At this point, the Paddington movies are a universally beloved internet phenomenon, adored by children and adults alike. (Well, I don’t know tons of kids who are as obsessed with Paddington as some adults I know, but let’s just go with it.) Back when the first Paddington was gearing up for release, however, that fate didn’t seem predetermined.
One of the first looks at the film turned into a meme that deemed the sweet bear “creepy” and the release date was pushed into January, signaling that the distributor didn’t have the highest hopes for its success. (In another sign of how times have changed: The initial Paddington was distributed in the US by a subsidiary of The Weinstein Company.) But we should have never feared. Paddington was a delight, and Paddington 2 was a masterpiece.
Which brings me to Wonka, the new movie that shares director Paul King with the bear-centric tales. The early buzz on Wonka has ranged from confused to derisive. Why, exactly, do we need a prequel story about Roald Dahl’s somewhat menacing chocolatier from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Is Timothée Chalamet the true heir to Gene Wilder’s legacy? Is this nothing more than “Twonka,” a.k.a. Twink Wonka?
But, like Paddington, Wonka defies expectations. The movie, which is out in theaters December 15, is absolutely charming and, dare I say, extremely Paddington-core. King has infused that same sort of warm, intelligent energy into his tale of an ambitious, kooky sweets purveyor who arrives in a vaguely European town with the hope of opening up a shop, only to have his dreams stifled by a pair of scheming launderers and an evil chocolate cartel. Timothée Chalamet may not be a furry little bear, but his Wonka is akin to Paddington. He’s an oddball optimist who........