Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Paddington in Peru.

Paddington in Peru continues to expand the beloved franchise with likable and charming characters. The тιтular bear, voiced by Ben Whishaw, has always been charming and that continues to be the case as he searches for his missing Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) in Peru. Paddington in Peru‘s cast also includes the return of the Brown family, along with several new additions, including the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) at Peru’s Home for Retired Bears and Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), who has a keen interest in treasure.

Instead of Paddington feeling like a fish out of water in London, the Browns fulfill this role as they journey through the jungles of Peru to help Paddington. All the characters contribute to Paddington in Peru‘s ending and make the third movie worth the ride. Characters are ranked by how likable and charming they are, but only the main characters are included. This means that as delightful as Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) is in Paddington in Peru‘s mid-credits scene, he is not a main character, nor is Aunt Lucy, whose whereabouts are a mystery for the majority of the film.

7

Clarissa Cabot/Reverend Mother

Played by Olivia Colman

After Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman) and Phoenix, Clarissa Cabot/Reverend Mother (Colman) steps in as the next Paddington movie villain. From playing the guitar at the Home for Retired Bears to aiming her gun at innocent individuals, Colman plays the silly and sinister parts of the character equally well. She is quirky enough to be a red herring, but also clever enough to be the villain who arranged Aunt Lucy’s disappearance and to lure Paddington to Peru so he can lead her to El Dorado.

While Colman excels in this surprise villain role, being the manipulative antagonist who hurts Paddington, Aunt Lucy, and the Browns automatically makes her the most unlikable main character. Clarissa is also not as charming of a villain as Phoenix, which becomes more apparent when the theatrical character makes a surprising return in the mid-credits scene. With how unlikable Clarissa ends up being, being sent to the frigid Home for Retired Bears in the North Pole feels like a satisfying punishment for her.

6

Hunter Cabot

Played by Antonio Banderas

Before the Reverend Mother is revealed to be Paddington in Peru‘s overarching antagonist, it seems as though Hunter Cabot may be taking on that role. Hunter is a charming individual, but his desperation to find El Dorado, fueled by the ghosts of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ancestors who haunt him, makes him dangerous. He becomes far less likable when he throws his own daughter, Gina Cabot (Carla Tous), overboard, along with when he attacks and chases Paddington. Hunter is a victim of his ancestral ghosts tormenting and manipulating him, but this does not excuse his actions.

Nevertheless, he ends up being a more likable character than Clarissa because, unlike her, he ultimately makes the right choice, and chooses helping others over finding El Dorado at any cost. Saving Gina and the Browns from Clarissa and valuing his own daughter over El Dorado enables Hunter to find redemption. As a reformed villain now dedicated to his daughter, and as an ally to Paddington and the Browns, Hunter would be a great character to bring back in Paddington 4‘s story, as he continues to redefine himself after putting El Dorado and an obsession with gold behind him.

5

Jonathan & Judy Brown

Played by Samuel Joslin and Madeleine Harris

The Brown children, Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) and Judy (Madeleine Harris), are now grown up, but they still join their parents and Paddington on the adventure to Peru. Even though Jonathan and Judy are present for the entire adventure, it does not feel as though they receive as much focus or development as the other main characters, especially compared to their parents. Jonathan’s resourcefulness and ability to create new inventions ends up being important during the adventure and, after returning to London, he finds a better way to use his talents.

Judy also better understands how her mother feels about her going off to university when it seems like Paddington may be staying with the El Dorado bears. An ability to reflect and to see things from a perspective other than her own is a sign of Judy’s maturity, which makes her even more likable. Both Judy and Jonathan Brown are definitely more likable than the villainous Clarisse and Hunter Cabot. However, the Brown children are too underdeveloped in this story to be ranked above some of the more compelling Paddington in Peru main characters.

4

Mrs. Bird

Played by Julie Walters

The delightfully eccentric Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters) has always been one of the best parts of the Paddington movies. This makes it satisfying that she not only travels to Peru, but has her own intriguing storyline while Paddington and the Browns are out in the jungle. While struggling to get in contact with them during their journey, Mrs. Bird begins to realize that something is amiss at the Home for Retired Bears, and that things are not as they seem with the Reverend Mother. Uncovering a secret room used for surveillance is among the best moments of this storyline.

Some of the movie’s best scenes are when Mrs. Bird is investigating the Reverend Mother’s suspicious behavior and the secrets being concealed. Mrs. Bird is just as likable as ever, but she is more than comic relief given her active role in the overall story, and in figuring out how the Reverend Mother fits into Aunt Lucy’s disappearance and the search for El Dorado. The one drawback to this approach is that Mrs. Bird doesn’t get as much time to interact with some of the movie’s other most likable characters as they trek through the jungle, though.

3

Mary Brown

Played by Emily Mortimer

One difference between Paddington in Peru and its predecessors is the role of Mary Brown being recast, with Emily Mortimer playing the character instead of Sally Hawkins after she decided to step down from the part. This is a challenging situation for Mortimer to step into, but she successfully brings her own brand of warmth, compᴀssion, and courage to the character. Mary remains a deeply likable character who has a special bond with Paddington, which leads to her suggestion that the Brown family temporarily drop all work and school responsibilities to go to Peru and help him find Aunt Lucy.

Whether Mortimer’s Mary is as likable as Hawkins’ Mary comes to a matter of personal preference. With Hawkins’ version of the character being the one who first bonded with Paddington over the course of two movies, she inevitably has an advantage over Mortimer’s interpretation of the character. At the same time, Mortimer does an excellent job taking over the role, and makes her return in Paddington 4 an exciting prospect. Paddington in Peru‘s Mary is one of the most likable characters, although not quite as likable as two other individuals.

2

Henry Brown

Played by Hugh Bonneville

In the first movie, Henry was the most unlikable member of the Brown family, primarily because of his resistance to Paddington. Henry has since opened up his heart to Paddington and considers him a true member of his family, and he would do anything for him. Paddington in Peru sees Henry not only braving the jungles of Peru to help Paddington, but also directly confronts and conquers many of his fears along the way, including heights and gigantic spiders. By the end of the movie, he is even voluntarily skydiving out of a conference room window.

It is rewarding to see how far Henry has come since the first movie and how his relationship with Paddington continues to make him a better and more confident version of himself. Henry accepting that Paddington may want to stay with El Dorado bears, but being relieved when Paddington clarifies that he is coming home with the Browns, is another sign of Henry’s rich development. Out of all the human characters, Henry arguably has the best arc throughout the Paddington movie trilogy, but there is still one character who is more likable than him.

1

Paddington

Voiced by Ben Whishaw

As is the case in the previous movies, the тιтular bear is easily the most likable character in Paddington in Peru. Paddington is an innately good individual who believes and trusts in others. Sometimes this causes him to be too trusting of suspicious individuals, such as Hunter. Paddington’s goodness has a way of rubbing off on the people around him, though, which helps Hunter choose his daughter over his thirst for treasure. The entire Brown family would not have been in Peru and been able to do the courageous things they did without Paddington’s positive and enduring influence.

From his love of marmalade to impeccably polite manners, all the wonderful quirks and character traits that Paddington possesses are still present in his latest adventure. It is heartwarming to see how he is able to honor and connect with his bear and human families, recognizing both as an important part of his idenтιтy as he finds Aunt Lucy and learns of how he is descended from the El Dorado bears. He is the soul of this franchise and that continues to be the case through his humor, his dedication, and the valuable lessons he learns during Paddington in Peru.