Paddington 2

Paddington 2 is a British-French family-comedy film and the twenty-ninth Paramount Animation film directed by Paul King, co-written by him and Simon Farnaby, and produced by David Heyman. It is the sequel to Paddington (2014). The film stars Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, and the voices of Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton. Production began in October 2016, and the film was released on 10 November 2017. In this film, Paddington’s attempts to buy a birthday present for Aunt Lucy go catastrophically wrong when he is wrongly accused of stealing a valuable pop-up book from Mr. Gruber’s shop. Like the previous film, ‘Paddington 2’ has a largely original plot line, while incorporating elements from pre-existing stories. In this case, the stories in question are Too Much off the Top and Trouble at the Launderette.

Plotedit | edit source
Aunt Lucy's hundredth birthday is approaching. At Gruber's Antiques, Mr. Gruber shows Paddington some items which Madame Kozlova - of the Kozlova Steam Fair - has entrusted to Mr. Gruber to sell before the fair leaves London. Paddington finds a pop-up book called 12 Landmarks of London that he wants to give to Aunt Lucy. However, the book costs a lot of money, so Paddington decides to get a job. He finds a job at a barbershop, but is fired when he accidentally shaves a customer's head in the owner's absence.

At the Kozlova Steam Fair, the famous actor and Windsor Gardens resident Phoenix Buchanan invites Paddington onto a stage so they can officially open the fair together. Phoenix asks Paddington what his greatest wish is, and Paddington says that he wants to get the pop-up book for his Aunt Lucy. Phoenix shows some interest, and Paddington asks for his advice, to which Phoenix says "I suppose you’ll just have to start at the bottom of the ladder and work your way up." This gives Paddington an idea, and he starts window-cleaning in his neighbourhood.

One night, Paddington is looking through the windows of Gruber's Antiques at the pop-up book when he spots a man breaking into the store. The man sets off the alarm, takes the pop-up book and flees. Paddington chases after him, and is spotted by the police who follow him. Paddington tracks the thief to Windsor Gardens, where the man and pop-up book disappear in a puff of smoke. The police arrive at the scene and arrest Paddington for theft.

The judge presiding over Paddington's case is the same customer who Paddington accidentally shaved at the barbershop, and displays contempt towards Paddington at the trial. Phoenix Buchanan was the only witness on the night of the theft, but he claims he did not see the thief. Paddington is convicted of "grand theft and grievous barberly harm" and sentenced to ten years in prison.

In prison, Paddington is given laundry duty and accidentally dyes the prison uniforms pink. As atonement, he tries to ask the prison chef - Knuckles McGinty, a disagreeable and violent man - to change the unappetizing menu. Paddington teaches Knuckles how to make marmalade and other inmates later offer their own recipes. As the food gets better, it raises the spirits of all the inmates.

Meanwhile, the Browns are determined to find the real thief. They ask Madame Kozlova of Kozlova's Steam Fair, who tells them that the pop-up book contains clues that will lead to a hidden treasure. At the news stand, Feathers the parrot suggests that Phoenix Buchanan is the thief, and Mary convinces the rest of the Browns into a plot so they can find evidence against Phoenix. Mary and Henry find Phoenix's assortment of costumes in the attic, including the thief costume. However, after they report Phoenix to the police, who claim they can't do anything without evidence, they realize they have missed Visiting Day at the prison.

At the prison, Paddington feels abandoned on Visiting Day and joins Knuckles, Phibs, and Spoon in an escape plan. They promise to clear Paddington's name when they escape. They successfully escape by flying out on a hot air balloon, but once they land they reveal they are fleeing the country rather than finding the pop-up book thief. Devastated, Paddington runs off into the night and calls the Browns, who tell Paddington that Phoenix is the thief. They agree to meet at Paddington Station to intercept Phoenix who is going to stow away on the Kozlova Steam Train, where the treasure is hidden.

Paddington reaches the station in time and follows Phoenix onto the train. Jonathan commandeers another steam train so the Browns can pursue Paddington and Phoenix. Phoenix successfully finds the treasure but Paddington steals the pop-up book while he is distracted. The treasure locks itself away once more, and Phoenix follows Paddington in anger. Henry, Judy and Mrs. Bird try to stop Phoenix, but he gains the upper hand. Phoenix locks Paddington in a carriage and diverts it so it plunges into a river. Henry, Judy and Mrs. Bird intercept Phoenix and photograph him holding the pop-up book, then knock him out. Mary, Knuckles, Phibs and Spoon save Paddington from drowning in the river.

Knuckles, Phibs, and Spoon are exonerated for their crimes and open a successful sandwich shop together. Phoenix is sent to prison, where he stages his one-man show and gets the recognition and popularity he has always wanted. Paddington wakes up three days after the river, on Aunt Lucy's birthday. The pop-up book was taken for evidence so Paddington gets disheartened, since he never sent Aunt Lucy a present. Mary assures him that they did get Aunt Lucy a present, and they go downstairs, where all their neighbours are waiting. They thank Paddington for brightening their lives and say that they all worked together to get Aunt Lucy a present even better than the pop-up book. Paddington is confused, but then the doorbell rings and Paddington stumbles towards it. Aunt Lucy stands at the doorstep, and Paddington throws himself into her arms and wishes her a happy birthday.

Castedit | edit source

 * Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington
 * Hugh Grant as Phoenix Buchanan, a faded and narcissistic actor
 * Brendan Gleeson as Knuckles McGinty, a safecracker
 * Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown
 * Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown
 * Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird
 * Jim Broadbent as Samuel Gruber
 * Peter Capaldi as Mr. Curry
 * Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown
 * Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown
 * Imelda Staunton as the voice of Lucy, Paddington's aunt

Critical receptionedit | edit source
On Rotten Tomatoes, Paddington 2 has a critical score of 100% based on 181 critic reviews. The film's average rating is 8.7/10. It is the highest rated film of all time on Rotten Tomatoes.

Caillou Pettis of Daily Film Fix praised the film, saying the film "has a surprising charm with a deeply touching emotional story at its core, and it is one of my favorite family films in recent years."

Triviaedit | edit source

 * This film marks the first appearance of Phoenix Buchanan.
 * Paddington and Knuckles escaping the prison, could possibly be a reference to Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 3.
 * Paddington hiding in the rubbish bin, where he is looking out for Phoenix and the stolen pop-up book, is a reference to Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street.