February 8, 2025
by Carla Hay

Directed by Dougal Wilson
Culture Representation: Taking place in Peru and in London, the live-action animated film sequel “Paddington in Peru” (based on characters from the “Paddington” book series) features a cast of characters who are white and Latin humans and talking bears.
Culture Clash: Paddington, a talking bear from Peru who was adopted by a London family, returns to his native Peru to find his Aunt Lucy, who has gone missing.
Culture Audience: Besides appealing to fans of the Paddington franchise, “Paddington in Peru” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in family-friendly entertainment about talking animals that co-exist with humans.

“Paddington in Peru” continues the entertaining charm of the “Paddington” franchise about Great Britain’s beloved talking bear and his adoptive human family. This live-action/animated film has Paddington’s most ambitious adventure so far. Not only does Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) and his human family go to Peru to find his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton), who has mysteriously gone missing, but Paddington and the Brown family also get involved in a treasure hunt with some danger from greedy opponents.
Directed by Dougal Wilson, “Paddington in Peru” was written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont. It’s the third movie in the “Paddington” film series, which began with 2014’s “Paddington” (written and directed by Paul King) and 2017’s “Paddington 2” (directed by King, who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby). The movies are based on characters from Michael Bond’s “Paddington” children’s book series. It’s not necessary to see other “Paddington” movies to enjoy “Paddington in Peru.”
In “Paddington,” a lovable orphaned male bear named Paddington travels from his native Peru to London, where he is adopted by the Brown family, who named him after the train station where they found him. Paddington’s big challenge in the movie was to try not to get killed by a taxidermist. In “Paddington 2,” Paddington was framed for a theft that he didn’t commit and was wrongfully sent to prison, where he tries to escape and prove his innocence.
“Paddington 2” begins in London, where Paddington is still living with the Brown family: insurance executive Henry Brown (played by Hugh Bonneville), his wife Mary Brown (played by Emily Mortimer) and their two teenage children: video-game enthusiast Jonathan Brown (played by Samuel Joslin) and bookish Judy Brown (played by Madeleine Harris). The Brown family also has an energetic live-in housekeeper named Mrs. Bird (played by Julie Walters).
The last time that Paddington saw his Aunt Lucy (who is now a widow), she was in living a remote part of a Peruvian jungle at the Home for Retired Bears. The movie’s opening scene shows a dream that Paddington has of falling down a waterfall in Peru. He also envisions Aunt Lucy telling him: “I’ll hear you, however far away you are.”
Paddington reaches a milestone when he gets his United Kingdom passport. He’s soon going to need it because he gets a letter from a nun called the Reverend Mother (played by Olivia Colman), who is the manager of the retirement home where Aunt Lucy lives in Peru. The Reverend Mother says in the letter that she’s worried about Aunt Lucy. According to the Reverend Mother, Aunt Lucy has become withdrawn and is spending a lot of time alone.
Paddington has noticed that although the Brown family members still love each other, inside the house, the family members have been spending more away from each other in different rooms. Paddington worries that the family members might be drifting apart. And he doesn’t want to lose that family closeness.
Meanwhile, Henry is dealing with having a new boss: an assertive American named Madison (played by Hayley Atwell), who dismisses Henry’s large binders of research about risk assessment and tells him that he needs to take more risks. When Henry goes home, he finds out that Paddington wants to go to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy. Paddington also think this trip will bring the Brown family closer together.
At first, Henry says no, but then he thinks about what Madison said about taking more risks. And so, Henry says yes. And off Paddington and the rest of the Brown family members go to Peru. There’s an amusing scene inspired by “The Sound of Music” where The Reverend Mother (playing an acoustic guitar) sings “Paddington in Peru” in an open grassy field with singing and dancing nuns.
Paddington and the Browns are dismayed to find out that Aunt Lucy disappeared before they arrived. And there are signs that Aunt Lucy was abducted: She left her treasured bracelet behind, and her eye glasses are found broken in the same area. Aunt Lucy is very near-sighted and needs her glasses to see properly.
Paddington and the Browns soon find out that Aunt Lucy’s amulet bracelet is a clue to a treasure at Rumi Rock, a place where the Inca tribe hid gold from Spanish invaders. According to local legend, the Incas promised the gold to the spirit of the jungle. Paddington and the Browns figure out that if they go to Rumi Rock, they have a chance of possibly finding Aunt Lucy.
Along the way, Paddington and the Browns enlist the help of a boat captain named Hunter Cabot (played by Antonio Banderas), who owns and operates a travel-boat business with his earnest daughter Gina (played by Carla Tous), who is in her late teens. Hunter is reluctant to take these tourists to Rumi Rock because he says it’s difficult to find, but Hunter changes his mind when he hears that this tour group is looking for valuable treasure.
Various mishaps ensue. And it’s enough to say that some secrets are revealed. “Paddington in Peru” keeps a light tone to the story, but the movie has an obvious message about the evils of greed. “Paddington in Peru” could have used a little bit more exploration of the Incan/indigenous culture that is mentioned but not given enough screen time, considering that the treasure in the story originated with the Incas.
The characters of the Reverend Mother and Hunter are intentionally a hoot to watch. The Reverend Mother has a somewhat goofy persona that Colman obviously had fun portraying. Hunter has visions of seeing his ancestors of different professions (such as pirate, priest, airline pilot), which are characters also portrayed by Banderas.
As for the cast members who were in previous “Paddington” movies, they play their roles well and don’t do much that’s different, although there is a huge slab of adorable sentimentality that’s served up in the last third of the movie. Antiques shop owner Samuel Gruber (played by Jim Broadbent) has a small role “Paddington in Peru.” And the movie’s end credits has a brief re-appearance of a familiar character from “Paddington 2.”)
“Paddington in Peru” rolls along at just the right pace with an uncomplicated story that should keep people of various generations interested and often amused. The visuals are pleasant and the dialogue is what you expect from a movie of this type. “Paddington in Peru” won’t be considered a classic animated film but it’s a worthy sequel in the “Paddington” franchise
Columbia Pictures will release “Paddington in Peru” in U.S. cinemas on February 14, 2025. A sneak preview was shown in U.S. cinemas on February 8, 2025. “Paddington in Peru” was released in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2024.