Paddington 2 hidden details: Phoenix, the pop-up book and the prison
Paddington 2 hidden details show how much care went into a film often called one of the best-reviewed ever made. Paul King's 2017 sequel follows Paddington as he tries to buy a pop-up book for Aunt Lucy's birthday, is framed for its theft and ends up in prison.
Here are the details, locations and production facts that are easy to miss.
The book matters because it holds a secret. Phoenix steals it because its pages contain clues to a hidden fortune, which turns a simple birthday present into the centre of a mystery that runs across London.
Hugh Grant built Phoenix Buchanan
King approached Hugh Grant specifically to play Phoenix Buchanan, a vain, faded actor reduced to dog food adverts, who is also a master of disguise. King said Grant added much of the comedy through suggestions and rewrites during production.
Grant has since said in interviews that Paddington 2 may be the best film he has been in. Watch the end credits: he performs Stephen Sondheim's Rain on the Roof in a full musical number, which does not appear on the soundtrack album.
The pop-up book
The stolen pop-up book of London is the film's central object, and its fantasy sequence, in which Paddington imagines walking Aunt Lucy through the paper city, was created by the visual effects studio Framestore. To promote the film, five pop-up installations of the book appeared around London in October 2017, including at Tower Bridge and Paddington Station.
Paddington 2 hidden details in the prison
Paddington's time inside turns the grim prison into a pastel-coloured world. King cited the colour palette of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as an influence on that look. The prison's fearsome cook, Knuckles McGinty, is played by Brendan Gleeson, who recruits Paddington to the kitchen after tasting one of his marmalade sandwiches.
Real London locations
Interiors were filmed at Pinewood Studios and Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, but many exteriors are real places you can visit.
- Tower Bridge, the setting for part of the chase.
- St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London.
- Little Venice, which was filmed over three days.
- Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset, used for the prison.
- Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire.
A tribute to Michael Bond
Paddington's creator Michael Bond died on 27 June 2017, the same day principal photography wrapped. The film is dedicated to him, a fitting farewell for the man who first wrote about a small bear found at a London station with a label round his neck asking someone to look after him.
The review record
In January 2018 Paddington 2 became the most-reviewed film to hold a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, passing Toy Story 2. Guinness World Records verified the record in 2021, before a single negative review dropped the score to 99 percent.
By the time Guinness confirmed it, the film had 245 positive reviews. Grant's own verdict came in a 2019 interview, after the Golden Globes jokingly introduced him as being from the forthcoming sequel and people mocked the film online. His defence, that it may be the best film he has been in, was widely reported and widely agreed with. The score is by Dario Marianelli.
Questions people ask
Who plays the villain in Paddington 2?
Hugh Grant plays Phoenix Buchanan, a faded actor and master of disguise.
What song does Hugh Grant sing at the end of Paddington 2?
Stephen Sondheim's Rain on the Roof, during the end credits.
Where was the prison in Paddington 2 filmed?
Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset.
Is Paddington 2 dedicated to Michael Bond?
Yes. Bond died on the day filming wrapped, and the film is dedicated to him.