It has been 7 years without the bear from Peru, Paddington, and thankfully, Studio Canal has returned England’s national treasure to us after this long and treacherous wait. Not only has Paddington returned, but the Brown family is also gracing our screens once again, but with a slight change to one of the castings. While the first two Paddington films take place in London, this third film in the franchise takes us to Paddington’s birth country, Peru, which makes for a movie grand in scale, but do they manage to pull it off, and does Paddington in Peru make for the perfect trilogy?
During the ending for Paddington 2, Aunt Lucy came all the way over from Peru to London to visit Paddington. Now, the tables have turned in Paddington in Peru, where we follow Paddington (Ben Whishaw), who receives a letter from Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), which causes him and the Brown family to have a trip to Peru so they may visit her at the Home for Retired Bears. Once they reach Peru, they’re met with the news from Reverend Mother (Olivia Coleman) that Aunt Lucy has gone missing in the Peruvian jungle in search of something. With no one around to help, it’s up to Paddington and the Brown family to find Aunt Lucy.
A lot has surprisingly changed during the wait for this third film, and some of these changes brought along worrisome questions. Paul King, who directed the first two movies, wasn’t attached to direct the third film, which left this daunting task to Dougal Wilson, also making this his directional feature debut. A scary feat when handling the nation’s beloved bear, especially after how loved the first two films were. It’s safe to say that Wilson showcases well why he was a great fit for this third film. He works alongside the story that Paul King has meticulously crafted for this film, and while his style isn’t exactly the same as King’s, he does an excellent job of replicating the style that was set in stone with the first two movies while bringing some of his own flair to the series.
The Paddington film series is known widely for its focus on family. Paddington (2014) focused on the titular character finding a new family in London, while Paddington 2 showcased him making a new family while he was imprisoned. Paddington continues this tradition, bringing him back to his birth country in search of his Aunt Lucy, where he’ll discover information about himself that he never knew before. It’s a loving and caring story that packs an emotional punch.
It wouldn’t be a Paddington movie without the Brown family around. As time has passed, a lot has changed with the Browns. Hugh Bonneville (Muppets Most Wanted), Madeline Harris (Paddington 2), Samuel Joslin (The Impossible), and Julie Walters (Mamma Mia!) return to play the same characters, with Madeline and Samuel now being young adults, which fits into the nature of their respective characters. Jonathan Brown has become your typical young adult who has become lazy and is stuck inside his room playing video games, but to bring him back to his roots, he’s still inventive, making contraptions to help with his laziness. Judy Brown, on the other hand, is filling out a travel log to help her get into the university of her choice and venture into the world of journalism.
Not much has changed with Henry Brown except that his boss, shockingly played by the wondrous Hayley Atwell, wants him to embrace risks instead of avoiding him, which makes for a comical change of character within the film and fits in perfectly like a jigsaw piece. Mrs. Bird returns with that same urge to solve a mystery and get right down to the truth, making for one of the film’s finest moments with her and Reverend Mother’s hilarious back and forth throughout the movie. The one major change within the family is that Sally Hawkins was unable to return, leaving the talented Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns) to play Mary Brown, making this her second film with Ben Whishaw.
There’s a uniqueness to how Mary Brown was portrayed by Sally, a quirkiness that bounces off her character, but her most important character trait was that she’s caring. Emily Mortimer does well in embracing that caring nature of Mary Brown, but unfortunately, in some scenes, it can feel like a poor imitation of Sally’s performance, which can sometimes make or break a scene, but ultimately, she still does the best she can to still make the family feel whole.
There are some new additions welcomed to the mix of Paddington In Peru, with Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) playing the villain, Hunter Cabot, whom Paddington and the Brown family run into in hopes of getting a ride to Aunt Lucy’s suspected location. Hunter Cabot is also being haunted by a curse within his family that has him on the search for El Dorado, which leads him to help Paddington, as he believes he holds the key to the hidden city of gold. It’s here where we begin to get some cultural significance with South America and the start to Paddington’s troubles. Alongside Hunter Cabot is his daughter Gina Cabot (Carla Tous), who strongly wants her father to drop the search for the city of Gold in worry that it’ll consume like it has his ancestors.
Their father-daughter dynamic is one that contrasts well with the Brown family, managing to show the darkness that can tear a family apart. While the Cabot family is in a more dire situation, Mary Brown also worries that her family is slowly growing apart, and we’re able to get satisfying conclusions for both families that are full of the Paddington love we all care for.
If Paddington wasn’t already a British staple, Olivia Coleman (Wonka) joins this stellar cast to play The Reverend Mother, a character who is suspiciously mysterious but fun to be around. Olivia Coleman steals the spotlight with her performance, providing hilarious facial features an and a musical note that makes you wish Paddington was secretly a musical. We’d love to see it, Studio Canal!
Overall, Paddington in Peru is a great third addition to the series, with Dougal Wilson doing all Paddington fans across the globe justice with this fantastic movie that keeps everything we love about this brown bear. Paddington will go down in history as having one of the best trilogys, and with more on the way, it might possibly be one of the best film series we’ve gotten in a long while.
It doesn’t quite surpass the first two films, but it stands strong on its own, and fans of the first two movies will sure love Paddington in Peru and experience the journey that Paddington takes to find his Aunt Lucy.
Paddington In Peru releases in U.K. theaters on November 8 & in the US on January 17.
