Paddington in Peru (2024), directed by Dougal Wilson

Paddington 3 sees the Brown family head to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy in the home for retired bears. Along the way we discover the young bear’s origin story and encounter a colonial curse that puts the whole family in danger. Gentle underlying themes include dealing with an emptying nest, the importance of chosen family and judging risk versus reward. The story is monumentally silly with lots of laughs, especially towards the end, and the central joke is just lovely. Many well-known actors (like Hayley Atwell) bob up in tiny cameos, with major stars (Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas) again hamming it up as heroic villains and villainous heroes. It’s warm family fun which, like the previous films, operates on multiple levels for wide appeal.