After settling down with the Brown family in London, everyone’s favorite bear Paddington (Ben Whishaw) is back for another whimsical adventure. With his brand-new British passport and an umbrella gifted to him by his neighbors, it seems like nothing can go wrong for little Paddington — until he receives a distressing letter which says that his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) is exhibiting strange behaviors at the Home for Retired Bears in Peru.

The Reverend Mother, played by the ever-charming Olivia Colman, informs Paddington that Aunt Lucy spends most of her time holed up in her cottage, engrossed in secret research. 

Mrs. Brown, newly played by Emily Mortimer, jumps at the chance to reconnect the family by traveling to Peru, fretting that they are more disconnected than ever with the kids all grown up. Her son Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) spends all his time holed up in his room “chillin’” while older daughter Judy (Madeleine Harris) is busy with university applications. 

It’s bittersweet to see the children so grown up and to have the beloved Sally Hawkins, who played Mrs. Brown in “Paddington” (2014) and “Paddington 2” (2017), replaced by Emily Mortimer, but the family manages to keep their chemistry and British wit intact.

Hugh Bonneville’s bumbling Mr. Brown hesitates to join his family on the trip, but a pep talk from his boss (Hayley Atwell) inspires him to “embrace risk” and he agrees to fly to Peru — albeit packing his insurance risk management binders, which are triple-laminated. 

One of the standouts of the movie is the lush greenery of Peru, with vast sceneries of the Amazon rainforests. This change of setting works especially well as director Dougal Wilson takes on his first feature film, replacing previous “Paddington” director Paul King. The movie draws from very different inspirations from the first two, such as the films of Werner Herzog and the Indiana Jones series, as it shows the Browns traversing through the wild jungle in the pursuit of storied treasure.

While the first two films drew on the absurdity of a bear being out of place in dreary London, “Paddington in Peru” is all about watching Paddington and the Brown family be out of place in the jungles of Peru. It also strays from the expected storyline, as the plot is driven forward by curses and lost treasures which adds an element of folklore and magical realism. 

Preparing for the Browns’ visit, the Reverend Mother performs a musical number in a gorgeous nod to “The Sound of Music” (1965), plucking a guitar and dancing with the nuns at the Home for Retired Bears. The song feels out of place — it’s the only one performed in the film — yet it’s exactly what viewers have come to expect from the “Paddington” franchise: both absurdist and heartfelt. 

When the Browns arrive in Peru, the nuns at the Home for Retired Bears inform them Aunt Lucy has gone missing. Despite the nuns giving Paddington very little evidence to work with — except for a suspiciously easy-to-find map in Aunt Lucy’s cottage — and Mr. Brown fretting about encountering a purple-kneed tarantula, the family sets off on an expedition to find her, leaving the Browns’ housekeeper Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters) behind to be their mission control at the home. 

On their voyage, they are greeted by sailor and retired explorer Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), and his daughter Gina (Carla Tous). Banderas’ suave yet foreboding presence enchants the Brown family, as Hunter Cabot invites them onto his ship and tells them tall tales about his family, who have been treasure hunters for centuries.

The Cabots lead the Browns to the mythical Rumi Rock, allegedly the first stop on the way to the lost city of El Dorado which contains the gold left behind by the ancient Peruvian forest spirits, and the place where Aunt Lucy’s map leads. The search for Aunt Lucy is hindered by the gold-hungry Hunter Cabot’s search for El Dorado — a zany set-up that brings the audience closer to the Brown family as they navigate his trickery. 

Academy Award winner Colman and nominee Banderas are absolute stars, playing up the silliness of their parts and lending the film a tongue-in-cheek quality that is enjoyable for both children and older audiences. 

By far, the highlight of this movie though, as with the last two films, is Paddington himself. Ben Whishaw voices him delightfully and the CGI animation is the best it’s ever been. The bear’s mild-mannered kindness and familial bond with the Browns is a joy to watch and makes rooting for him entertaining, especially as he finds himself caught in increasingly dangerous situations.

The movie is engaging and whimsical, a buoyant cinematic experience that feels fresh, especially for more mature audiences. While “Paddington in Peru” is less iconic than “Paddington 2,” it keeps up the good cheer in ever-darker times, and it is earnest and incredibly sweet. The ending, while a tad saccharine, ends up being a tear-jerker and the film will go down as a perfectly good installment in the series. While much of this movie is about the pursuit of treasure, Paddington and the Browns ultimately discover that family is worth much more than gold.