February 24, 2025 · Watch the official trailer
Sometimes a quality film can be like a warm hug for audiences providing respite and pure unadulterated joy when viewers young and old alike might need it most.
The “Paddington” films, based on the classic Michael Bond stories about a young lost bear who finds companionship with a quirky British family, have been stand out movies in the family friendly genre, but also simply quality pieces of cinema.
Following two standout entries by director Paul King before he moved on to the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” prequel “Wonka” in 2023, the “Paddington” torch was passed to first time director Dougal Wilson with the third installment of the franchise, “Paddington in Peru,” seeing the titular bear and his family on their first action adventure.
After Paddington receives a letter that his Aunt Lucy is lonely and missing him, the Browns travel to Peru only to find that she has gone missing in a search for the fabled city of gold. What ensues is part Indiana Jones, part Mr. Bean in an adorable and, at times, mildly scary story about family and community.
The center of the films has always been the vocal performance of British actor Ben Whishaw as Paddington Bear, who brightens the entire world of “Paddington” with a relentless joy that leaps off the screen and into the hearts of audiences.
The natural affability of his vocal performance is matched by some of children’s cinema’s best CGI work as the graphics to insert Paddington into live action scenes feels more natural and cohesive than almost all of Disney's endeavors into the same style.
The facial work and expressions especially that animators give Paddington perfectly mimic and match the warmth that Whishaw provides vocally making a fantastic protagonist for audiences to follow.
Many of the same actors return to portray the Brown family, including Hugh Bonneville and Julie Walters, and while the film clearly misses the heart of Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Brown, Emily Mortimer is a more than capable substitute in the role that Paddington fans will quickly get behind with a similar affability and charm.
The film’s standout performances come from two newcomers to the franchise with Oscar winner Olivia Colman relishing in the eccentricities of her Reverend Mother character to both propel the story forward and bring her signature quirks to the franchise.
Her rendition of the song “Paddington in Peru” to introduce the film’s second act is a wonderful homage to both children's cinema and more specifically Julie Andrews’ iconic role in “The Sound of Music.”
Equally engaging and entertaining, Antonio Banderas is a joy as the film's primary antagonist, a boat captain seemingly wanting to help Paddington and his family find Aunt Lucy but also seeking the city of gold for his own means.
The role allows Banderas to riff on his work both as Zorro and Puss In Boots while also bathing him in hysterical costumes to play his character's own deceased relatives in a plot twist that wouldn't work in almost any other franchise or with almost any other performer.
Banderas’ commitment to the bit here and the way that he is able to banter with himself in almost an internal monologue that audiences are able to see play out on screen is impressive and among the film’s funniest moments.
“Paddington In Peru” does lose some of the charm of King’s first two films transitioning to a new director and especially due to the locale change for the majority of the movie that saps a bit of the Britishness that is so intrinsic to the “Paddington” film franchise.
Yet this action-adventure foray still is a worthwhile extension and expansion of Paddington’s larger story and something cinephiles young and old should take a chance on in theaters.
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