I’ll be honest here: I paid no attention to the first Paddington movie that came out a few years ago. In fact, I don’t remember hearing anything of Paddington until we decided to bring Paddington 2 to the Liberty. I’ve been out of that loop. If I heard anything about it I probably passed it off as a kid’s movie, some toy tie-in from a popular teddy bear or something.

Well, I’m chastened (again). I discover Paddington 2 stars some of my favorite players: Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey); Ben Whishaw (that smart young “Q” agent in 007’s Skyfall); and, as usual, a charming and...