX company Framestore, PADDINGTON is THE big family film of Christmas.
Voted Best Animated Character at the 2012 British Animation Awards, and adapted from Michael Bond’s beloved books, Paddington follows the comic misadventures of a polite young bear with an endearing talent for comic chaos.
Paddington has grown up deep in the Peruvian jungle with his Aunt Lucy who, inspired by a chance encounter with an English explorer, has raised her nephew to dream of an exciting life in London. When an earthquake destroys their home, Aunt Lucy decides to smuggle her young nephew on board a boat bound for England, in search of a better life. Arriving alone at Paddington Station, Paddington soon finds that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family, who find him with a label tied around his neck which reads ‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’ They offer him a temporary home whilst he searches for the explorer who impressed Aunt Lucy all those years before.
But when Paddington catches the eye of a sinister, seductive taxidermist, it isn’t long before his home – and very existence – is under threat ...
PADDINGTON is in cinemas now.
