Into the wilderness of Peru

On By Littum

GULF WEEK –

Live-action animated adventure comedy film Paddington in Peru is now in theaters.

The film series, based on the stories of Michael Bond, takes viewers on the journey of Paddington Brown.

It starts with the Spectacled Bear being adopted by the Brown family, who find him at Paddington station in London sitting on his suitcase with a note attached to his coat that reads ‘Please look after this bear. Thanks’.

The latest episode of the series follows the beloved bear’s adventures as he travels to the wilds of Peru, home of the spectacled bear species, with the Brown family in search of Aunt Lucy, who has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears.

The Gentle Beast has become a popular and beloved figure, particularly celebrated in the UK for his friendly, charismatic and polite nature and how he innocently gets himself into trouble.

He is also known for his old hat, battered suitcase, duffel coat and love of jam sandwiches, which Paddington’s voice actor Ben Whishaw dislikes.

“Unfortunately, I don’t like jam. It really doesn’t agree with me at all,” Ben revealed in an interview, adding that when audiences see Paddington eating on screen, the crunching sound comes from the actor eating bread or fruit.

Director Dougal Wilson revealed he was ‘terrified’ to continue the series from Paul King, who directed the previous films.

“I was approached by Rosie Alison (producer) and StudioCanal (production company) because they were interested in doing a third version of Paddington, but Paul King, who did so brilliantly in the first two, was unavailable because he was away to Wonka (2023).

“They needed someone new and they looked around and for some reason thought I might be suitable. I thought, this is scary. Why on earth would I try to do the hardest part of something so brilliant “I will inevitably screw it up. But I also thought, well, if I don’t try, I’ll probably regret it,” he added.

The first two films were well received by both critics and audiences. The fictional character of children’s literature first appeared in 1958 in author Michael’s book A Bear Called Paddington.

Top stories today:

Contraception campaign for stray dogs ‘pays off’
Northstar Telecom enters into a strategic partnership with SOS Marketing
Adolescent boys ‘are more likely to have ADHD’