Everyone’s favourite marmalade sandwich-loving bear, Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw), has returned to our big screens for the third time, along with the Brown family, and a star studded cast of new characters in another heartfelt tale, Paddington In Peru.
The Browns, although still residing in the same house, have become more distant to each other since we last saw them. The kids Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) are now well and truly into their teenage years, with little to no time for family and pursuing their own interests. Dad Henry (Hugh Bonneville) is feeling out of place and unsure of how to adapt to new attitudes at work, far from the safety of his carefully thought out risk assessments, and mum Mary (Emily Mortimer) is expressing through her art, longing to again see a time when the family was all still on the same page.
Meanwhile, Paddington’s Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton), who resides in his original homeland of Peru, has been dearly missing Paddington, so much so that the Reverend Mother (Olivia Coleman) at her residence, the Home for Retired Bears, writes to Paddington to inform him of Aunt Lucy’s plight and sadness.
A spontaneous family trip to Peru to reunite Paddington with Aunt Lucy is just the thing the family needs to join back as one. However, when they reach the Home for Retired Bears, it’s to their dismay that they discover Aunt Lucy has since gone missing!
Reverend Mother is distressed and informs the Browns of Aunt Lucy’s strange behaviour leading up to her disappearance, leaving behind only traces of her path. Will they be able to find Aunt Lucy before she befalls some mysterious fate?
Paddington and the Browns set off on their family adventure, meeting a host of new characters including their boat guide Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter Gina (Carla Tous).
What ensues is all the usual comedy and hijinks you can expect from any fun filled jungle quest consisting of roaring rapids, giant boulders chasing characters, and too-close encounters with scary spiders, snakes and other creatures. Mix in the endearing clumsiness that we all know and love from Paddington, and you have quite the recipe for chaos, with plenty of old fashion slapstick humour, as well as plenty of spoken jokes between the parents to keep children and adults alike entertained.
Paddington In Peru achieves a great balance of fun and thoughtfulness, and even fit in the obligatory musical number! The cast deliver their characters’ physical and emotional journeys with joy and care. Olivia Coleman is an especial standout delight onscreen as the offbeat, always smiling, Mother Reverend.
The Paddington movies have come to lay an expectation of being a light-hearted and fun kids movie on the surface, before packing an emotional and touching gut punch of “feels” towards the end that everyone can find connection with. Paddington In Peru is no exception, portraying such a specific story but with wide-reaching themes. While I assume most of us aren’t actually small bears finding our lost family in Peru in a raincoat and hat, it could be safe to assume most of us have experienced the feeling of wondering where we fit in and what ‘home’ really means.
You don’t have to be a bear to connect with Paddington’s stories of feeling lost, finding home, and truly belonging. I found myself smiling along pleasantly for most of the film but getting genuinely emotional towards the end.
Paddington represents some part of everyone’s inner child, approaching the world with love, curiosity, and boldness. But his story shines in the moments where he second guesses himself. Paddington helps show us that sometimes the best laid plans don’t turn out how we expect, but happy accidents can lead to new memories and friendships we never expected. That in getting lost, we have the opportunity to find ourselves. “Sometimes you have mixed feelings” on something, not everything is simply good, or bad, “And that’s okay”.
Paddington In Peru is directed by Dougal Wilson, a change at the helm than the previous two instalments. There is a slightly different flavour to this third film that can be felt, however overall, Paddington In Peru still provides an enjoyable, funny, cosy and touching welcome addition to the film franchise.
Paddington In Peru is in cinemas from New Year’s Day.