Review: 'Paddington' Starring Ben Whishaw, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville & Sally Hawkins

First arriving courtesy of creator Michael Bond in 1958, Paddington Bear -- a small furry thing in a duffel coat and a red hat with a fondness for marmalade sandwiches -- has been beloved of generations of British children in book form. As such, you'd be forgiven for being cautious of his first big-screen adventure. Would this be a live-action/CGI travesty to match other recent examples like "Garfield" or "Marmaduke"? Or follow U.K. disasters like "Thunderbirds" and "Postman Pat" in irrevocably damaging childhood icons? After all, there's been reason to be concerned: initial clips and trailers spawned the "Creepy Paddington" meme, and initial voice star Colin Firth stepped away from the project only a few months ahead of the film's release.

But have no fear — in the hands of "Harry Potter" and "Gravity" producer director David Heyman, and writer/director Paul King, "Paddington" is totally...