'Paddington In Peru' Goes a Little Off Course, But Still Worth the Trip

The calendar gods (and Sony Pictures) have given us all the greatest gift of 2025 — the third cinematic adventure of Paddington Bear. Paddington in Peru is the very much needed and appreciated next chapter about the life and times of this very kind bear with a marmalade sandwich habit. This installment picks up a few years after the events of Paddington 2, with Paddington (voiced by the pitch-perfect Ben Whishaw)  still living in the loft of his adopted family, The Browns, in London.

Well-settled into his new life, he’s even recently received his official United Kingdom passport. That fortuitously dovetails with a letter from the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman), who runs the Home for Retired Bears in Peru, where his beloved Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) resides. The letter informs Paddington and the Browns that Lucy seems depressed and withdrawn and keeps asking for Paddington. Deeply concerned, Paddington’s whole family agrees to take a family vacation to South America to figure out what’s wrong, and boy, do they get into all kinds of shenanigans.

While retaining the comedic and heartfelt tone of the first two films, Paddington in Peru broadens out the scope and scale of the franchise by leaving London and exploring the mystery and dangers of Paddington’s home of origin. While the locale change slightly impacts the vibe and charm of what makes these films such delightfully British-centric stories, there is a real purpose to the globe-trotting that reinforces Paddington’s ongoing understanding of the importance of chosen and found family.