# Paddington 2

Paddington 2 is a 2017 live-action animated comedy film directed by Paul King and written by King and Simon Farnaby. Based on the stories of Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond (to whom the film is also dedicated, Bond having died that year), it is the sequel to Paddington (2014), and is produced by Heyday Films and StudioCanal UK. The film, a British-French-Luxembourgish co-production, 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. In the film, after Paddington is framed and imprisoned for a burglary that he did not commit, he and his family have to find the real culprit and prove his innocence.
The film was confirmed to be in development in April 2015. Principal photography began in October 2016 and ended in June 2017. The film was theatrically released on 10 November 2017 in the United Kingdom and 6 December 2017 in France, and grossed $227 million worldwide. The film received widespread critical acclaim on Metacritic and gained an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, becoming the highest-rated film on the site before gaining its first negative review in 2021. It appeared on numerous lists of best films of the year and of the 2010s. It received three nominations at the 71st British Academy Film Awards: Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, for Grant. A third film, Paddington in Peru, was released in 2024.

## Plot

Having found a home with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, Paddington Brown begins working to buy a pop-up book of London in Samuel Gruber's antique shop for his aunt Lucy's centenary. Paddington performs several odd jobs such as window cleaning and saves his wages. One night, he witnesses a burglary at the shop in which the book is stolen. In pursuit of the thief, Paddington is framed and arrested, while the real culprit, actor Phoenix Buchanan, escapes with the book. With no evidence of the thief's existence, Paddington is convicted and sentenced to 10 years in Portobello Prison.
Knuckles McGinty, the prison chef, hires Paddington to work in the kitchen after tasting one of his marmalade sandwiches. Meanwhile, the Browns help to prove Paddington's innocence by putting up sketches of the thief all over London, while Buchanan uses clues within the book to locate a hidden fortune. Growing suspicious of Buchanan, Mary and Henry Brown search his home and discover a secret attic filled with numerous costumes, including the one he wore during the burglary. They present the evidence to the police, who decline it. Meanwhile, Paddington is ultimately convinced that the Browns have forgotten him.
Paddington and Knuckles, along with two other inmates Phibs and Spoon, escape the prison at midnight. While Paddington's fellow escapees had initially promised to help prove his innocence, they later reveal that their true intention is to flee the country, prompting Paddington to abandon them. Paddington uses a public telephone to contact the Browns, who inform him that Buchanan is the real thief. Aiming to expose Buchanan, they arrange to meet at Paddington station, where a carnival train carrying the hidden fortune is due to depart.
Paddington boards the train immediately before it leaves, and the Browns follow him in an LNER Peppercorn Class A1. Buchanan locks Paddington inside the train's caboose and severs the coupling before Henry subdues him. The caboose rolls into a nearby river with Paddington trapped inside, but Knuckles, Phibs, and Spoon arrive and help Mary save Paddington.
Paddington falls into a coma, but wakes up on Aunt Lucy's birthday to find himself at home. He learns that he has been exonerated, Buchanan has been arrested, and the book is now in police custody as evidence of Buchanan's crimes. Much to his delight, he also discovers that the Browns and their neighbours have brought Aunt Lucy from Peru to visit London.

## Cast
### Voice cast

* Ben Whishaw as Paddington Brown, a young Peruvian bear
* Imelda Staunton as Lucy, Paddington's aunt
* Michael Gambon as Pastuzo, Lucy's late husband, and Paddington's late uncle

