Paddington in Peru

There’s a blink and you’ll miss it cameo early in the new Paddington film, third in the series and first to return the beloved bear to his native Peru. The fleeting shot sees a framed photo canonise the Platinum Jubilee meeting of Paddington and the late Queen Elizabeth II. It’s a lovely nod but stark marker of just how much the world has changed since our last visit to 32 Windsor Gardens. Five Prime Ministers, a new monarch, global pandemic, TikTok, Brexit…all since the release of Paddington 2. It’s overwhelming. To this end, a return to marmalade sandwiches and a more comprehensible grasp on quintessential Britishness can’t help but feel rich in reassurance.

And yet, even the London of Messieurs Brown, Gruber and Buchanan cannot resist the tides of change. An opening flashback to Paddington’s Peruvian youth must unfold without Uncle Pastuzo, owing to the passing of Michael Gambon since the last film, while the failure of producers to convince Sally Hawkins to return necessitates the recasting of Mrs. Brown. For what it’s worth, a fretting Emily Mortimer proves a seamless replacement.

Indeed, more jarring are the movements behind the camera. Having co-written and directed films one and two, Paul King’s departure – to confect last year’s Wonka – is startlingly noticeable. Paddington in Peru is a sweet little film but it’s clear King took the zest, energy and humour of his work with him. A script by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont tries its best but can’t escape a facsimile feel in his absence.

Such is not to say that the film isn’t gently funny. There’s slapstick sprinkled throughout and competent character work from onboarding stars Olivia Coleman and Antonio Banderas, each entering via the fancy dress box. The issue falls more to the fair expectation of better from the bear. That and a sense of the film, now in the hands of theatrically fresh director Dougal Wilson, leaning closer to convention than before. With a narrative flow reminiscent of Disney’s Jungle Cruise or the Dora the Explorer movie, Paddington 3 steps neatly in line. Lost is the quaint chocolate box individuality of King’s vision, left behind in a London you’ll miss. From the international relocation to themes of belonging and drift, you’ve kind of seen it before. It’s text book threequel.

Still, there are glimmers of inspiration. That Aunt Lucy’s (Imelda Staunton) Home for Retired Bears is run by musical nuns can only have been a King contribution. Certainly, his was the bare bones of a story that opens with news of Aunt Lucy being taken by a peculiar turn. Warned, by Coleman’s Reverend Mother, of deterioration and obsessive behaviour, Paddington scoops up the Browns for a transatlantic rush to the rescue. Their arrival is, however, met by an empty cabin. Aunt Lucy, it seems, could not wait for her nephew before setting out on a hunt for El Dorado – and not the local chicken shop joint.

Naturally, the plot is little more than a metaphor for each character’s search for self within the impenetrable knot of Amazon jungle leaves. A peppering of personal arcs – from Mr. Brown’s (Hugh Bonneville) embracement of risk to the battle of local conquistador Hunter Cabot (Banderas) with a generational curse – keeps things peppy, if not quite finding enough meat to keep all in the ensemble entertained. Julie Walters’ Mrs. Bird might as well have stayed behind, while not-so-youngsters Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) scarcely register. They’re all pawns for the payoff. Classic threequel.

Perhaps Paddington 2 did the series a disservice in raising expectations quite so high. Certainly, the global adoration felt towards the film has likened the entry to the ranks of Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather II. Not unduly. Paddington in Peru isn’t quite so far a fall from grace as was The Godfather Part III but will feel it to nostalgia yearning Mums and Dads. Younger, less world wearied, viewers shan’t share the sigh. Besides, any time spent bathing in the soft vocal charms of Ben Whishaw will always offer some comfort. It is a very comfortable film.