When I talk about how good the “Paddington” films are, there are people in my life who think I’m joking. It sounds silly that a series of films about a CGI bear with good manners could be among the most charming and sharp family fare of recent years — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
“Paddington in Peru,” which arrived in American and more importantly Kenai Peninsula theaters this month after debuting in the United Kingdom last November, carries on that trend. It’s delightful and weird, following up on the themes of family and belonging that the previous films explored in 2014 and 2017.
Where previous films have largely focused on the titular bear as a fish out of water in London, getting up to slapstick antics and once being incarcerated, this third entry brings Paddington and the whole Brown family to Peru, on a somewhat bizarre “Indiana Jones” style adventure to find the lost city of El Dorado.
The family is summoned to South America after hearing from staff at Peru’s Home for Retired Bears that Paddington’s Aunt Lucy has been acting strangely, and by the time they arrive the elder bear is missing. Paddington and the Browns quickly charter a boat captained by the not-entirely-trustworthy Captain Hunter Cabot, played by Antonio Banderas, and follow Aunt Lucy’s trail up the river.
There’s unquestionably something lost in removing Paddington from London. So much of the humor of the previous films is rooted in the way Paddington engages with British — and human — convention. In Peru, Paddington isn’t such an odd figure and the film is largely played straight even despite how goofy its quest for El Dorado is.
That said, it’s still a joy to see Paddington — still realized with warmth by Ben Whishaw — back for another adventure. It also continues to deliver well considered and interesting explorations of its themes. Paddington reckons with the distinct parts of himself that are British and Peruvian; and the Browns deal with growth, as the children introduced in 2014 now ready for college and careers.
Like the “Paddington” films that preceded it, “Paddington in Peru” is sharply written and warmly crafted with a sophistication not always present in films made to appeal to children. It’s playing this weekend at the Kenai Cinema and Orca Theater. Check showtimes and purchase tickets at catheaters.com and orcatheater.com.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
