Paddington Trail Announcement
VISITLONDON.COM, THE NSPCC AND STUDIOCANAL ANNOUNCE THE PADDINGTON TRAIL
Today VisitLondon.com, the NSPCC and STUDIOCANAL announced THE PADDINGTON TRAIL. Designed by a host of artists, designers and celebrities, 50 Paddington Bear statues will be placed across the capital, taking in museums, parks, shops and landmarks in an exciting and inspiring trail, with a colourful, Paddington inspired flavour. The Paddington Trail will track the ursine traveller’s favourite places in London whilst celebrating the capital’s art, culture and innovation in advance of the film’s highly anticipated release in UK Cinemas 28 November 2014.
Visitors to London will be able to follow in the furry footsteps of the world’s favourite Peruvian explorer as the Paddington Trail is launched across some of London’s key cultural and landmark hotspots from October 2014.
In Michael Bond’s original tales, the young, stowaway bear finds himself alone in a big and unfamiliar city. Taken in by the Brown family, he finds a warm welcome and a safe place to stay and sets out to discover more about his adopted city.
London based design company 3DEye will be helping to create the three foot six inch tall statues, all of which will be auctioned later in the year to raise money for charity partners** including the NSPCC; a charity whose work is all about protecting vulnerable children and making them safe.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said, “As a long-time fan of Paddington Bear I’m delighted that this world-famous, marmalade-loving, duffle-coat wearing, polite but notoriously accident prone bear will be celebrated by Londoners and visitors to our great city, with the launch of this fantastic trail.”
David Heyman – Producer of Paddington - said “I am delighted that Michael Bond’s unforgettable bear has now inspired The Paddington Trail. Paddington’s story is universal, the story of an outsider in search of a home. We shot the film across London and look forward to seeing the city through Paddington’s eyes when the trail launches this Autumn in aid of the NSPCC and its ChildLine service.”
Karen Jankel – MD of Paddington and Company***- said “ When my father Michael Bond first wrote about Paddington many years ago he could never have imagined that one day he would see life-sized versions of his creation all over London. It is a huge honour for a small bear and it will be very exciting to see how all the different artists choose to interpret him.”
Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC, said: “It’s going to be wonderful to see two iconic British institutions – Paddington Bear and the NSPCC – coming together against the backdrop of this wonderful city, to raise vital funds for vulnerable children and their families. Paddington was fortunate enough to be found by Mr and Mrs Brown who gave him love and a safe space to grow up – something that every young person deserves. Through ChildLine, the NSPCC is there 24/7 for any young person who is feeling lost and in need of support.”
Paddington’s origins date back almost sixty years to when his creator, Michael Bond, bought a small bear on Christmas Eve 1956, as a present for his wife, and named him after the nearest railway station to which they lived.
The classic tales of the much loved bear have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, been translated into over forty languages and captured the imagination of children and adults around the globe.
Due for release on 28 November 2014, the highly anticipated big screen debut of PADDINGTON will showcase many of the trail locations in the capital, including his first port of entry – Paddington station. The film from STUDIOCANAL and Heyday Films is written and directed by Paul King (Bunny and the Bull, The Mighty Boosh) produced by David Heyman (Gravity, Harry Potter) boasting an all star cast including Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman with Ben Whishaw as the voice of PADDINGTON.
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PADDINGTON IS RELEASED IN UK CINEMAS NOVEMBER 28