Paddington In Peru

Paddington In Peru – When Paddington receives a concerning letter about Aunt Lucy from the Reverend Mother of The Home for Retired Bears, he and the Browns set off to see her. When they arrive, they discover that she has disappeared, presumed to have gone out alone in the jungle. Desperately worried, the family head out to find her and board a boat captained by the strange Hunter Cabot and his daughter. With so little to go on and Cabot seeming to know more than he’s letting on, will Paddington ever find his dear Aunt Lucy?

Paddington In Peru (2024) – Director: Dougal Wilson

Rating: PG

Running Length: 106 mins

Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Antonio Banderas

Genres: Comedy, Action/Adventure

REVIEW: PADDINGTON IN PERU

Decades ago, British children were introduced to a friendly little bear from South America who wore a battered red hat, carried a well-used suitcase and who just loved marmalade sandwiches. Since then his popularity has continued throughout generations of children and adults alike and his adventures have been seen in many different forms. Most recently, Paddington has had big screen success and the third instalment of the much-loved franchise takes us away from London and into Paddington’s homeland of Peru where Aunt Lucy seems to have got into a spot of bother.

Although Sally Hawkins has not reprised her role as Mrs Brown (she has been replaced by Emily Mortimer) the Browns mostly stay the same but fleshing out the cast in Peru are Olivia Colman as the Reverend Mother and Antonio Banderas and Carla Tous as Hunter and Gina Cabot (a father and daughter boat crew who take the Browns down the Amazon River).

In recent years, Banderas has become more of a comedic actor and often hams up his performances so it would be forgiven if he did the same in a comedy film about a talking bear. However, while he is still giving us plenty of laughs, Banderas chooses a welcome clutch of scenes in which to be measured and understated. Whether or not his internal arguments are visons of his amusingly villainous ancestors are amusing or (as is subtly suggested) something like Dissociative Identity Disorder is up for grabs, with either possibility allowing for a sympathetic read on his character.

So, is ‘Paddington In Peru’ as good as the first two? In a word, yes! The things we loved about the ‘Paddington’ and ‘Paddington 2’ are present without being overused (you will have to wait for that perfectly timed hard-stare) while still feeling fresh and fun. It is natural to be sceptical of sequels but, this time, you absolutely won’t be disappointed.

CONTENT: IS ‘PADDINGTON IN PERU’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

As a young Bear, Paddington falls from a height into a deep river. He desperately clings to a log but soon goes under the water. However, before long he is rescued and shown to be fine afterwards.

While in Gruber’s shop, Paddington is drawn to a small tribal statue of a bear. As he stares at it, the lighting darkens, there is some spooky music and a mouth suddenly appears which opens wide and roars. This is meant to be a little unsettling but only lasts a few seconds and the mood of the scene quickly lightens. This short moment is repeated a few more times throughout the film.

While in Peru, there is a close up of a mural that depicts a nun surrounded by frightening beasts, all looking to attack her. This could be a little scary for younger kids.

When seeing a tattoo on Cabot’s arm, Mr Brown jokingly asks if he got it ‘On a drunken night in Cusco’. To which Cabot indignantly replies ‘No! This was a drunken night in Cusco’ and proceeds to lift his shirt right up presumably to reveal another, much larger tattoo on his torso. The camera only shows him from the back so the audience doesn’t see it but the Browns are all shocked and Mr Brown covers Paddington’s eyes.

When they lose control of the boat they are on, the Browns jump overboard, however Paddington stays on and the boat crashes. There are several seconds where it is unknown whether Paddington has survived or not, however he is soon seen to be ok.

Cabot is haunted by the ghosts of his greedy and ruthless ancestors. We see this from his perspective as if he is speaking to another person, however occasionally we see it from the outside which implies that it is all in his head. When one of his ancestors repeatedly (and comedically) hits him, we see that he is hitting himself . We also see one of the ancestors convince him to kill another character and threaten this character with a machete. The implication of Dissociative Personality Disorder is very mild and is unlikely to be understood by most children, however parents may wish to be aware of this for children sensitive to such things.

There is a close-up of a huge spider and then of its eyes. A character has to move this spider and it ends up on their face. Although this is all done in a light hearted and funny way, anyone with arachnophobia is bound to be stressed during this scene!

A vulnerable character is abandoned in a dangerous place, their distress and pleas for help are upsetting.

CAN I SEE A CLIP OF ‘PADDINGTON IN PERU’?

VERDICT: IS ‘PADDINGTON IN PERU’ FOR KIDS?

Following the other two Paddington films was no mean feat but ‘Paddington In Peru’ has managed to give us more of what we love as well as add plenty more to the little Peruvian bear’s appeal. There are a few exciting action scenes throughout the movie but we would recommend this film for all ages.

• Violence: 1/5 (Hunter is punched repeatedly around the face by a character he imagines, the audience then sees that he is actually hitting himself. In order to prevent a character from stopping his dastardly scheme, Hunter knocks another character off his boat, however he makes sure that they are safe afterwards. Hunter threatens to kill a character, brandishes a machete and chases after them)
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (Paddington is often worried about Aunt Lucy)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (lots of exciting action sequences. The scene with the spider may cause anxiety)
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 1/5 (when the Browns are lost in the rainforest, one jokingly wonders how long it will be before they start eating each other)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of family love, family guilt and destiny.

Words by Laura Record