Paddington in Peru Offers a Welcome Return for Cinema’s Best Bear

Change is hard no matter the circumstance, but when it happens to a beloved movie franchise, the stakes can feel particularly high and (depending on your relationship to said franchise) particularly personal. What if the things that make the previous entries so special get jettisoned by a new director who doesn’t understand the deeper meaning? What if the studio tries too hard to make lightning strike yet again, and micromanages the project so much that it loses all personality? What if (heaven forbid) they get the lore wrong and nothing makes sense anymore?

I am, of course, talking about the Paddington movies. I mean, obviously, what else?

Paul King’s first two films — the delightful Paddington and very nearly perfect Paddington 2 — were a combination of smart filmmaking, joyously creative production design and surprisingly profound messaging. They’re easy to appreciate on every level, from the impressive CGI of the title character to the cast’s committed performances, to the films’ genuinely thoughtful and celebratory exploration of the immigrant experience and what diversity adds to a community.

The third installment of the franchise, Paddington in Peru, is by contrast a bit of a gamble at first glance. King has left, replaced by first-time feature director Dougal Wilson. Instead of London, most of the action takes place in South America, as Paddington (voiced by Ben Wishaw) returns to the land of his birth with the Browns in tow to search for his missing Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton). We’re in new territory in more than one sense; questions about consistency and cultural sensitivity are completely understandable.

Fortunately, Paddington in Peru retains much of what made the preceding two films such triumphs. The cheeky, whimsical humor is still here, and the childlike consideration of the world as a colorful place with endless potential for friendship and adventure remains intact. Most importantly, the movies’ evolving consideration of Paddington’s journey — and how it reflects the experience of cultural assimilation and identity for immigrants and refugees — is still here, and treated with touching consideration.

We rejoin Paddington and the Browns — Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville), Mrs. Brown (Emily Mortimer, taking over for Sally Hawkins), Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) — at an important time for the young bear. Paddington has just received his passport, and is officially a British citizen. At the same time, he gets a troubling letter from Mother Superior (Olivia Colman) at the Home for Retired Bears in Peru, where Aunt Lucy lives. Aunt Lucy, it seems, is becoming withdrawn, and could use a visit.

When Paddington and the Browns arrive, however, they find Aunt Lucy has gone. The clues she’s left behind take them on an adventure into the Amazonian jungle, toward an ancient ruin that may hold significance for Paddington’s past, guided by a gold-hungry boat captain (Antonio Banderas). As Paddington discovers more about his origins, he starts to question if his true identity lies with his beloved Browns, or the jungles from whence he came.

There are, admittedly, a few spots in Paddington in Peru that copy from the previous films’ playbook a little too closely. Banderas’ Hunter Cabot is haunted by the ghosts of his greedy ancestors in ways that try to recapture the glory of Hugh Grant’s all-time-great Paddington 2 baddie Phoenix Buchanan, with diminished results. Rather than explore different territory in Paddington and Aunt Lucy’s early relationship, we get flashbacks of the same events in Paddington 2 from a different perspective. It’s fine, but it feels like screenwriters Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont are sticking with what’s worked before rather than go somewhere more recognizably new. One or two early scenes handle exposition with less grace than the effortlessly tidy King might have done.

These are, however, decidedly minor quibbles. Much of Paddington in Peru successfully uses the existing Paddington template to try new ideas, with great success. We retain the first two movies’ love of Mission: Impossible (hello, Hayley Atwell cameo!) and add clever references to Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Sound of Music. The film’s new playmates, Colman particularly, delight in the abundant silliness and Rube Goldberg-esque design. Gags and props introduced in the first act pay off in the third. Paddington’s understanding of where he’s come from and who he’s become since — with the help of a loving community of friends and found family — is a gentle and touching evolution of the character’s journey from the first two movies.

In overall rankings, Paddington in Peru doesn’t quite match the giddy heights of Paddington 2, but the fact that it’s on par with the series’ first entry is still a massive compliment. It’s a relief to be able to say that Paddington in Peru retains the franchise’s pedigree of enduring, high-quality family entertainment. King’s successors firmly understand the existing formula and why it works. With a few exceptions, they use that formula to generate new delights that work on their own merit. It’s a lovely, immersive return to one of contemporary cinema’s most charming worlds, with as much depth and soul as fans could hope for.

Director: Dougal Wilson
Writer: Mark Burton, Jon Foster, James Lamont
Stars: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Carla Tous, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas
Release date: Feb. 14, 2025

Abby Olcese is an entertainment writer based in Kansas City. Her work has appeared at /Film, rogerebert.com, Crooked Marquee, Sojourners Magazine, and Think Christian. You can follow her adventures and pop culture obsessions at @abbyolcese.