Paddington in Peru - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Paddington in Peru



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
Even though I’m a 43-year-old elder millennial with a penchant for horror and action films, this reviewer has fallen head over heels for the Paddington franchise. I originally ignored 2014’s remake of the classic Paddington Bear books as a cheap cash grab, but was actually introduced to the series in 2017 when I had to review Paddington 2. Lo and behold, the marmalade loving bear would become one of those wholesome family series that I can put on for the nephews and nieces, only to end up watching the entire thing with them as I get sucked into the fun family friendly adventures of Paddington in London. So yes, there I am, with an Evil Dead the musical shirt on, 2 beers, and grinning like an overly happy circus monkey to watch this latest cross-country adventure with everyone’s favorite bear.

Paddington (Ben Wishaw) is back, and this time out on an intercontinental adventure when the posh British bear gets a letter from Peru, where his doting Aunt Lucy resides in her retirement home. It seems that she’s been regressing more and more in her old age, causing the headmistress of the retirement home (Olivia Coleman) to reach out to Paddington in hopes that he comes and visits his dear aunt before it's too late. Upon arriving in Peru, Paddington and the whole Brown family find out that Aunt Lucy is missing. It seems that she has wandered off into the jungle in search of El Dorado, leaving poor Paddington and the Browns behind. Now it’s up to the domesticated bear and his human family to trudge into the Amazon rain forest and track down Aunt Lucy before something gets to her.

The one thing that stands out as a stark contrast to the previous two films is the obvious lack of Paul King as the director of the film. The man has lovingly directed both films before this, but this time he refused to come back due to other projects, and the role of Creative Director was left to Dougal Wilson. While Dougal is very solidly competent with the aid of Ben Wishaw’s heartfelt voice acting of Paddington, it just isn’t the “same”, if you know what I mean. The tone is close, but Dougal’s directing is a bit more silly, with more slapstick humor over the whimsical and dry tone that the previous two films sported.

Luckily for us, the whole thing is carried on the shoulders of Ben Wishaw’s voice acting. The ex Q gives it his all as the iconic British bear, to the point where you actually forgive most of the films sillier moments, and just get sucked in to Paddington’s wide eyed and innocent world. Not to say that some of the slapstick isn’t perfectly fine, I might add. Antonio Banderas as the greed-stricken Mr. Hunter is fantastic, and Olivia Coleman as the over-the-top Reverend Mother is a close second. BUUUUUT, as I said, the film feels just slightly “off” in tone if you’re comparing it to the previous two films with Paul King helming it.

At the end of the day, though, Paddington in Peru is a lovely family adventure that feels exactly what family films should have been for a long time. As someone who grew up with classic Disney films like The Swiss Family Robinson and the like, this sort of family-oriented film is so very much refreshing considering the overglut of big-budget animated Pixar/Disney films, and refuses to shy away from its simple family-friendly nature. Sure, adults can love it too, but there is no attempt to make it an “adult” film that appeals to kids. Nor does it appeal only to kids while driving the parents nuts. No, this feels very old-fashioned in a way that I haven’t felt since the mid-90s when I was growing up watching 1960s family fare. And that is a rare thing in this modern day and age.




Rating:

Rated PG for action, mild rude humor, and some thematic elements.




Video:

While I was REALLY hoping that we would finally get a bit of Paddington in 4K, Sony’s Blu-ray is quite the stunner. Shot entirely digitally with CGI animation for a lot of it (especially the Amazon), the image is crystal clear from start to finish. Razor-sharp details abound everywhere, and clarity is exquisite. You can see every little fiber and bit of fur on Paddington’s body, but there is a decidedly cartoonish nature about the CGI at times. Especially smooth things like the Marmalade that our friend loves to munch on, or the shiny, glossy nature of the bear’s look. That being said, the black levels are excellent, and I couldn’t find any major artifacting whatsoever. Overall, a near picture-perfect image.









Audio:

Sony brings out a great 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio track, one more, giving us a full-featured and rich-sounding adventure mix that keeps things going full tilt till the end. The film franchise is a notorious mixture of quiet dialogue-driven scenes, counterpointed with high-octane action that fills the surrounds and brings out that LFE channel with great vigor. Dialog is crisp and cleanly located up front, and even I could keep up with the British accents (for some reason, British accents tend to throw my ear a bit). The action gets hot and heavy as the Brown family (and Paddington) rush down a raging river, or feel the absolute throbbing power of an ancient stone wall grating apart to give them access to El Dorado. I did notice that the bass wasn’t super hot, though. It’s still quite nice, but the LFE just wasn’t as aggressive as the last film, but this is a minor nitpick.











Extras:

• The Making of Paddington in Peru
-- Set Tour: The Browns' House
-- Set Tour: The Home for Retired Bears
• Create Your Own Adventure Map and Friendship Bracelet
• "Let's Prepare for Paddington" Sing-Along

Final Score:

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I said it above, and I’ll say it again. Paddington in Peru isn’t AS good as Paddington or Paddington 2, but it is still a warm and inviting family-friendly adventure that really targets people of all age groups. There are some overly silly bits with the addition of a new creative director’s vision, but the core of the iconic British bear’s texture is still there. Ben Wishaw is absolutely marvelous as the titular character, and the addition of Olivia Coleman and Antonio Banderas is NEVER a bad thing. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, with a mild amount of extras thrown in. Personally, I was hoping this would be the year that we get Paddington in 4K, but the Blu-ray is still quite handsome. Definitely Recommended as a family watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Ben Wishaw, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Coleman
Directed by: Dougal Wilson
Written by: Michael Bond, Paul King, Simon Farnaby
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1, English, French DVS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG
Runtime: 106 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: April 29th, 2025

Recommendation: Great Family Watch