As I mentioned last time, I only watched the first film because I had heard about how good this sequel and here we are. This one still has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes a year after its release which is quite an achievement. Like the first one, it is a children’s film but one that is so earnest and unwavering in aiming to be wholesome that it appeals to adults anyway.

Following the events of the first film, Paddington is now a familiar and well-loved fixture of the local community.  As the date of his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday nears, he busies himself with finding a suitable gift. He then comes across an antique pop-up book depicting London’s most famous landmarks and tries his hand at working at jobs to earn the money to buy it. Before that however the book is stolen and Paddington is wrongfully convicted of the crime. The thief is Phoenix Buchanan, an actor who realizes that the book contains clues to a hidden treasure. While the Browns work on finding the real thief, Paddington languishes in prison. But given the little bear’s propensity to make friends everywhere, it is not long before he becomes popular there as well and turns the prison into a cheery place.

The first film already looked great but the sequel further improves on it. Paddington’s dog-riding scene for example involved some impressive cinematography and I loved the depiction of London in pop-art form. Hugh Grant is fabulous as the villain, especially with his variety of colorful costumes and his penchant to deliver soliloquies in different voices. The plot about hiding treasure is silly but works as a device to get Paddington into new locales and interact with new characters. Few jokes are truly laugh-worthy but I liked the sense of fun and adventure that permeates the entire film anyway.

This film reinforces the previous one’s message on diversity of course, focusing on how anyone can be a pillar of the community regardless of ethnicity and place of birth. What strikes me this time around is that it’s both up front and resolute in what it believes in and speaks the same message directly both to children and adults. There are no witty asides that are put in to amuse adults while passing children by as you often see in other animated films today, there’s no cynicism or world weariness that dilutes its values. The wonder of it is that it works without being corny, perhaps because director Paul King and the other people involved in the production, believes in the sincerity of these values. Or at least I like to think so. This certainly marks Paddington 2 out from other animated films who think that cynicism is needed to make them palatable to adults.

Even though many of the films that we watch nowadays are serious ones with higher artistic aspirations, I like to think that we can still make space for lighter fare like this, especially when they champion values that resonate with us.