### Live-action cast

* Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown, Mary's husband, Judy and Jonathan's father, and Paddington's adoptive father
* Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown, Henry's wife, Judy and Jonathan's mother, and Paddington's adoptive mother. This is the last film in the series where Hawkins portrayed Mary Brown before Emily Mortimer took over the role for the next film.
* Brendan Gleeson as Knuckles McGinty, a chef of Portobello Prison whom Paddington befriends
* Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird, the housekeeper of the Brown residence
* Jim Broadbent as Mr. Samuel Gruber, the owner of an antique shop
* Peter Capaldi as Mr. Reginald Curry, the Brown family's cranky neighbor
* Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown, Henry and Mary's daughter, Jonathan's sister, and Paddington's adoptive sister
* Samuel Joslin as Jonathan "J-Dog" Brown, Henry and Mary's son, Judy's brother, and Paddington's adoptive brother
* Dame Eileen Atkins as Madame Kozlova, the owner of the fair
* Tom Conti as Gerald Biggleswade, a judge, who is a customer at Giuseppe's Grooming Salon
* Joanna Lumley as Felicity Fanshaw
* Noah Taylor as Miguel Phibs, a prisoner
* Aaron Neil as Raul "Spoon" Spooner, a prisoner
* Jessica Hynes as Miss Kitts, a newspaper seller
* Ben Miller as Colonel Lancaster, Miss Kitts' lover
* Sanjeev Bhaskar as Dr. Jafri, the Brown family's next-door neighbor whom always forgets his keys
* Robbie Gee as Mr. Barnes, a garbage man
* Hugh Grant as Phoenix Buchanan, a master of disguise, who steals the pop-up book
* Marie-France Alvarez as Mademoiselle Dubois, a woman who rides a bicycle
* Enzo Squillino Jr. as Mr. Giuseppe
* Louis Partridge as G-Man, a friend of Jonathan’s
* Meera Syal as a prosecutor
* Richard Ayoade as a forensic investigator
* Tom Davis as T-Bone, a prisoner
* Jamie Demetriou as the Professor, a prisoner
* Simon Farnaby as Barry
* Maggie Steed as Gertrude Biggleswade, Gerald's wife

## Production

In April 2015, David Heyman, the producer of Paddington (2014), confirmed that a sequel was in development. It was also announced that Paul King would return to direct, and co-write the screenplay with Simon Farnaby. Heyman's Heyday Films, and StudioCanal, produced the film, making it a British-French co-production. By October 2016, most of the cast of Paddington—Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton—were confirmed to be returning for the sequel, joined by Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson. Grant described his character as "enormously vain and narcissistic".
Principal photography began on 18 October. Many of the domestic interiors were filmed on stages at Pinewood Studios and Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, but producers also shot at key central London locations like Tower Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral. Jonah Coombes, supervising location on both Paddington and the sequel, stated, "We were looking for locations that celebrated London and delivered the kind of cinematic scale we were looking for." Framestore provided the visual effects for the film, including the elaborate pop-up book sequence. On 7 February 2017, filming featured in the CBBC documentary series All Over the Workplace. Filming took place in London's Little Venice for three days, and also at Shepton Mallet Prison and Knebworth Park. Craig Revel Horwood choreographed the prison dance scene. Principal photography wrapped on 27 June 2017. Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear, died the same day, and the film was dedicated to him.

## Soundtrack

The music of the film was composed by Dario Marianelli.
Additional music in the film, not included on the soundtrack recording, includes "Rain on the Roof" (Stephen Sondheim) – Hugh Grant, which is performed during the end credits.

## Release

Paddington 2 had its world premiere in London on 5 November 2017, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 10 November. It was released on 6 December in France, 7 December in Germany, 21 December in Australia and New Zealand, and 12 January 2018 in the United States.

### Distribution

StudioCanal distributed Paddington 2 in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
Paddington 2 was originally planned to be distributed by The Weinstein Company in the United States through TWC-Dimension, as the first film was. However, following the sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein Company founder Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, Heyday Films and StudioCanal severed ties because they believed that a film for children should not be associated with the Weinstein scandal. In mid-November 2017, Warner Bros. Pictures, which distributed Heyday's Harry Potter films and was already distributing the Paddington films in Spain, acquired the film's North American distribution rights for $32 million (£24 million). Warner Bros. also gained the right of first refusal to distribute future Paddington films in North America, though it was later rescinded when it was announced that the third film would be distributed by Sony Pictures in that region.

