Ten years ago, the UK’s most cuddly (and perpetually hungry) little bear jumped onto the big screen in a huge way. Paul King gave the beloved literary characters such tangible vibrancy, and with his 2017 follow up succeeded in enchanting the entire world again. Now, a decade on, Dougal Wilson takes the helm (for a jungle cruise, how fitting) in this third entry of the Paddington series; one with a rather logical and obvious goal.
The characters have grown over the last two films and Paddington is, now, officially a citizen of Great Britain. Huzzah! This new outing is most definitely a road trip movie (or as close as you could get to a “road” in the Amazon) that seeks to find Paddington’s roots. Yet his background is mostly unknown to Paddington, so the audience gets to figure it out along with the eponymous fuzzy-wuzzy little fellow.
Along for the ride is The Brown family and the clan are desperate to find Paddington‘s Aunt Lucy who has gone missing from ‘The Home for Retired Bears’. It’s a colorful story that, while channeling jungle adventures from decades past, is book-ended with some truly heartwarming and heartstring-pulling topics.
The idea that we all have to grow up, coupled with each of us finding our purpose, is part of life, even if it means (to some) becoming empty-nesters. That last one hits home for so many parents the world over. But like Emily Mortimer (newly playing Mrs. Brown) astutely put it, life is just about finding what happens next. It’s a simple yet powerful sentiment.
There’s something that this series does right when many other properties fall flat – be it the jokes department, character department, the overall tone and message, or something that just keeps everything from firing on all cylinders. Suffice to say that under the careful guidance of the creative team, this is the equivalent of a fine-tuned sports car. No frills here (except for being equal parts saccharine, cute, and hilarious), it’s a masterpiece of efficiency, and effortlessly captivating. It’s simply beautiful and a shining example of comfort cinema. In a word, Paddington is joyful.
One thing that might delve into spoiler territory is that the film sports a very funny musical number; it’s not very often that you get a villain singing something, uh, villainous or a song that sets up a certain character as the bad guy. The Little Mermaid, Team America: World Police, Muppets Most Wanted, etc. have done this exceedingly well. So while the list is not very long, it gains a spectacular addition here, and we’ll leave it to you to figure out who’s the heavy in this hairy tale. Rest assured, if you are crazy for the titular furry one, this will bring huge smiles to your face.
G-S-T RULING:
A fun adventure for the whole family, Paddington In Peru is as sweet as marmalade. And good. It is beary, beary good! Moreover, this last chapter is charming, thrilling, and laugh-out-loud funny. And should you, like us, be new to the franchise, then everyone involved open welcomes you with open arms.
