Paddington 2
The Film
Paddington 2 is a 2017 British live-action 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.
Settled in with the Brown family, Paddington the bear is a popular member of the community who spreads joy and marmalade wherever he goes. One fine day, in an antique shop, he spots a pop-up book - the perfect present for his beloved aunt's 100th birthday. When a thief steals the prized book, Paddington embarks on an epic quest to unmask the culprit before Aunt Lucy's big celebration.
Principal photography began in October 2016, and ended in June 2017.
The film was released on 10th November 2017 in the United Kingdom. The
film has a remarkable 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a rare
occurrence, and was nominated three times at the 71st British Academy
Film Awards, including for Best British Film and Best Actor in a Supporting
Role, for Grant.
Cinema Trailer
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 script with Simon Farnaby. Heyman's Heyday Films, and StudioCanal, produced the film. 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.
Principal photography began on 18th October 2016. Framestore provided
the visual effects for the film. On 7th February 2017, filming featured
in the CBBC documentary series All Over the Workplace. Filming took place
in Little Venice for three days, and also at Shepton Mallet Prison and
Knebworth Park. Principal photography ended on 27th June 2017. Michael
Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear, died the same day, and the film
was dedicated to him.
Release
Paddington 2 had its world premiere in London on 5th November 2017, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 10th November. It was released on 6th December in France, 7th December in Germany, 21st December in Australia and New Zealand, and 12th January 2018 in the United States. StudioCanal distributed the film in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
The film was originally set to be distributed by The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films in the United States through their sublabel, TWC-Dimension, but following the allegations against Weinstein Company founder Harvey Weinstein, Heyday Films and StudioCanal looked for another American distributor for Paddington 2, 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 Heyman's
Harry Potter films and was already distributing Paddington 2
in Spain, acquired the film's North American distribution rights.
Critical Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Paddington 2 has an approval rating of 100%, an exceptionally high score. The website's critical consensus reads, "Paddington 2 honors 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 18th January 2018, it became the most-reviewed film ever to remain at 100% on the site, beating Toy Story 2.
On Metacritic, another review aggregator, the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim". On French entertainment information website AlloCiné, the film has an average grade of 4.0/5. 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.
Kevin Scott of Exclaim! wrote that Paddington 2 "is delightful
escapism entertainment for all ages." 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,
honoring the cozy, 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."
Marketing
From 9th 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 16th 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 25th October 2017.
On 26th October 2017, it was announced that Paddington would appear in
the 2017 Marks & Spencer Christmas advertisement. A teaser was released
on 4th November. The advertisement itself was released on 7th November,
and had its television premiere on the Pride of Britain Awards 2017. Wishaw
returned to voice Paddington, and the advertisement also featured Mark
Benton and Angela Rippon.
Cast
Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington Brown, Lucy and Pastuzo's nephew
Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown, Mary's husband and Judy and Jonathan's
father
Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown, Henry's wife and Judy and Jonathan's mother
Hugh Grant as Phoenix Buchanan, a faded and narcissistic actor,[6][7]
who now stars in dog food commercials
Brendan Gleeson as Knuckles McGinty, a safecracker[8] and prison cook
Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown, Mary and Henry's daughter and Jonathan's
sister
Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown, Mary and Henry's son and Judy's brother
Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird
Jim Broadbent as Samuel Gruber, antique shop owner
Peter Capaldi as Mr. Curry
Simon Farnaby as Barry the security guard
Imelda Staunton as the voice of Aunt Lucy, Paddington's aunt
Michael Gambon as the voice of Uncle Pastuzo, Paddington's uncle
Joanna Lumley as Felicity Fanshaw
Ben Miller as Colonel Lancaster
Jessica Hynes as Miss Kitts
Noah Taylor as Phibs
Eileen Atkins as Madame Kozlova
Tom Conti as Judge Gerald Biggleswade
Sanjeev Bhaskar as Dr. Jafri
Marie-France Alvarez as Mademoiselle Dubois
Richard Ayoade as a forensic investigator
Meera Syal as a prosecutor
Music
The music for the film was composed by Dario Marianelli.
1. "Windsor Gardens" 4:03
2. "The Pop-Up Book" 1:29
3. "A Shave, Sir? A Light Pomade" 1:54
4. "Window Cleaning" 3:15
5. "Rub and Scrub (Tobago and d'Lime)" 2:27
6. "The Book Is Stolen" 2:21
7. "A Letter from Prison" 2:20
8. "It's Only One Red Sock" 1:24
9. "Madame Kozlova's Story" 1:19
10. "One Orange at a Time" 3:03
11. "An Unusually Attractive Nun" 1:19
12. "Marmalade Chefs" 1:22
13. "Love Thy Neighbour (Tobago and d'Lime)" 2:05
14. "The Break-In" 3:24
15. "Jungle Jail" 2:14
16. "Escape Waltz" 3:27
17. "Lost and Found" 3:09
18. "Race to Paddington Station" 1:34
19. "The Steam Trains" 3:46
20. "Bullseye-Henry" 2:04
21. "Splash" 2:22
22. "Happy Birthday Aunt Lucy" 3:34
23. "Jumping the Line (Tobago and d'Lime)" 5:31