### Marketing

From 9 October 2017, five pop-up installations of Paddington's pop-up book, featured in the film, were placed around London, at Peter's Hill, Tower Bridge, Paddington Station, Peninsula Square and Bankside. The event was promoted by Visit London. The launch was attended by Hugh Bonneville and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
On 16 October 2017, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attended a Paddington 2 charity event at Paddington Station, along with some of the cast and crew of the film. A video game based on the film, Paddington Run, was released on iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices on 25 October 2017.
On 26 October 2017, it was announced that Paddington would appear in the 2017 Marks & Spencer Christmas advertisement. A teaser was released on 4 November 2017. The advertisement itself was released on 7 November 2017 and had its television premiere on the Pride of Britain Awards 2017. Whishaw returned to voice Paddington, with the advertisement also featuring Mark Benton and Angela Rippon.

### Home media

Paddington 2 was released for digital purchase in March 2018. The film was released in the United Kingdom on Blu-ray, DVD & 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on 12 March 2018. The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the United States on 24 April 2018 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

## Reception
### Box office

Paddington 2 grossed $40.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $242.8 million in other countries (including $59.4 million in the United Kingdom), for a worldwide total of $283.7 million.
In its first weekend in the United Kingdom, the film grossed $10.9 million (£8.3 million), more than the first film ($8/£6 million), becoming StudioCanal's highest-grossing film opening weekend in the United Kingdom to date. In its second weekend, the film dropped 20% and grossed another $8.8 million (£6.6 million).
In the United States and Canada, Paddington 2 was released alongside the openings of The Commuter and Proud Mary, as well as the wide expansion of The Post, and was projected to gross $15–17 million from 3,702 theatres in opening weekend. It made $2.4 million on its first day and $11 million over the weekend (including $15 million over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend), finishing 7th at the box office, and marking a near-50% decline from the opening of the first film. It made $8 million in its second weekend, dropping 27% and finishing 6th.

### Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Paddington 2 has an approval rating of 99% based on 253 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Paddington 2 honours its star's rich legacy with a sweet-natured sequel whose adorable visuals are matched by a story perfectly balanced between heartwarming family fare and purely enjoyable all-ages adventure." On 18 January 2018, it became the most-reviewed film ever to remain at 100% on the site, with 164 positive reviews, beating Toy Story 2, which had 163 positive reviews at the time. Lady Bird had previously beaten the record the past November, but registered a negative review at 196. In 2021, the 100% score for Citizen Kane (1941), often regarded as the greatest film ever made, was changed to 99% following the inclusion of a contemporary negative review; some publications satirically labelled Paddington 2 as a better film than Citizen Kane due to their respective scores. In May 2021, Paddington 2's score dropped to 99% after a negative review by Eddie Harrison was registered on the site.
On Metacritic, another review aggregator, the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". On French entertainment information publisher AlloCiné, the film has an average grade of 4.0/5 based on 22 critics. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by its predecessor.
Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Paddington 2 won't save the world, sadly, but its existence makes everything just that tiny bit better and more, well, bearable." Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, "Another near pawfect family entertainment, honouring the cosy, can-do spirit of Michael Bond's stories while bringing them smoothly into a bustling, diverse 21st century London—with space for some light anti-Brexit subtext to boot." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "The film is pitched with insouciant ease and a lightness of touch at both children and adults without any self-conscious shifts in irony or tone: it's humour with the citrus tang of top quality thick-cut marmalade." In 2019, The Guardian ranked Paddington 2 the 69th best film of the 21st century.

