Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his aunt’s birthday. A film by Paul King, starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, and Ben Whishaw.

A few years back, Pastuzo (Michael Gambon) and Lucy (Imelda Staunton) were having a picnic on a high rope plank bridge over the waterfalls, planning a trip to London for the following year. Pastuzo was making his favorite marmalade filled sandwiches and Lucy was drinking tea.

Suddenly Lucy spotted something floating in the river down towards the waterfall. Pastuzo picked it up his telescope (left by the English explorer) and confirmed that the object Lucy saw was a trunk of a tree with a bear cub on it. Pastuzo helped lower Lucy down using the rope and she managed to save the life of the bear cub. Lucy then told Pastuzo that their London trip must be postponed because they had a bear cub to raise.

Present day in London, Paddington lives with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens and enjoys his life. There always seems to be something new for him to do every day. Judy (Madeleine Harris) tells Paddington about the Steam Fair coming to town, and she’s going there tonight to write about it in her newspaper. Mary (Sally Hawkins) suggests the family should all go to the fair.

Windsor Gardens is a fictional address in the PADDiNGTON movie series, which is actually filmed on Chalcot Crescent in Primrose Hill, London. The Brown family, who adopt Paddington Bear, live at this address, which is portrayed as a quaint and colorful townhouse.

Paddington has become a neighbor favorite. As he hops on Mademoiselle Dubois’s bicycle, he gives her a marmalade-filled sandwich. Along the way, he greets Doctor Jafri (Sanjeev Bhaskar) and reminds him not to forget his keys. He also greets Colonel Lancaster (Ben Miller), who doesn’t seem thrilled. As they pass Miss Kitt’s newspaper stand on the corner, Paddington asks Miss Kitt (Jessica Hynes) about her date. Mr. Barnes (Robbie Gee) picks Paddington from Dubois’ bicycle and places him on the side of a garbage truck, as Mademoiselle Dubois (Marie-France Alvarez) takes a turn to the left. Paddington thinks everyone has been so kind and welcoming, even though they’re very busy.

Mr. Barnes drops Paddington off on a street near Gruber’s Antiques where Paddington meets Mr. Gruber (Jim Broadbent) to discuss what present to get for his aunt Lucy’s upcoming 100th birthday. Mr. Gruber mentions that he just had a visit from Madame Kozlova who runs the fair, and she dropped off old crates stuffed full with memorabilia and asked him to sell them while she’s still in town.

While Mr. Gruber attempts to recommend Paddington several unusual toys and gadgets, Paddington stumbles upon an old popping book of London in an old crate and wonders what it is. Mr. Gruber explains that the book was made by Madame Kozlova’s grandmother, a brilliant artist who started the fair. Every time they visited a new city, she made a popping book to remember it by. Paddington believes it is the perfect present for his aunt, as she has always dreamed of coming to London, but never had the chance.

A popping book or pop-up book is a type of book that features three-dimensional pages with elements that “pop up” or move when a page is turned. This term encompasses various forms of paper engineering, including movable books, pop-ups, tunnel books, transformations, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and other interactive features that create a memorable and engaging reading experience.

However, there’s a problem. The pop-up book is one of a kind, and Madame Kozlova has listed it for a hefty price of 1,000 coins. Mr. Gruber suggests Paddington find a cheaper alternative. But Paddington is determined to buy that book for his aunt. He tells Mr. Gruber that he would get a job to earn money. Paddington begins to work as a cleaner at Mr. Giuseppe’s barbershop, but he eventually gets fired on the first day.

At the Kozlova’s Steam Fair, Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), a washed-up actor who’s a neighbor of the Browns and also a VIP client at Henry’s insurance company, is invited to open the fair. Phoenix asks for a volunteer to assist him, and he chooses Paddington, spotting him as the only bear in the crowd. On stage, Phoenix asks Paddington if he had one wish tonight, what would it be? Paddington tells him about a pop-up book of London made by Madame Kozlova that he wants to buy for his aunt, but it’s very expensive. The book seems to strike something in Phoenix’s memory. Later, Phoenix inquires about the whereabouts of the peculiar pop-up book, which he believes was lost. Paddington reveals that he found the book at Gruber’s Antiques.

Paddington continues to work odd cleaning jobs including cleaning house windows, gutters, dogs, windshields, aquarium windows, and skyscraper windows to collect money for the pop-up book. One night, while walking past Gruber’s Antiques, Paddington hears a noise. He spots a mysterious man breaking into Gruber’s Antiques through the third-story window. Paddington uses his ladder and follows the man through the window.

The mysterious man breaks the glass, snatches the pop-up book of London, and triggers the theft alarm. Paddington runs after the thief in an attempt to retrieve the book, but he fails as the thief disappears in a puff of smoke. A police officer spots Paddington race off the Gruber’s Antiques, and apprehends him as a prime suspect for robbing Gruber’s Antiques.

Paddington is brought to the court of justice. A forensic investigator (Richard Ayoade) presents their findings on a map of Gruber’s Antiques, highlighting locations where paw prints were found. The investigator also confirms the presence of marmalade trace evidence collected from the crime scene. Mr. Gruber takes the stand and tells everyone that he believes Paddington has been working to earn money for the book. There is no way Paddington would burglarize his shop.

Then, Phoenix Buchanan takes the stand as a witness. He claims to have seen Paddington riding a dog that night, but says he did not see any man matching Paddington’s description. As a result, the court finds Paddington guilty of the charges against him and sentences him to 10 years in jail for grand theft and grievous barberly harm.

It is revealed that the mysterious man who stole the pop-up book is, in fact, Phoenix Buchanan in disguise. He harbors a strong belief that Madame Kozlova’s book is no ordinary pop-up book but a treasure map, with clues hidden within every page that could lead him to secret treasure and, consequently, make him rich again.

Directed by British filmmaker Paul King, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Simon Farnaby, PADDiNGTON 2 is a marvelous animated comedy film. When you think it’s impossible to make a sequel with a better story, Paul King demonstrates that he can do it, making the sequel even more heartfelt and wonderful than the first film.

Every frame is meticulously crafted, making the animated characters feel so realistic. The cast delivers stellar performances. The incredibly compelling narrative is filled with comedy gold and a heartwarming story. The film features top-notch CGI, accompanied by a beautiful score composed by Dario Marianelli.

I particularly love the popping book scene, how they incorporate 3D life-like CGI into a realistic hand-drawn popping book. It’s so creatively well-done with masterful transitions drawing us into the world of Paddington.

PADDiNGTON 2 probably is one of the greatest movies of all time.

Based on the stories of Paddington Bear, created by British author Michael Bond, this film serves as the direct sequel to PADDiNGTON and is also dedicated to Michael Bond, who passed away in June 2017.

PADDiNGTON 2 premiered in London on 5 November 2017. The film was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 10 November.