Joy H. Books

[Marmalade-covered SPOILERS ahead]

Paddington has come a long way in his journey from Great Aunt Lucy’s side in the Peruvian jungle to becoming a beloved member of the Brown family at 32 Windsor Gardens, London. He’s happy with his life in England, close to his favorite people and his favorite pastimes (including eating marmalade sandwiches). When Paddington visits his friend and antique-shop-owner Mr. Gruber, however, their conversation turns to the topic of place and belonging. Mr. Gruber, for all the marvels he’s seen and collected of the world, misses his home country of Hungary. He tells Paddington that it’s normal to feel out-of-place in a land you didn’t grow up in. Paddington, however, isn’t sure how he feels. After all, he’s happy with the Browns and–while he misses his Aunt Lucy–Peru feels like a faraway place indeed.

Everything, of course, changes when Paddington receives a letter from the Reverend Mother Clarissa at the Home for Retired Bears. It appears that Aunt Lucy has gotten herself into a bit of trouble regarding ancient artifacts and priceless Peruvian treasure (normal stuff, right?).

The way Paddington sees it, this is the sort of trouble only the fabulous and tight-knit (and somewhat clumsy) Brown family can fix.

one wild jungle Cruise

To be perfectly fair, not everyone in the Brown family is excited to travel across the world to hob-knob with the creatures of the Amazonian rainforest. Mr. Brown, for example, has a crippling fear of spiders. As a risk analyst, Mr. Brown knows the Purple-Kneed Tarantula of Peru is a particular phobia that he has no wish to confront. For Judy and Jonathan, the fast-growing Brown kids, Peru might be an adventure, but one that begins to feel a little too dangerous (of which the ever-intrepid Mrs. Bird, who’s along for the ride, would have to agree).

Perhaps the only member of the Brown family who has nearly zero reservations of jetting to Peru is Mrs. Brown. When others see a wild, untamed rainforest, she sees a chance for their family to reconnect like they used to. She remembers a time when the kids were so small the whole family could fit on a single sofa for games and movie nights. In a way, Mrs. Brown hopes, maybe a trip to Peru will rekindle the old spark of their family together-ness.

That is–if Paddington doesn’t get them all killed. When they arrive at the Home for Retired Bears, the Reverend Mother [Olivia Colman] greets them with a suspicious amount of optimism that appears to be hiding the very real danger Aunt Lucy has found herself in. At the news of Aunt Lucy in danger, the Browns band together and (attempt to) face their fears. That includes hiring highly-sketchy riverboat captain Hunter Cabot [Antonio Banderas) and his teenage daughter Gina.

Gina seems fine, sure. But Hunter Cabot’s got a suspicious gleam in his eye and WAY too many ancient oil paintings of treasure hunters hanging about the ship. Paddington recognizes, however, that when it comes to helping family, beggars can’t be choosers.

Mostly Sweet, very little syrup

That’s how Paddington likes his marmalade sandwiches. And, coincidentally, what makes up the substance of this film. Sure, there might be some moments of syrupy, feel-good fluff. But for the most part, Paddington in Peru manages to be wistfully witty with a rare spirit of fresh fun, poignancy and sweet nostalgia. It’s a movie that’s not afraid to laugh at itself while also finding moments to make you cry.

To top it off, Paddington in Peru has some top-notch actors. From Academy Award winner Olivia Colman and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville to the ever ubiquitous Emily Mortimer and Ben Wishaw (just to name a few), the seasoned cast is well-rounded and sparkles with chemistry. The music is uplifting, the graphics are bright, and the storyline is both fresh and mostly family-friendly. (Occasionally, the jungle-themed peril with purple-kneed tarantulas and humorous, fever-induced visions of Cabot family ghosts might be scary for younger viewers).

Over all, however, Paddington in Peru delivers a heartwarming story of seizing life and cherishing the treasure of family. It’s a safe and nearly-perfect movie night pick, especially for fans of similarly warm movies like Wonka, Peter Rabbit, and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.

And, like the above movies, Paddington in Peru has some sweet lessons to share.

Bear hugs

I learned recently a story about the original Paddington Bear books that warmed the cockles of my heart (to borrow the British phrase). According to the article I read, in a post World War II era Paddington became a beloved and cherished icon that encouraged kids (and adults) to view people immigrating from other countries with compassion and curiosity. Similar to British children evacuated to the countryside with tags pinned on their clothes, Paddington Bear stepped onto the page in 1958 and began to illustrate the sorrows of loss and the complicated wonders of discovering a new home.

Like the first two Paddington movies, Paddington in Peru dives deep into feelings of homesickness, belonging, and being in-between. And it’s not only Paddington who faces these feelings–Mrs. Brown struggles with the changing season of life as her children grow toward adulthood, Hunter Cabot searches for an identity to root him in his intimidatingly-awesome family tree, and Mr. Gruber longs for reminders of his Hungarian heritage.

The lesson Paddington learns?

Belonging isn’t as cut-and-dry as the blessedly simple marmalade sandwich. Instead, Paddington tells us, belonging-ness is messy and leave you with tons of questions. Children and parents alike grow and spread their wings, leading families to new and different adventures. Relationships crumble from disuse or mistrust and must be rebuilt into something better. And, the well-loved memories of our home sometimes include more than one location and many different cherished faces.

Paddington realizes that it’s okay to be confused by the change and tug-of-war that belonging in both Peru and London and somewhere-in-between provides. He realizes that his home, while it changes with time and geography, will always be in the hearts and lives of his family. Aunt Lucy, the Browns, Mr. Gruber, and some newfound friends will forever form the fabric of what making Paddington truly belong.

And that realization, like a perfect marmalade sandwich hidden beneath a hat, leaves some thoughts for us to chew on.

conclusion

As a human, it’s so easy to feel the in-between tug of finding where we belong. Whether that inner longing is for friendship, for a better world, or from the lived reality of moving countries and homes, this longing is very human. And, as many followers of Jesus through all of human history have noted, (including the apostle Paul), living on Earth can feel like a sojourn while looking for our true home. C.S. Lewis, in the Chronicles of Narnia, captured this feeling when the four Pevensie children are sent back home to London after living in Narnia with Aslan. For the rest of their lives, however, they would see the magic and miracles of Narnia behind the growing-ever-thin skin of their time on Earth.

So for us, like a little bear with a red hat found on a train platform, we spend our lives looking for glimpses of Narnia or Hogwarts or Tatooine or Darkest Peru (in a word, Home). And that’s what makes Paddington special. It reminds us that feeling homesick is okay–and that it’s human to long for our place of belonging. It’s how God made us. And for those of us that are on a wild-as-Indiana-Jones expedition for a place of belonging, the heart of Jesus is where God intended us to go.

It’s like we all come with Please Look After This Bear tags. And God never rejects the heart that looks to find a home in Him.🍊

credits

(Note: although I can’t remember the title of the original article I read, you can find more information in the Children’s Literature in Education by Smith (2006)).

Smith, A. (2006). Paddington Bear: A case study of immigration and otherness. Children’s Literature in Education, 37, 35-50.

Title image from Parents, edited in Canva