(https://i.imgur.com/CSE9Qvx.png)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Release Date: 4/29/2025
Rating: PG
Film Grade: B-
The Story: Paddington has become comfortable enough living in London that he’s become an official U.K. citizen and obtained a passport. An unexpected letter arrives expressing concern for dear Aunt Lucy, who has been acting erratically. At the same time, new management at Mr. Brown’s office has prompted him to take more risks, so the family heads off to Peru to see what might be wrong with Aunt Lucy.
My Take: I completely skipped the first two movies when they were released, despite hearing lots of positive comments, figuring they were meant only for a much younger audience. Boy, was I wrong. In anticipation of this movie, we watched the originals and were shocked to see just how good they were; something that could be appreciated by audiences of all ages even if they were geared toward children – a rare piece of entertainment these days. Both were filled with equal parts whimsy, joy, discovery, and genuine emotions.
So, how does this latest entry compare? Favorably for the most part. The biggest change is that the story has grown well beyond the confines of London, creating an adventure in addition to the normal mystery. While those aspects are fun in their own way, it comes across as wider in scope but also less focused on the characters.
Making three films this many years apart can be a challenge (the first came out in 2014). In this case it was the losses of original director Paul King, who still cowrote the script, and Sally Hawkins, who chose not to return. New director Dougal Wilson takes on his first feature here, after a history of directing music videos. That’s quite a leap for a project as complex as this, but he did a fine job with it. By putting the greater emphasis on adventure, and with most of the actors are repeating their established roles, it took some weight off of his shoulders.
The returning cast are all good, the highlight of which remains Ben Whishaw as the titular bear. Always charming and full of joyful innocence, every moment he’s on screen is a bundle of fun to watch. The rest of the cast largely continues their earlier roles, and I do give credit to the filmmakers for letting the kids age into adulthood instead of recasting. The biggest change is Emily Mortimer as Mary Brown, playing her as a much more emotional and secondary character than we saw with Hawkins. I can’t say it’s a change for the better as Mortimer always appears to be on the edge of crying. There’s an element of that in the script, but this is perpetual throughout the movie.
One of the other fun elements of this series are the guest stars, and this entry is no exception with two accomplished performers. Antonio Banderas is a rugged riverboat captain, as well as playing several hilarious cameos. The other is Olivia Colman, hamming it up as the singing, exuberant, and jovial Reverend Mother in charge of the Home for Retired Bears. The fun they had with the material spills onto the screen.
Visuals: The digital production looks as clear and bright as one could expect. The colorful jungle vistas practically pop off of the screen, with good delineation of light and dark tones. The digital effects are mixed but mostly good, and in line with the earlier two films. They aren’t cutting edge, but good enough to bring the viewer into Paddington’s world.
I’ll give special credit here to the production design, where they put a lot of effort into the details. Freezing the frame on various shots will reveal details that other films skip. Newspapers feature funny story headlines, for example.
Audio: We only get a simple 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix on this disc, which is a real disappointment. Please, Sony, put the Atmos mix on your Blu-ray discs, especially if you’re not going to offer a 4K release. (If you’re interested in a 4K Atmos disc, you’ll have to get it from overseas, as Sony skipped releasing it in the USA.) The sound mix is front stage heavy, with moderate use of the side channels. This begs for a 7.1 mix at an absolute minimum. Considering the adventure aspect of the movie and the environment, it’s a shame. I would expect the Atmos mix to be better but have no way of knowing.
Speaking of returns, Dario Marianelli is back from Paddington 2, providing another whimsical score, with added elements of danger and rousing action. It’s a good match for the actions on screen. And we’re also treated to another appearance by Tobago and D'Lime, similar to their earlier cameos, albeit in only a much smaller scene.
Special Features: The early features are geared at children, who may find some fun in them. The making-of and set tours are short, but informative, and worth watching if you like the series.
- Create Your Own Adventure Map
- Create Your Own Friendship Bracelet
- “Let’s Prepare for Paddington” Sing-Along
- The Making of Paddington in Peru
- Set Tour: The Browns’ House
- Set Tour: The Home for Retired Bears
Final Verdict: Maybe you’re like me, and ignored these films when they first came out, thinking they were solely aimed at children. While they’ll be entertained by them, there’s plenty to enjoy from an adult perspective. In a way, they’re a throwback to movies of yesteryear where joy and discovery are mixed with humor and a good emotional message.
This movie picks up from the prior one and is just slightly below the mark of the first two. (I’d give Paddington a B, and Paddington 2 a B+.) The scope is larger at the cost of some character development, but there’s still plenty to enjoy. There are callbacks to the earlier movies – be sure to keep watching through the end credits, and a short flashback that adds to Paddington’s origin. Most importantly, it also pulls some genuine heartstrings without being sappy, which is atypical for so many of these films in this genre. All three practically challenge you to retain any level of cynicism while watching them.
Recommended for current and future fans of the series.
I’m keeping an eye on the UK 4K box set of the films, and will end up purchasing them that way, since Sony has only released this one on HD Blu-ray here in the US.
Fun Fact: If you look closely at Paddington’s table, you’ll see a framed picture of him with Queen Elizabeth II. This was taken from a 2022 short, shot for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
https://youtu.be/NTvudSGfHRI
My Review System:
JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup