Wonder bear: Paddington 2 review by Rashid Irani

Don’t be misled by the trappings. This movie about a furball in trouble with the law will delight viewers of all ages.

PADDINGTON 2

Direction: Paul King

Voice and actors: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant

Rating: 4 / 5

A rare sequel that lives up to (and even improves on) the original, Paddington 2 finds the beloved bear of children’s literature off on another wondrous adventure.

With his wry British humour, the anthropomorphic protagonist (voiced once again in pitch-perfect tones by Ben Whishaw) is framed and incarcerated for the theft of a pop-up book of London which he had planned to gift his aunt for her 100th birthday.

It’s now up to his adoptive family and a fearsome prison cook (Brendan Gleeson) to help track down the real culprit and retrieve the tome.

Even in the heavyweight ensemble, Hugh Grant is a standout as the narcissistic actor struggling to regain his former glory.

Returning director Paul King animates the titular furball hyper-realistically. In the process, he has set the bar impossibly high for family-friendly fables that follow.

Besides fun-filled bear antics, the script is suffused with a heartfelt emotional undercurrent.

From the heavyweight ensemble, Hugh Grant is a standout as the narcissistic actor struggling to regain his former glory.

Don’t be misled by the kid-movie trappings. Paddington 2 will delight viewers of all ages.