Spoiler Alert: This list includes spoilers for ‘Paddington in Peru’
In an age where audiences have become numb to terrible live-action adaptations of belovedchildren’s characters, thePaddingtonfilms have become renowned as one of the best family trilogies in cinematic history. The story of a young bear from Darkest Peru making his way to London and his adventures with his new human family is beloved by audiences of all ages, with the second film beingone ofRotten Tomatoes’ highest-rated films of all time.
That success can be attributed to their quirky sense of humor, their warm, extremely British tone, andthe characters that inhabit a world much like ours with just a small twinge offantasy. They are either great heroes who aid the titular bear on his journey, or delightfully wicked baddies who want to stuff him, jail him, or exploit him for their own gain. Even beyond Paddington himself, the characters in his films bring these stories to beautiful life.
10Mrs. Mary Brown
Played by Sally Hawkins & Emily Mortimer
While her husband is strict, cynical, and agitated, Mary Brown (Sally HawkinsandEmily Mortimer) isflighty, freewheeling, and lives for the moment. As an illustrator for adventure stories, her hobbies include exploring the London sewers, swimming in a Victorian bathing pond naked, and preparing to swim the English Channel to France (then swimming back because she forgot her passport). She’s got a great sense of adventure but an even bigger heart, being the Brown family member to bring Paddington into their lives.
As the bear acclimates to London life, she remains his greatest champion in finding a home even when other family members don’t want to at first. She continues to play a large role in both sequels, making it her mission to prove Paddington’s innocence and aiding his quest to find Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) in Peru while attempting to keep Judy (Madeleine Harris) close to home while she prepares for university.
Paddington
9Mr. Samuel Gruber
Played by Jim Broadbent
He may not be the most prominent character, but the kindly old shopkeeper, Mr. Gruber (Jim Broadbent), serves as positive reinforcement for Paddington’s desire to make himself at home in London.He is introduced in the first filmas the owner of an antique storewith information on the explorer, making some tea from a charming little train set. He explains his past as a Hungarian immigrant who escaped his country as a child duringWWII, arriving at a train station much like Paddington did.
…Mr. Gruber has made a comfortable life for himself in London and gives the bear some much-needed guidance and hope as a fellow immigrant.
Despite some initial growing pains, Mr. Gruber has made a comfortable life for himself in London and gives the bear some much-needed guidance and hope as a fellow immigrant. Mr. Gruber’s role in the sequels is not as prominent as the first, even as he continues to give advice and keeps the pop-up book that kick-starts the plot of the second.But his mere presence serves as a reminder of the very human themes of Paddington’s journey, and the hope for success in a new life he represents.
8Reverend Mother/Clarissa Cabot
Played by Olivia Colman
When the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) is first introduced, she seems like the kind, faithful head of Peru’s Home for Retired Bears. She frequently brings out a guitar to sing with, gives Mary a parting gift of a small pendant, and sends Paddington on his quest to find Aunt Lucy. She already becomes suspicious when Mrs. Bird discovers a secret room full of recording equipment, but it’s revealed at the climax thateverything she told them was a lie. She’s not a nun, she’s responsible for Aunt Lucy’s disappearance, andshe’s related to Hunter’s familyof crazed treasure hunters.
A funny implication one can find with her character is that, since her entire persona as a nun is based on being cheery and playing the guitar in the hills, her only research before becoming a nun was probably a single viewing ofThe Sound of Music. Clarissa Cabot makes for a fun true villain forPaddington in Peru, with a hilarious comeuppance – forced by the church to become a real nun for a home for retired polar bears.
Paddington in Peru
Paddington in Peru, directed by Dougal Wilson, follows Paddington Bear as he travels to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy at the Home for Retired Bears. Joined by the Brown Family, they embark on a thrilling journey through the Amazon rainforest and the mountain peaks of Peru after encountering a mystery.
7Hunter Cabot
Played by Antonio Banderas
A riverboat captain haunted by the ghosts of his ancestors, Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) struggles greatly with his personal demons. The Cabots spent hundreds of years seeking the lost city of gold known as El Dorado, only to meet grisly ends due to their greed and incompetence.Hunter initially followed in his family’s footstepsbut ultimately chose to abandon the quest to run a boat with his estranged daughter Gina (Carla Tous).
…Paddington helps Hunter change for the better as he goes on to accept his lot in life and acknowledges his daughter is his greatest treasure.
However, when the Browns arrive seeking his help to find Aunt Lucy, he realizes Paddington may be the key to finding the city at last. Despite being driven to abandon his daughter, kill the bear, and do whatever it takes to get his treasure, he becomesthe only one of Paddington’s main villains to truly redeem himself. Indeed, Paddington helps Hunter change for the better as he goes on to accept his lot in life and acknowledges his daughter is his greatest treasure.
6Millicent Clyde
Played by Nicole Kidman
The first of Paddington’s enemies, Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman),is introduced as a taxidermist with a massive collection of stuffed animals in her museum. As the film progresses, she is revealed to be the daughter of the original explorer who met Paddington’s Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo (Michael Gambon). His refusal to kill one of the bears for a specimen led to his expulsion from the guild and his family name being disgraced as they were forced to work in a petting zoo.
