Thank you to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment for allowing me to review the Paddington 2 Blu-Ray Combo Pack!
My youngest son is now 12-years old. I took him to see the original Paddington movie in 2015, when he was 8-years old. I didn’t know what to expect when marketing and promotion started for the sequel. When the box arrived at the house, it was something that he wanted to see. He went and set up the TV and PlayStation 4 so that we could watch it IMMEDIATELY! I found it kind of cute. Cause he’s into so many more things such as video games (Fortnite & Call Of Duty:WWII), this is something that reminds me of him being “just a kid.”
The opening sequence for Paddington 2 might be one of the best opening sequences in a film in quite a while. It is visually stunning! Showing the jungle and how Paddington is saved by his Aunt Lucy and it being the reason he holds her dear to his heart. Aunt Lucy is a central part of the movie, even if she’s not always in the movie. She had always wanted to travel to London. When she saved Paddington, she raised him til he was mature enough to go to London himself and find a new family.
Paddington wants to surprise his Aunt Lucy, who is turning 100, with THE perfect gift. He finds a vintage pop-up book that details all of London. The pop-up book would be his way of bringing London to his aunt, since she sacrificed herself to raise him. The pop-up book sequence is the same super-high quality of the opening sequence. Paddington takes on odd jobs, doing whatever he can to earn all he can for the purpose of buying the pop-up book.
The Brown family heads to the carnival. There, Paddington is called on stage by a washed-up actor turned dog-food commercial actor named Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), who happens to get embarrassed by Paddington. Buchanan is important in the movie and plays out as it’s “villain” because he too wants the same pop-up book that Paddington is determined to purchase as a gift for his Aunt Lucy. Buchanan plays a variety of different characters in order to steal the pop-up book, which Paddington tries to stop. Buchanan gets away after a chase and Paddington is left to take the fall (charges) for the theft.
While incarcerated, he doesn’t like the food that’s on the menu. He introduces marmalade sandwiches and other items, winning over the main cook, Knuckles (Brendan Gleeson). Jail is also the location where the biggest message of the movie: acceptance of everyone no matter the color, shape or form. There is also a message for family and people that are close to you, to embrace them while you can.
As a whole, the movie makes you feel like a kid again, something that the original movie also captured. Of course, my son LOVED THE MOVIE! We watched it two more times over the weekend!
RATING: A+
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Paddington 2 home release info (Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD):
Following the worldwide hit “Paddington,” one of the most successful family films of all time, this much-anticipated sequel finds Paddington (Ben Whishaw) happily settled with the Brown family in London, where he has become a popular member of the local community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes.
Reuniting many of the original film’s cast while welcoming those in new roles, “Paddington 2” stars Golden Globe nominee Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), three-time Golden Globe nominee Brendan Gleeson (“The Guard,” “Into the Storm,” “In Bruges”), Oscar nominee Julie Walters (“Billy Elliot,” “Educating Rita”), Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (“Iris”), and Oscar winner Peter Capaldi (short, “Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life”), with Golden Globe and BAFTA Award winner Hugh Grant (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”), and BAFTA winner Ben Whishaw (“The Hollow Crown”) as the voice of Paddington. The starring ensemble also includes Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, and Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton (“Vera Drake”) as the voice of Aunt Lucy.
The film was produced by multiple award-winning producer David Heyman (the “Harry Potter” films, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Oscar nominee for “Gravity”). Serving as executive producers were Rosie Alison, Jeffrey Clifford, Alexandra Ferguson Derbyshire, Ron Halpern, and Didier Lupiter.
Cast:
Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, Ben Whishaw, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Marie-France Alvarez, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Ben Miller, Jessica Hynes, Robbie Gee, Nicholas Woodeson, Alex Jordan,
Synopsis:
Paddington is happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, where he has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes. While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber’s antique shop, and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it. But when the book is stolen, it’s up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief.
Trailer:
“Paddington 2”Blu-ray Combo Pack contain the following special features:
- Paddington: The Bear Truth
- How to Make A Marmalade Sandwich
- Music Video with Phoenix Buchanan
- The Magical Mystery of Paddington’s Pop-Up Book
- The Browns and Paddington: The Special Bond
- Knuckles: A Fistful of Marmalade
- The (Once) Famous Faces of Phoenix Buchanan
- Audio Commentary by Director/Co-Writer Paul King
“Paddington 2”Standard Definition DVD contain the following special features:
- Paddington: The Bear Truth
