Taglines: Small bear. Big trouble.
Paddington Bear, having settled with the Brown family in London’s Windsor Gardens, has become popular in his community, offering people emotional support in various ways. The Browns have changed in many ways. Mary Brown is training to swim the English channel; Henry Brown does not get the promotion at work he has hoped for; Judy has broken up with her boyfriend, Tony, and has started a newspaper; Jonathan has dropped his old, independent self and has become a classic teenage boy. To purchase a unique pop-up book of London in Samuel Gruber’s antique shop for Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, Paddington performs several odd jobs and saves his wages over time, finding a good niche as a window-cleaner after a failed attempt as a hair dresser.
When he is just a day away from having enough money for the book, he witnesses it being stolen from the shop by a bearded thief, and is accused of the crime and subsequently arrested when the true culprit flees after a brief chase. Although Mr Gruber does not believe that Paddington stole the book, with no evidence of the thief’s existence, Paddington is wrongfully convicted and jailed. The thief soon returns home, removing a disguise to be revealed as Phoenix Buchanan, an egotistical actor who lives opposite the Browns and whom Paddington met at a carnival opening ceremony some days prior and had shared the existence of the pop-up book, which Buchanan had thought to have been lost.
Whilst in prison, Paddington initially has a mishap with the laundry, but soon befriends many of the initially hostile inmates, including the short-tempered chef Nuckles McGinty, who hires Paddington as his assistant when amazed by his marmalade sandwich recipe. The Browns, in the meantime, continue to try and clear Paddington’s name, putting up sketches of the thief drawn by Mary based on Paddington’s description. Buchanan begins using the pop-up book to locate a series of clues within London’s famous landmarks, which he believes will unveil the location of a secret treasure his grandfather had known about.
During their efforts to prove Paddington’s innocence, the Browns soon encounter the carnival fortune teller who informs them that the stolen book leads to the hidden fortune of the original author who had once been the carnival’s biggest star and had been killed by Buchanan’s grandfather for the treasure, but who had only found the pop up book in place of the treasure before being stopped by the rest of the carnival people.
With Paddington’s efforts, the prison finds itself a much livelier and comfortable place, though he still struggles to remain positive when the Browns remain unable to prove his innocence. Soon convinced that Buchanan may indeed be the culprit after Mrs Brown speaking to him, the Browns organize a scheme to lure him out of his house and break in to locate the stolen book. Whilst inside, Henry and Mary find a secret attic where Buchanan’s various costumes are stashed, as well as the book itself. Before they find the book and can act further, Buchanan returns home and suspects something is wrong. The Browns soon realize that they have missed the visiting session at prison, leaving a heartbroken Paddington convinced that they have forgotten him.
Paddington soon takes part in a prison break alongside several other inmates, including Nuckles, who promises to aid in proving his innocence but promptly abandons the idea in order to leave the country as a free man, inviting Paddington to come with him to fly out of the country. Paddington refuses and, whilst roaming the streets and avoiding the police, uses a public telephone to contact the Browns, who insist they would never forget him and that they know Buchanan is the real culprit. To catch him, they arrange to meet at Paddington Station, where the carnival train carrying the supposed location of the hidden fortune is due to leave shortly.
Paddington 2 is a 2017 live-action/CGI animated comedy film directed by Paul King and written by King and Simon Farnaby. Based on the stories of the character Paddington Bear created by Michael Bond, it is the sequel to the 2014 film Paddington and is produced by Heyday Films and StudioCanal. The film stars Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, with Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and Hugh Grant in live-action roles.
Principal photography began in October 2016, and ended in June 2017. The film was released on 10 November 2017 in the United Kingdom and 12 January 2018 in the United States, and has grossed $192 million worldwide. The film received universal praise for its screenplay, direction, and performances, and at the 71st British Academy Film Awards it received three nominations, including Best British Film and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Grant.
Paddington 2 (2017)
Directed by: Paul King
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Michael Gambon, Sally Hawkins, Marie-France Alvarez, Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris, Jessica Hynes, Nicholas Woodeson, Ben Miller
Screenplay by: Paul King, Simon Farnaby
Production Design by: Gary Williamson
Cinematography by: Erik Wilson
Film Editing by: Jonathan Amos, Mark Everson
Costume Design by: Lindy Hemming
Set Decoration by: Cathy Cosgrove
Art Direction by: Andrea Borland, Gareth Cousins, Dominic Hyman, James Price, Patrick Rolfe
Music by: Dario Marianelli
MPAA Rating: PG for some action and mild rude humor.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: November 10, 2017
