In the opening scene of Paddington 2, the titular bear is rescued by his Aunt Lucy, who remarks that he’s “rather small and rather sneezy…but he’ll go far.” The identical may very well be stated of the Paddington movie sequence—maybe minus the sneezing. An enchancment on the surprisingly profitable 2014 adaption of Michael Bond’s guide sequence, Paddington 2 is refreshing, family-friendly fare amidst the dramas of Oscar season. It is pure-hearted and kooky, with a easy however stirring message of affection and tolerance.

After nearly getting stuffed by Nicole Kidman’s twisted taxidermist within the first installment, Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) has settled into a contented life in London with the Brown household. With his variety, considerate nature and appreciation for everybody in neighborhood, he has turn into the center of Windsor Gardens. But issues take a flip for the more severe when Paddington makes an attempt to save lots of up cash for a birthday present for his aunt, who’s retired again in Peru. The classic pop-up guide he’s eyeing simply so occurs to be a secret treasure map, and it’s finally stolen by wacky, washed-up actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant). Buchanan efficiently frames Paddington for the theft, and the petite Peruvian bear is shipped to jail.

While this uncomfortably actual miscarriage of justice may throw off the entire tone of the film, jail within the Paddington universe is filled with criminals who’re solely utilizing tough-guy bravado to masks harm and insecurity. Paddington’s wide-eyed naiveté and insistence on treating everybody with respect permits him to befriend alpha prisoner Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson). Soon, he has introduced out one of the best within the convicts and festooned the jail with pastel hues, bunting, and flower bins.

One of the Paddington movies’ chief strengths is their sense of world-building, which may give Wes Anderson a run for his cash. Paddington’s London is various and bursting with colour. The set items listed here are richly layered, with extra care and a spotlight to element than are normally given to a kids’s film. And the animation of Paddington himself is as soon as once more remarkably efficient, particularly in his emotive eyes.

The comedy in Paddington 2 is unabashedly punny and bodily spot-on; it’s foolish with out ever feeling low-cost or condescending to kids’s intelligence. Some of the movie’s comedy setups are easy however dealt with so cleverly. Take, for instance, a second in the course of the epilogue montage: It’s revealed that, after Paddington teaches him the best way to make marmalade, Knuckles opens his personal tea room referred to as (look forward to it) Knuckle’s Sandwiches. The persistence and restraint to attend till the movie’s finish to make that single joke is seen all through in a sequence of artful callbacks.

Paddington 2’s supporting forged are a who’s who of recognizable British actors. Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, and Peter Capaldi are joined within the sequel by Noah Taylor, Richard Ayoade, and Dame Eileen Atkins (amongst many others). While Bonneville and Hawkins are nice foils for one another because the mother and father of the Brown clan, the true human standout of the entire movie is Grant. Indeed, the a part of Buchanan was written with him in thoughts, and he not too long ago acquired a BAFTA nomination for the function.

Because Phoenix Buchanan is much less murderous and creepy than Kidman’s character, Grant is ready to be extra of a cockamamy, cartoonish villain—which he totally nails. In reality, although Buchanan does in the end attempt to dispose of Paddington in his quest for the treasure, one may argue that the movie’s actual villains are the justice system and on a regular basis prejudice. Busybody neighbor Mr. Curry (Capaldi) is the one who will get an ethical lecture, not Buchanan. When Curry, who by no means favored having a bear within the neighborhood, tries to cease the Browns’ rescue mission for his or her ursine good friend, Mr. Brown chastises him. He calls him out for instantly judging Paddington, who is likely to be totally different, however who all the time finds the nice in individuals.

Paddington 2 won’t be on the extent of a Disney or Pixar basic, but it surely’s an enthralling ray of sunshine that delivers a timeless but well timed message: Being variety—whether or not to foreigners, to criminals, or to bears—is the precise factor to do and makes a neighborhood richer for it.