Emma Gatrell
Following the pure joy that was Paddington and Paddington 2, I was fairly sure Paddington in Peru could not match their quality and wholesomeness.
So many franchises flop with their second films – see Sex and the City 2. Only a handful of movie franchises are the exception to the rule – see High School Musical and The Godfather 2.
When I saw the trailer for the Paddington 3, I set my expectations fairly low, preparing for a forgettable film. Hugh Grant would not be in it. The music over the trailer was ‘Best Day of my Life’ which I thought we’d left in 2013. And the humour seemed to be more slap-stick, more glib than the previous two films (yes, I realise this is predominantly a children’s movie).
If I had told Paddington my thoughts before seeing the movie, I am sure I would have been met with one of his infamous hard stares which (no spoiler) make a reappearance in this movie. After my first watch, I quickly set the date for a second viewing. The idea behind this film was not merely to keep the franchise going by adding more adventure. This may be one thing, but cherishing our natural resources is another more important message.
While Paddington’s hard stare might not be a spoiler, do prepare for spoilers as you read on. Bear with me…
The Premise
The story begins with young Paddington plucking an orange from a tree and falling into a river before he is saved by Aunt Lucy. The orange is a seemingly insignificant moment. But, if you have watched the previous films, you’ll know that story creator Paul King does not include anything without it later becoming a key plot point.
Back in London, Paddington receives a letter from the home for retired bears in Peru, informing him that Aunt Lucy desperately misses him. He and the entire Brown family, including Mrs. Bird – because of course the entire family must go with him – travel to Peru, only to find that Aunt Lucy is missing.
One thing leads to another, and the family find themselves in the middle of the jungle with adventurers Hunter Cabot and Gina, his daughter. Hunter spots Aunt Lucy’s bracelet on Paddington’s wrist and suggests it could lead them to El Dorado, a mythical city said to contain gold which the Incas entrusted to jungle spirits when European colonisers arrived.
After much adventure, revelation and classic Paddington clumsiness, Paddington uses the bracelet to find El Dorado. Note, only Paddington has the power to access this “city”, a huge expanse of greenery with orange trees.
It is Mr. and Mrs. Brown who are assigned the expositional dialogue here, as Mr. Brown asks where El Dorado is, and Mrs. Brown replies that it is this, an orange grove. The “jungle spirits” who let in Paddington and his entourage, reveal themselves to be bears of Paddington’s tribe, the tribe he lost when falling into a river after reaching to pick – that’s right, an orange.
My thoughts
The story is fun, and not wholly predictable, with the entire premise set up to prepare us for literal gold at the end of the rainbow. It is a pleasant surprise, therefore, to find that the “gold” turns out to be fruits from our very own planet.
This particular part of the planet is paradisical, namely because it has been protected from human destruction. In this version of events, Incans could not trust fellow humans, and so gifted the wealth elsewhere – to bears, or the “jungle spirits”.
The bears have been caring for El Dorado for all this time and it remains a clean, undisturbed paradise. Interestingly, however, they have kept it and themselves hidden from people. I’m not suggesting that the Incans literally gave their treasure over to bears, but what’s the point in including a mythological city in the plot if not to get a little creative?
The search for gold and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, however, is not mythological whatsoever.
The truth of Amazonian Exploitation
Spanish colonisers landed in Peru in 1531, wreaking destruction on the ecosystem in the form of disease such as smallpox and the introduction of domestic animals native to Spain. After years of political strife, Lima was founded by colonisers in 1535, who set up Spanish political structures and mined valuable silver and gold resources across Peru, including the now lost city of Vilcabamba.
But the exploitation of Peru’s resources is not a past issue. The Amazonian gold rush is still relevant today. Illegal mining is a big problem. The Amazon Conservation Association says that, between 1985 and 2023, almost 130,000 hectares of land have been deforested because of illegal mining. Mining also contaminates water supplies with mercury, which can lead to neurological illnesses and immune diseases in humans (disproportionately affecting indigenous communities in Peru) and some birds. We still don’t know the full effect on the more than 10,000 other species of plants and animals in the Amazon.
Paddington’s Message
It might be too far to label Paddington 3: Paddington in Peru a radical call to action. It does, however, teach its characters a lesson. Hunter Cabot, despite being plagued by ghosts of his greedy ancestors, eventually learns what is truly important. His real treasure, as Paddington tells him, is his daughter, Gina. The two return to their life of travelling, but with a renewed appreciation for the world around them and an indifference to golden treasures which the river throws up onto the boat, perhaps a test from Mother Nature.
Paddington ultimately decides to return to London to live with the Browns, a reminder of how people can belong in two places at once. El Dorado remains in the safe and secret hands of Paddington’s tribe. To the rest of the world, it remains mythological, possibly representative of how environmental protection currently seems fantastical.
Paddington’s tribe do, however, come to London, and Paddington shows them around. In a surprise mid-credits scene, just when you think all is finished, he takes them to see Phoenix Buchanan, played ever artfully by Hugh Grant. Perhaps, then, all hope is not lost.
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Featured image courtesy of Billy Joachim on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.
