Paddington in Peru
review by Bobby Blakey
One of the most iconic children’s characters of all time is Paddington Bear. There have been numerous iterations of the loveable marmalade loving bear including the 1975 stop motion / 2D animated drawing series that ran on various outlets as well as the animated series The Adventures of Paddington Bear. In 2015 the loveable bear finally hit the big screen in the aptly titled Paddington and with its success returned in 2017 Paddington 2.
Now the marmalade loving bear is back once again with Paddington in Peru featuring returning cast and new additions including Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Carla Tous and Jim Broadbent. Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton both return as the voices of Paddington and Aunt Lucy. Could this next chapter of Paddington be worth the trip or should it never have stepped out of London?
Paddington in Peru follows Paddington's story to Peru as he returns to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.
One of the biggest fears in films like this is that after two excellent entries could it still offer up all the stuff that made the other films great. I am happy to say I loved this new entry as much as the others, but it does lose some of the whimsical nature of the first two in favor of the travel adventure. This isn’t an issue and kind of refreshing new aspect for the story and a trip into the world of Peru not often seen in films. Even though the film departs from its usual local it still manages to find space for all the great supporting cast before heading out on the adventure.
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This is part of the charm of this series as there are plenty of supporting bit players that help to add to the depth of Paddington’s neighborhood. We all know though that there is a bigger world out there where he is from and getting to finally journey back is a fun decision and works to perfection. Throughout this series there are things you just must accept no matter how silly, and this one is no different as we head to the Home for Retired Bears. It’s fun getting to see these new areas of the world and expand Paddington’s own lore by delving more into his history whether we felt like we needed it or not.
All the cast are great as always with Emily Mortimer replacing Sally Hawkins and while she is missed Mortimer does a good job. The story is not just about the search for Aunt Lucy, but the search for the family that has grown apart as well. The use of the kids older ages as a core issue within the family dynamic brings a relatable layer to the often-fantastical world of Paddington. While the Brown family are trying to reclaim the closeness the family once had, Paddington is trying to literally find his. It is a great dynamic storytelling that pulls at the heart strings and delivers all the depth needed to keep it in on par with the films that came before.
Antonio Banderas and Olivia Colman look to be having a blast joining in on the story and fit right in. For all the great actors and fun story this film doesn’t work if Paddington doesn’t. Much like the first two films Winshaw is great as the voice of Paddington as always and the CGI for him is excellent. We get a lot more bear interaction this time around which I was worried might be too much, but it still works great. AS ridiculous as a lot of this world is you can’t help but get sucked into it all and love everything going on.
Filled with fun, adventure, laughter, tears and heart, this is the perfect follow up to a perfect series that I hope is not done yet. If this is the end it has a good wrap up complete with nods to previous entries but also lends itself to return to the home of the Browns and that lovable bear.
Join the adventure and check out Paddington in Peru when it hits theaters on February 14th from Studio Canal.