'Paddington 2': The beloved British bear returns to cinemas

Now happily settled with the Brown family after his adventures in the first "Paddington" movie from 2014, the bear Paddington picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present, an old book about London, for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday. But when the book gets stolen, Paddington sets out for a spectacular journey.

The film stars Ben Whishaw as the voice of the main character and Hugh Grant in the role of the villain.  

The first movie, directed by the then-newcomer director Paul King, was a huge success with box office sales of $268 million (€230 million). Its sequel, "Paddington 2," written by King again, might well be heading in the same direction if the extraordinarily positive reviews are any indication.

Olly Richardson from British film magazine Empire gave the movie the best possible rating, describing it "as a pure delight, as sweet and sharp as, well, marmalade, really."

"Every bit as perfectly tuned, cruelty-free funny and kind-hearted as its predecessor, maybe even more so," states The Hollywood Reporter review, summarizing the movie as "almost unbearably wonderful."

The movie premieres on November 10 in the UK, on November 23 in Germany and on January 12 in the US.

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Loved by millions

Paddington Bear has been enjoyed by generations of children, with more than 35 million books sold, the publisher HarperCollins said after releasing the latest Paddington story, "Paddington's Finest Hour," in April.

 The author Michael Bond, who passed away this July, named the bear after the London railway station where he was found, having arrived from "deepest, darkest Peru" according to the writer's famous description. The bear was wearing a tag around his neck that read "Please look after this bear."

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