Paddington 2

Framestore’s Animation Director Pablo Grillo reunited with Paul King and David Heyman to carve the story around the bear’s second (mis)adventure, which proves just as funny and heartwarming as the original. ‘Working with King and Heyman is like working with family’, says Grillo. ‘I’m really lucky to have been brought into the creative team. It’s a lovely film, a brilliant way to revisit the character and somehow find more avenues to explore Paddington’s personality, as well as his heart and his warmth. It’s been a crazy ride; with a very diverse set of challenges this time around showcasing the great range of skills that we have here at Framestore.’

With over 523 shots in the film hand-crafted by the Framestore team, the scope of the work meant VFX in nearly every shot: from CGI trains, a digi double Wolfie and CG swan, to huge set extensions and, of course, our furry friend. ‘We created the lead character of the film with the biggest performances’, adds Grillo. ‘There are some great actors in the film - and Framestore is proud to have created one of them.’

Paddington was in need of an upgrade for his second outing. ‘It was great to be continuing on from our work on the first movie, where we had established the look and feel of the character’, says Andy Kind, VFX Supervisor. ‘We were able to update him a little. The fur was completely overhauled for this version and I think it looks better, softer and richer.’ The team also had to build a baby Paddington, and create a whole new outfit for him. ‘We treated Paddington to a new groom’, says Laurent Laban, Animation Supervisor, ‘and dressed him in prison outfit for his latest adventure.’

There were a number of influences in creating Paddington’s performance, from the professional clown who worked on set to help bring the comic elements alive through to Ben Whishaw’s voice. ‘Ben offers a wonderful, beautiful tone in its softness and warm delivery’, says Grillo. ‘It was a lot to work with and helped to gel the continuity and character.’

Framestore’s team of animators was well-versed in the specific nuances of Paddington’s performance, from his facial expression to his fur. ‘He is very understated and simple’, says Grillo. ‘We couldn’t be over-expressive or make huge gestures. He is a thoughtful performer, with small eyebrow twitches and subtle actions that react in the moment.’

It was also important to the team to achieve a balance between the refined performance and reminders of Paddington’s Peruvian past: ‘moments where he acts like a scruffy little bear’, describes Glen Pratt, VFX Supervisor. ‘Stopping to lick Barbara’s head, for example, shows his animalistic instinct.’

In one sequence, Paddington gives Aunt Lucy a tour of London within the world of a paper pop-up book. ‘This is an example of a complex CGI shot, where you aren’t thinking about the work behind it’, says Grillo. ‘You’re caught in the emotion, the moment.’ Framestore Animation Supervisor Dale Newton led the work, having created the award-winning 'The Tale of Three Brothers' storybook sequence in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The opening, physically shot in Gruber's Antiques shop, sees paddington enter the world of the pop-up book, with each page turn revealing landmark London locations. ‘The camera moves needed to be graceful and tie into the folds of each of the page turns, following the bears as they explore their paper environment’, adds Kind. Deep compositing was used to add Paddington and Aunt Lucy into the complex layering of the CG scene. This was then composited over a Nuke-projected sky illustration. ‘It was a real labour of love to make it look as real as possible’, says Pratt.

Framestore’s primary challenge for Paddington 2 was maintaining consistency across the bear’s character and animation, whilst dealing with a host of new character interactions. ‘The wonderful thing in this film is that we’re able to reveal a lot more of his character’, says Grillo. ‘The first film was a physical adventure for Paddington, but he has a lot more dialogue in this film. He’s having to confront other characters - like Knuckles McGinty (Brendon Gleeson), who is intimidating and unlike anyone Paddington has ever met.’

With multiple VFX-driven sequences, including the scene in which Paddington’s cell is transformed into a Peruvian jungle, and the train chase finale, the artists had to pull out all of the stops. ‘The beauty of working with King is that he has such a rich imagination’, says Pratt. ‘We’d get a brief from him and it’d be an exciting challenge to try and work out how to create these complex set pieces.’

Voiced with perfect innocence by Ben Whishaw and gorgeously animated by Framestore - Helen O'Hara, Time Out

Paddington 2 is a superior sequel full of charm and humour - Geoffrey Macnab, Independent

Paddington 2 not only captures the charm of the original movie, in many ways it surpasses it - Caroline Preece, Den of Geek

Michael Bond's lovable, accident-prone ursine adventurer easily avoids sequelitis in this daffy, delightful pantomime romp - Guy Lodge, Variety

This is a work of art built up from thousands of tiny, thoughtful details - Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter

A pure delight. As sweet and sharp as, well, marmalade - Olly Richards, Empire

A wonderful adventure featuring a perfect cast and magical visual effects - Mail on Sunday

What’s so satisfying here is the obvious amount of thought that has gone into every element of the film, from the dazzling visual designs to the cleverly reverse-engineered plot, and everything in between - Little White Lies

This bearish sequel will leave you with a heart so warmed, you could trek across the Antarctic in beach shorts - The Times

Paddington does porridge - Daily Mail

Hugh Grant is one of the highlights of a superb sequel that improves on the wildly successful original - List Film

An Outstanding Sequel With Our Most Beloved, Irresistible Peruvian Bear - Candid Magazine

UK Critics Circle Film Awards - 5 nominations for Paddington 2 including the Technical Achievement Award for Pablo Grillo

Paddington 2: The challenges of making the film - BBC Click

How 'Paddington 2' Succeeds Where Others Have Failed - The Hollywood Reporter

A Beloved Furry Friend Returns in ‘Paddington 2’ - Animation Magazine

‘Paddington 2’: How To Find A Character’s Performance - Cartoon Brew

Inside Framestore's Paddington 2 pop-up-book sequence - VFX Voice

Paddington 2: Making of by BBC Click - Art of VFX

‘Paddington 2’ Becomes Rotten Tomatoes’ Best-Reviewed Movie of All-Time - Collider

Bringing Paddington Bear to Life - Creative Review