'Paddington' statues come to London ahead of movie's release
鈥淧addington鈥� fans can see their favorite bear pop up all across London.
Fifty statues of the fictional bear will be scattered around London beginning today. The statues were designed by celebrities such as 鈥淧addington鈥� actors Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins, and Hugh Bonneville as well as Emma Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch, and others and businesses such as the newspaper The Telegraph and Westminster Academy.
Those who want to find the bears can go to the website, which has each bear鈥檚 location and details about its appearance.
The statues will be on display until Dec. 30 and will be auctioned off afterward, with the money going to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.听
While the 鈥淧addington鈥� film, which has Whishaw voicing the bear and Bonneville and Hawkins as the parents of the family who find Paddington in London, isn鈥檛 released in America until January, it鈥檚 coming to UK theaters at the end of this month.
According to the Visit London website, the project is a collaboration between Visit London, the NSPCC, and StudioCanal, which is releasing the film.听
In addition to the statues, 鈥淧addington鈥� author Michael Bond is publishing a new book about the bear in December. It鈥檚 titled 鈥淟ove from Paddington鈥� and is made up of letters the bear wrote to family in Peru after arriving in London.
