Paddington has become comfortable living with the Brown
family, and he still thinks fondly of his Aunt Lucy, who sent him to London
from Peru. He hopes to get a special present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th
birthday. He tries to save up money to buy the expensive gift, but it is stolen
from the store. Paddington is seen at the scene of the crime, and is wrongfully
believed to be the thief. He is imprisoned, and the Browns must work to clear
his name, while he must maintain his hope that they won’t forget him.
** SPOILERS AHEAD THE REST OF THE WAY **
Paddington was taken
into the Brown home during the first Paddington film; he was initially brought
in for a short time, to save him from being dangerously on his own. By the end
of the first film, Paddington had become a permanent member of the Brown
family. The background of the film is particularly relevant to adoption. The
second film opens with more insight into Paddington’s early childhood. As a
very young cub, he was rescued from danger and then raised by the two bears who
he came to call his uncle and aunt. Children who have been adopted after
spending time in foster care may easily relate to Paddington’s history.
That might make it
all the more troubling for this children when Paddington is wrongfully accused
of a crime and, because of this, is taken by the police away from his crying
family. Paddington is incarcerated, and although he does quickly make friends
with the other inmates, they tell him that his family will forget him – and that
Paddington will be able to tell when they start missing visits. Shortly after,
his family does miss a visit because they are working to clear his name;
Paddington doesn’t know this though, and believes that his family has genuinely
forgotten him. Although this relationship is ultimately repaired, I see two
ways in which this could be triggering to young viewers. First, kids may fear
losing their current, permanent family, and this film could be frightening on
those lines. Secondly, many kids who have been through foster care have painful
experiences of their birth family members not coming to visits, and a fear of
being forgotten is not uncommon. Kids with one or both of these experiences
could find this central aspect of the film particularly uncomfortable.
Strong Points
Paddington is obviously
loved by his bear family and his human family, and is embraced by the majority
of his neighbors. It could be possible for parents to point out to their
children just how well-loved Paddington is by so many people.
Paddington’s
connection to his Aunt Lucy is still important to him, even though he is now a
part of the Brown family. They understand how important that connection is to
him, and although he fears that she’ll feel forgotten because he wasn’t able to
get her a present (Big spoiler….) they arrange for Aunt Lucy to travel from
Peru to visit Paddington in London for her birthday.
Paddington’s family
believes in him, even when others do not.
Challenges
A neighbor frames
Paddington for the crime, and does not care that Paddington’s life may be
ruined.
Paddington is
sentenced to 10 years in jail by a biased judge, on the testimony of the actual
criminal.
One of Paddington’s
fellow inmates has a very gruff exterior, but Paddington breaks through. The
character confesses that his father “always said I’d amount to nothing, and he
was right.” It’s a sad statement, but it may provide some insight into the
power of words – and an opportunity to explore any untrue, negative statements
that a kid may have unfortunately taken to heart.
Paddington participates
in a prison break. He is initially abandoned by his friends from prison.
Paddington is told
by his incarcerated friends, “Sooner or later, the Browns will forget you. They’ll
miss one visit, then two, then before you know it, you won’t have a home to go
home to.”
Unfortunately, the Browns do miss a visit, and we see Paddington
sitting alone in the visitation area as the visit time ends. In his imagination,
he sees himself fading out of the Browns’ family photo. It’s very sad.
One character
follows in the footsteps of a greedy ancestor who was willing to kill to get
rich.
Recommendations
There are certainly
some huge potential triggers in this film, which might make it a risky choice for
some young viewers touched by adoption or foster care. Parents should screen it
first if there are some concerns after reading this review. What I do like
about the film, though, is that it captures the importance of Aunt Lucy in
Paddington’s life, even though he isn’t being raised by her any more, and it
also shows how well-loved Paddington is by all branches of his family, and by
the town. This is probably a good choice for kids ages 10 and up; parents
should screen it before sharing it with foster or adoptive kids much younger
than that.
Questions for Discussion
Why didn’t Paddington’s
family come to his visit? How did Paddington feel? Why did he think they didn’t
come? Was he correct?
Did Knuckles believe
what his dad had told him? Was his dad right?
How many people can
you think of who loved Paddington?
Other Ideas
No comments:
Post a Comment