Paddington bear, that great character created by Michael Bond, firstly in books from 1958 and then on TV from 1975 to 1986, is being updated. Paddington arrived from darkest Peru and settled in the home of the Brown family who had founded him in the station which gave him his name. Paddington had all sorts of adventures, usually due to innocent misunderstandings on his part. In the books, as illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, was a realistic teddy-bear, with a short snout, twinkly eyes and a very lovable expression. In the TV series he was a stop-motion puppet and the other characters and scenery were all drawn.
In the new film version to be released in the autumn, he doesn’t look at all the same; he is not as tubby, and his features are different, more like a dog than a teddy-bear… Jemima lewis who writes a column in our newspaper had quite a bit to say about Paddington’s metamophosis: “The sturdy-looking teddy (based on Peggy Fortnum’s original illustrations) has been replaced by a disturbingly canine creature, with a pointy nose, sharp fangs and a desperate glint in his eye. This malevolent-looking character has already inspired a blog, Creepy Paddington, in which he has been added to various horror films: sharing a cell with Hannibal Lecter, looming over the pram in Rosemary’s Baby, emerging out of the mist in American Werewolf in London. No wonder Colin Firth has withdrawn from voicing the character – or “consciously uncoupled”, as he put it.”
If there are children’s books, films, TV programmes which are universally described as much-loved, why is it necessary to change them? They might be of their time, but that does not mean they have to be updated. Create a new character, write a modern story, film a new children’s series, be creative, be imaginative, be modern…
Lois Elsden 