Story

Things have changed in the Brown household – Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) spends all his time gaming in his room, Judy (Madeleine Harris) is heading off to college, Henry (Hugh Bonneville) has a new boss who does not believe in risk aversion and is encouraging her team to seek out challenging and dangerous activities, while Mary (Emily Mortimer) is trying to get used to the fact that she has more free time and that her family is going in so many different directions.

When Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman), the head nun at a retirement home for bears, writes to Paddington (voice of Ben Wishaw) about the worrying behaviour of his Aunt Lucy (voice of Imelda Staunton), Paddington and the Browns head to Peru for a visit.

Upon arrival, they discover that Aunt Lucy is missing somewhere in the Amazon jungle. Setting off to find her, they enlist the help of Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) the captain of a small river boat, and his daughter Gina (Carla Tous), to guide them to Roomy Rock. Roomy Rock is an ancient Incan stone formation where they hope to find Aunt Lucy. Unfortunately for them Hunter Cabot has ‘Gold Madness’, a curse that has haunted his family for generations. Believing that Paddington will lead him to El Dorado, Hunter ditches his daughter and loses the rest of the Brown family, using Paddington for his own purposes.

Paddington’s unwavering belief that he will find his Aunt Lucy, despite all the setbacks he faces, leads him to discover his origins, learn the truth about El Dorado and demonstrate to others that family is the greatest treasure a person can possess.

Themes

Greed; curses; magical protectors; family disintegration; separation from family

Violence

Paddington in Peru has some violence. For example:

  • Paddington, as a cub, falls off a tree branch into a raging river and is carried far downstream.
  • It is mentioned that everyone who searches for El Dorado dies.
  • Paddington repeatedly falls out of a hammock and, in the end, gets himself irrevocably tangled inside of one.
  • Captain Cabot is knocked overboard by a sail.
  • The Brown family are sent down a river full of rapids. The boat crashes against the rocks, flips over and then sinks as they cling to debris.
  • A piranha bites Paddington on the nose.
  • As the Brown family realise that they are lost in the jungle, Judy asks: ‘How long until we eat each other?’
  • Paddington falls through the jungle canopy into the river.
  • The relatives of Captain Cabot are shown dying in a variety of ways: a plane crash, an explosion, drowning in quicksand etc.
  • A character, referring to Paddington, says: ‘No, we can’t eat him yet.’
  • Captain Cabot repeatedly chants: ‘Follow the bear, find the gold, eat the bear.’
  • One of Captain Cabot’s ancestors slaps him repeatedly in the face.
  • Captain Cabot shoves Paddington roughly to the ground.
  • Paddington and Captain Cabot are chased by a large boulder that nearly crushes them on multiple occasions.
  • Paddington falls off a cliff and is nearly crushed by a rock.
  • Paddington is nearly crushed by a wall falling on top of him.
  • Captain Cabot is hit in the stomach by a huge Risk Manual and Paddington nearly falls off a cliff.
  • Reverend Mother holds Gina and the Brown family at gunpoint.
  • Reverend Mother is knocked out with a big branch.

Sexual references

Paddington in Peru has some sexual references. For example, Henry notes that his wife thinks Captain Cabot is handsome.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Paddington in Peru has some substance abuse. For example:

  • Captain Cabot admits to getting a tattoo as the result of a drunken night in Cuzco.
  • Nuns appear to be drinking during a disco party.
  • A champagne accidentally pops open when Paddington falls into an icebox full of alcoholic beverages.
  • The Brown family search a box labelled ‘emergency supplies’, only to find martini glasses and bottles of alcohol.

Nudity and sexual activity

Paddington in Peru has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

  • Captain Cabot lifts up his shirt to reveal a tattoo on his chest which, though audiences don’t see, causes characters to shield their eyes and look away in discomfort.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in Paddington in Peru.

Coarse language

Paddington in Peru has some mild coarse language and name-calling. For example:

  • Idiot
  • Stupid
  • Mentiroso (Liar in Spanish).

Ideas to discuss with your children

Paddington in Peru is a fun-filled fantasy adventure about finding your place and following your heart. This family film is best suited to audiences over the age of 7.

These are the main messages from Paddington in Peru:

  • Have faith in yourself and in those you love
  • Be as a light in the darkness guiding those who cannot find their way
  • Even if you have mixed up feelings about where you belong, you can find yourself in what you search for.

Values in Paddington in Peru that you could reinforce with your children are courage, integrity, respect, kindness, determination and faith.

Paddington in Peru could also give you a chance to talk with your children about the importance of family and of finding connections with those you love.

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Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

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