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A beloved family film with an almost 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes is being taken off of Netflix in just two days. Paddington 2 is a 2017 live-action animated comedy film directed by Paul King and written by King and Simon Farnaby.
Based on the stories of Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond (to whom the film is also dedicated, as Bond had passed away that year), it is the second instalment in the Paddington film series. The film stars Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, with Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi and Hugh Grant in live-action roles. In the film, after Paddington is framed and imprisoned for a burglary he did not commit, he and his family must find the real culprit and prove his innocence. In its first weekend in the UK, the film grossed $10.9 million (£8.3 million), more than the first film ($8/£6 million), becoming StudioCanal’s highest-grossing film opening weekend in the UK to date. Paddington 2 received critical acclaim and was nominated for three BAFTAs: Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor, for Grant.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Paddington 2 has an approval rating of 99% based on 253 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10.
The website’s critical consensus reads: “Paddington 2 honours its star’s rich legacy with a sweet-natured sequel whose adorable visuals are matched by a story perfectly balanced between heartwarming family fare and purely enjoyable all-ages adventure.”
In January 2018, it became the most-reviewed film ever to maintain a 100% rating on the site, with 164 positive reviews.
In 2021, the 100% score for Citizen Kane (1941), often regarded as the greatest film ever made, was changed to 99% following the inclusion of a contemporary negative review; some publications satirically labelled Paddington 2 as a better film than Citizen Kane due to their respective scores.
In May 2021, Paddington 2’s score dropped to 99% after a negative review was registered on the site.
On Metacritic, another review aggregator, the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”.
Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “Paddington 2 won’t save the world, sadly, but its existence makes everything just that tiny bit better and more, well, bearable.”
Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, “Another near pawfect family entertainment, honouring the cosy, can-do spirit of Michael Bond’s stories while bringing them smoothly into a bustling, diverse 21st century London—with space for some light anti-Brexit subtext to boot.”
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, “The film is pitched with insouciant ease and a lightness of touch at both children and adults without any self-conscious shifts in irony or tone: it’s humour with the citrus tang of top quality thick-cut marmalade.” In 2019, The Guardian ranked Paddington 2 the 69th best film of the 21st century.
Paddington 2 is leaving Netflix on December 31. The third instalment of the series, Paddington in Peru, was released in 2024. The film follows the Brown family as they travel through the Peruvian jungle to find Paddington’s aunt, Lucy.
