It's quite something to be universally liked, especially when it comes to films. So it's rather lovely when critics – a famously cynical bunch – all come together in support of one very special bear.

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Paddington – first brought to life by Michael Bond – is the subject of not one but two films, the second released in the UK last year and in the States this January.

And he's gone down a storm with critics, no doubt encouraged by Hugh Grant's Bafta-nominated performance, earning Paddington 2 a 100% rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes which has clocked up 167 positive reviews.

The rating makes Paddington 2 the best reviewed film of all time, knocking Toy Story 2 off the top spot; the Pixar film also has a 100% fresh rating but only 164 reviews.

Its crown was briefly stolen last year by Lady Bird which had a 100% rating after 217 positive reviews, until one churlish critic submitted a negative take, leaving the film – directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Saoirse Ronan – with a score of 99%.

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The sequel to 2014's Paddington sees the eponymous bear put behind bars after he is wrongly accused of theft. It reunites stars Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Peter Capaldi and Ben Whishaw, who voices Paddington.

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The critics' consensus on Rotten Tomatoes states that the film "honors its star's rich legacy with a sweet-natured sequel whose adorable visuals are matched by a story perfectly balanced between heartwarming family fare and purely enjoyable all-ages adventure."

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