In 2022, Paddington Bear enjoyed tea with Queen Elizabeth II for a sketch celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. Naturally, the charming short film quickly went viral and did so again later that year following the Queen’s death in September. In fact, for many people the sketch took on new meaning, with thousands sharing a drawing of the Queen holding hands with Paddington to pay tribute to her.
It was such a sensation that director Dougal Wilson knew he had to make reference to it in new film Paddington in Peru, a threequel which sees our beloved bear (voiced as ever by Ben Whishaw) searching for his missing Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) in the Amazon rainforest.
Before Paddington sets off on his adventure, we see him writing a letter to Aunt Lucy, with a picture from his time with the Queen sitting proudly on his desk. It’s only seen briefly but, as Wilson explains in an interview with GamesRadar+, it’s an affectionate nod that not only pays tribute to the late monarch, but is something fans of the sketch can enjoy too.
As he tells us: “I wasn’t actually involved in the production of that film as it was happening whilst I was pre-producing this one, but it seemed to go down quite well with the public. Then unfortunately the Queen passed away and people seemed to have a lot of affection for that clip, so we thought it would be appropriate for Paddington to have in his bedroom a little still of the moment he had tea with the Queen. So that’s why it got put into the frame.”
Continuing, Wilson also reveals that they did have to get permission from Buckingham Palace to include the photo, but the Royal Family were delighted to oblige: “Yes, we had to ask for permission but they were more that happy to give us that.”
In the third movie, Paddington also receives his very own passport, which he uses in order to travel to Peru with the Brown family. But what you may not realize is that passport is actually very real, with the UK government issuing the bear an official document, which was brought to set.
The unexpected surprise certainly amused director Wilson, who pointed out to GamesRadar+ some of his favorite details from the passport. He reveals: “I think under special observations it says ‘bear’! And then for his date of birth, we actually put the date that Michael Bond [the creator of Paddington] published his first Paddington book.”
Wilson adds that receiving the passport was a wonderful gesture, although he isn’t quite sure how Paddington got away with such an “unorthodox” photo: “It was a lovely, authentic thing to see, the genuine document with the genuine bear inside. Although his photograph is a little unorthodox… I’m surprised it was allowed to be honest!”
Paddington in Peru releases in UK cinemas on November 8 before heading to the US next year, hitting theaters on January 17.
For more, check out our guide to the upcoming movies to get on your watchlist.