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Heartland Film Festival | 31 December 2017 | Truly Moving Picture Award | Paul King | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle Awards | 28 January 2018 | Best British or Irish Film | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle Awards | 28 January 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Hugh Grant | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle Awards | 28 January 2018 | Best British or Irish Actress | Sally Hawkins (also for The Shape of Water and Maudie) | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle Awards | 28 January 2018 | Best Breakthrough British or Irish Filmmaker | Simon Farnaby | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle Awards | 28 January 2018 | Technical Achievement | Pablo Grillo | Nominated | |
| Evening Standard British Film Awards | 8 February 2018 | Everyman Award for Best Film | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| Evening Standard British Film Awards | 8 February 2018 | Peter Sellers Award for Comedy | Paddington 2 | Won | |
| Evening Standard British Film Awards | 8 February 2018 | Technical Achievement | Gary Williamson | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2018 | Best British Film | Paul King, David Heyman and Simon Farnaby | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2018 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Simon Farnaby and Paul King | Nominated | |
| International Film Music Critics Association | 22 February 2018 | Best Original Score for a Comedy Film | Dario Marianelli | Nominated | [60] [61] |
| Empire Awards | 18 March 2018 | Best British Film | Paddington 2 | Nominated | [62] [63] |
| Saturn Awards | 27 June 2018 | Best Fantasy Film | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Mid-Season Awards | 3 July 2018 | Best Picture | David Heyman | Runner-Up | [65] [66] |
| Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Mid-Season Awards | 3 July 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Hugh Grant | Nominated | [65] [66] |
| Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Mid-Season Awards | 3 July 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Paul King and Simon Farnaby | Won | [65] [66] |
| People's Choice Awards | 11 November 2018 | The Family Movie of 2018 | Paddington 2 | Shortlisted | |
| British Academy Children's Awards | 25 November 2018 | Feature Film | Paul King, Simon Farnaby and David Heyman | Won | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | 3 December 2018 | Best Voice Performance | Ben Whishaw | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | 7 December 2018 | Best Art Direction/Production Design | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | 7 December 2018 | Best Use of Visual Effects | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 9 December 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Hugh Grant | Runner-up | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | 10 December 2018 | Best Visual Effects | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | 10 December 2018 | Best Costume Design | Paddington 2 | Runner-up | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | 10 December 2018 | Best Comedic Performance | Hugh Grant | Won | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | 16 December 2018 | Best Comedy | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | 17 December 2018 | Best Picture | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | 17 December 2018 | Villain of the year | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards | 17 December 2018 | Best Picture | Paddington 2 | Runner-Up | |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards | 17 December 2018 | Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance | Ben Whishaw | Runner-Up | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | 21 December 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | 21 December 2018 | Best Art Direction/Production Design | Paddington 2 | Runner-Up | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | 7 January 2019 | Best Supporting Actor | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | 7 January 2019 | Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance | Ben Whishaw | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society | 9 January 2019 | Best Visual Effects or Animated Performance | Ben Whishaw | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 10 January 2019 | Best Supporting Actor | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| Golden Tomato Awards | 11 January 2019 | Best-Reviewed Wide Release | Paddington 2 | 7th Place | |
| Golden Tomato Awards | 11 January 2019 | Best Movie 2018: UK | Paddington 2 | Won | |
| Golden Tomato Awards | 11 January 2019 | Best Kids and Family Movie | Paddington 2 | Won | |
| Annie Awards | 2 February 2019 | Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production | Pablo Grillo, Laurent Laban, Kyle Dunlevy, Stuart Ellis and Liam Russell | Nominated | |
| Movieguide Awards | 8 February 2019 | Best Movie for Families | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |
| Movieguide Awards | 8 February 2019 | Faith & Freedom Award for Movies | Paddington 2 | Nominated | |

## Future
### Television series

On 9 October 2017, it was announced that StudioCanal were producing an animated television series titled The Adventures of Paddington. The series premiered worldwide on Nickelodeon in 2020, with Whishaw reprising his role as the voice of Paddington.

### Sequel

In June 2016, StudioCanal CEO Didier Lupfer stated that the studio was committed to making a third Paddington film. In November 2017, David Heyman told Digital Spy that though the script for a third film had not been developed, discussions about locations, ideas and scenes had already begun. In November 2018, Heyman noted that a third film was likely to happen, but that Paul King would not be back to direct due to him working on Wonka, though he would still be involved in a prominent creative capacity. In February 2021, Paddington 3 officially began development.
In July 2021, StudioCanal announced that Paddington 3 would begin shooting in the first quarter of 2022. The story for the third film was written by Paul King, Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton, and the screenplay by Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont. In June 2022, the film's title Paddington in Peru and Dougal Wilson as director were announced, with principal photography now set to begin 2023. In April 2023, it was confirmed Paddington in Peru would start filming on 24 July. In May 2023, at the Cannes film festival, Sony Pictures confirmed they had acquired the North American distribution rights for the third film. In June 2023, Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas joined the cast as newcomers, while Emily Mortimer was announced to replace Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Brown. Filming commenced in the United Kingdom on 24 July 2023.