Millicent is Cruella de Vil without the furs – cold, bloodthirsty, and willing to cross any line to get what she wants.
Millicent vowed someday she would geta specimen of that special kind of bear, and after a failed attempt with Mr. Curry (Peter Capaldi), Paddington falls right into her trap. Even when the Browns show up to save him, she openly admits her interest in stuffing humans. Thankfully, a marmalade sandwich, a bunch of pigeons and Mrs. Bird ensures her downfall, and she is forced back into working in her petting zoo. Millicent isCruella de Vilwithout the furs – cold, bloodthirsty, and willing to cross any line to get what she wants.
5Mrs. Bird
Played by Julie Walters
In the chaotic household that is 32 Windsor Gardens, the only one who seems to keep the house held together (and often the one who saves the day) is Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters). The Brown’s old housekeeper, Paddington describes her as having a husband in the Navy and liking things in tip-top shape. She has a distrust of microwave ovens and actors, can really hold her drink (or so she’d like to think), and iscompletely nonplussed at the idea of hosting a talking bear in her house for the night.
Indeed, Mrs. Bird’s seemingly kooky demeanor hides a whole heaping of wisdom…
Despite her eccentricities, she’s the one who not only struck the final blow on Millicent but could sense Phoenix Buchanan’s evil plans and discovered the Reverend Mother was hiding more than she let on. Indeed, Mrs. Bird’s seemingly kooky demeanor hides a whole heaping of wisdom, telling Henry directly to his face thattheBrowns need Paddington in their livesjust as much as he needs them.
4Knuckles McGinty
Played by Brendan Gleeson
During Paddington’s time in jail, his polite attitude seems to earn him no respect from his fellow prisoners – especially with the feared cook, Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson).But when Paddington gives him a marmalade sandwich, Knuckles immediately places the bear under his protection as they cook together. When he initially dismisses the lessons Aunt Lucy taught him, one of Paddington’s signature hard stares quickly gets him to cool his attitude.
Maintaining a gruff exterior, Knuckles and the other prisoners grow to care for the bear, so much so that he includes Paddington in his escape plan to flee and make marmalade together. While that plan doesn’t work out, Knuckles still goes back to save Paddington from drowning and finds a new career operating a successful sandwich restaurant. Knuckles McGinty is a brash individual who seems like the last person to become friends with a polite talking bear, and yet Paddington’s attitude nonetheless makes him a better person as a result.
3Henry Brown
Played by Hugh Bonneville
Despite their clear love for one another, Mr. Henry Brown (Hugh Bonneville) is the opposite in every way to his wife Mary. Henry used to be a daredevil with a carefree attitude, but after having kids, he became an overprotective risk analyst. Initially mistrusting Paddington (apparently having a bear in the house increases the chances of a major disaster by 4000%), he begrudgingly realizes his good intentions and gladly accepts him as a member of the family.
Paddington may be the title character in the trilogy, butit’s Henry Brown’s character growth that receives the most focus in the first film. Throughout the other two films, he learns to embrace the risks that come with just living life and remembering his youthful spirit while still being mindful of his responsibilities.Mr. Brown’s exasperated attemptsto reign in the chaosthat his family gets into form much of the trilogy’s comedy, but his continued character growth shows his eventual acceptance of it.
Paddington 2
2Phoenix Buchanan
Played by Hugh Grant
Easily the best villain of all three films is the second film’s antagonist, Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant). Once a famous actor in the West End,his frivolous lifestyle and massive ego have resulted in nobody willing to hire him, falling into massive debt, and being reduced to doing dog food commercials to get by. When he overhears Paddington’s intentions to get a seemingly innocuous picture book, he decides to steal it and frame the bear for the crime. Knowing the book contains the key to an old treasure, heforms multiple disguises to sneak around Londonand find every clue.
Buchanan is an utter delight to watch, withGrant delivering a performance based on his own occasional tempestuous personality. Even with all the wrong things he does, he still has a charming personality that earns him something resembling a happy ending – even if it means he’s still in prison. He was such a beloved character he even made an uncredited return in the final scene ofPaddington in Peru, where he has made enough amends that he still gets regular prison visits.
1Paddington
Played by Ben Whishaw
The heart and soul of the Paddington films is, appropriately enough, Paddington (Ben Whishaw) himself. An orphan from a secret tribe of Peruvian bears, raised by his English-speaking Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo, and adopted by a human family in London, he lives a life full of adventure and love. He is a quiet, extremely polite young bear who nonetheless has a knack for getting himself into trouble despite his good intentions. His lack of complete understanding of human affairs and machinery makes himnot only funny to watch, but also endearing.
The story of the trilogy may have Paddington going on adventures to find family, home, and friends, but it is not so much about how Paddington himself grows, but rather how his presence affects the lives of everyone around him. As Mr. Brown puts it, he looks for the good in everybody, and more often than not, he finds it. In a modern age full of fear and cynicism,Paddington Bear is a character that reminds us all the good that still exists in the world.
