Paddington is a British live-action animated comedy film series based on the character Paddington Bear created by British author Michael Bond. It revolves around a kind-hearted and polite, yet accident-prone young bear from Darkest Peru who finds a home with the Brown family in London. The films are produced by StudioCanal, in collaboration with Heyday Films (on the first two films) and other production partners.
The first film, Paddington (2014), was directed by Paul King. It was followed by Paddington 2 (2017), which built on the success of the first film. Both films were commercially successful. A third installment, Paddington in Peru, was released on 8 November 2024 with Dougal Wilson taking over from King as director, making his feature directorial debut. The series has been credited with revitalising family cinema and remains popular with audiences of all ages. The success of the films has also led to spawning an animated television series, an opening short segment at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and a .
This is the first and only film to be distributed by The Weinstein Company in the United States, as the rights to the film series originally were sold to Warner Bros. Pictures, and then to Sony Pictures following the Weinstein scandal in October 2017.
In April 2015, David Heyman confirmed that he would produce the second film in the franchise. It was also announced that Paul King would direct and co-write with Simon Farnaby. By October 2016, the cast of Paddington â Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton â were confirmed to be returning for the sequel, joined by new cast members Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson. Principal photography began in the same month. Framestore provided the visual effects for the film. Filming in Little Venice took place for three days. Filming also took place at Shepton Mallet Prison.
In June 2016, StudioCanal CEO Didier Lupfer stated that the studio was committed to making a third Paddington film. In November 2017, David Heyman told Digital Spy that though the script for a third Paddington film had not developed, discussions about locations, ideas and scenes had already begun. In November 2018, Heyman noted that a third film was still likely to happen, but that Paul King would not be back to direct, though he would still be involved in a prominent creative capacity. The films' previous director, Paul King would not be directing the film as he was directing the film Wonka. King was set to executive produce the film and had written a story alongside Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton with a screenplay by Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont.
On 13 June 2022, it was announced that the title of the film would be Paddington in Peru and will be directed by Dougal Wilson, with principal photography now set to begin in 2023, with some of the cast returning. In February 2023, Whishaw stated that he had yet to read a script and was unsure whether development was continuing.
In April 2023, it was confirmed that Paddington in Peru would start filming on 24 July, despite reports that it was suspended due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. New cast members joining the film included Antonio Banderas and Olivia Colman, while Sally Hawkins stepped down from her role as Mrs. Brown, and was recast with Emily Mortimer.
During the Brand Licensing Europe 2024 convention in London, StudioCanal CEO Françoise Guyonnet and head of global sales Sissel Henno revealed that Canal+ is already working on a fourth Paddington film and a spin-off television series, given their focus to "turn a heritage brand into a global phenomenon" by delving deeper into the "ongoing journey of Paddington from a classic character to a worldwide cultural phenomenon", estimating the releases of both productions around 2027 and 2028, where the franchise would have its 70th anniversary.
The first film of the series was announced in September 2007, with David Heyman producing and Hamish McColl writing the screenplay. When filming began, Heyman announced the casting of Colin Firth as the voice of Paddington. Paddington is the most expensive film produced by the French production company StudioCanal.
In June 2014, after principal photography had wrapped, Firth voluntarily dropped out of the film, after the studio decided his voice was not suitable for Paddington. The role was recast the following month, with Ben Whishaw signing on to voice the title role. Paddington was created using a combination of computer-generated imagery (by the British company Framestore) and animatronics.
The creator of the Paddington character, Michael Bond, also appeared in a cameo in the first film, playing the role of the Kindly Gentleman.
When the films were dubbed into the Ukrainian language, Paddington was voiced by the country's current president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In October 2017, it was announced that StudioCanal was producing an animated series, set to launch in either late 2018 or early 2019. It was announced in February 2019, that the series would launch worldwide in 2020 on Nickelodeon, with Whishaw reprising his voice of Paddington.
On 20 November 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere on 20 January 2020 after a sneak preview which aired on 20 December 2019.
For the "Platinum Party at the Palace" music concert that would open the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the Queen acted in a short film directed by Mark Burton to open the concert in which the Queen hosts Paddington Bear (with Whishaw reprising his role) for tea in honour of the Jubilee. The Queen is seen patiently tolerating a tea-slurping Paddington who, upon realising his mistake, attempts to pour tea for her. However, he stomps over a pastry on the table and ends up covering a footman (played by Simon Farnaby) in cream. As Paddington offers the Queen a marmalade sandwich, and tells her that he always keeps one for emergencies, the Queen confides "So do I" and, prising open her handbag, tells him: "I keep mine in here". Later, Paddington congratulates the Queen on her reign, exclaiming: "Happy Jubilee Ma'am. And thank you for everything". The sequence ends with both the Queen and Paddington using a spoon to tap out the beat of Queen's "We Will Rock You" on teacup.
The Queen spent around half a day filming the sketch at Windsor Castle, and had since kept it a secret from some of her family members. A Buckingham Palace spokesman stated: "While the Queen may not be attending the concert in person, she was very keen that people understood how much it meant to her and that all those watching had a great time. [...] Her Majesty is well known for her sense of humour, so it should be no surprise that she decided to take part in tonight's sketch."
A stage musical adaptation based on the original stories and film series opened in London's West End in November 2025. The musical was produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, StudioCanal and Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of Universal Music UK, features music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, book by Jessica Swale and is directed by Luke Sheppard.