Episode 106: The Paddington Trilogy

Cinema in Context

Three Paddington films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Paddington (2014), Paddington 2 (2017) and Paddington in Peru (2024) and our general reactions to the films, especially those of us who haven't seen a Paddington film before. We talk about the work of writer and director Paul King, including The Mighty Boosh and Wonka (2023), and praise the work of first-time director Dougal Wilson. We discuss the cast and performances in the films, including the work of Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Emily Mortimer, Ben Wishaw, Jessica Hynes, Matt Lucas, Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Julie Walters, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson and Noah Taylor. We praise the films' visuals, especially Paddington's animation. This extends into a discussion of live-action, special effects, visual effects and computer generation. We touch on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), the work of Ray Harryhausen - Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Clash of the Titans (1981), the original Godzilla (1954), King Kong (1933), Jurassic Park (1993), Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Doctor Who (1963-) and The Thing (1982).