THE SCALE
Almost everything on Paddington 2 is bigger than
the first. With the possible exception of King’s own
trailer. “There was literally no trailer,” he protests.
“My stature is still minuscule. It’s very good to
bear that in mind.” But this escalation of scale is
reflected in the size and ambition of the movie’s
sets. There’s the prison, of course, while another
sequence, set in a Russian travelling fairground,
required an actual fairground to be imported and
set up in the grounds of Knebworth House.
“That was great, although it was fucking cold,”
says King. “We were able to build big sets, which
is lovely.” One of the sequels that King studied
forensically before writing Paddington 2 was
Pixar’s Toy Story 2. “A lot of what they did were
things they sort of wanted to do first time
around. There’s an element of that with
Paddington 2. Suddenly you have this magical
land for Paddington to walk around in, which
would probably have been beyond us last time.”
THE TRAIN CHASE
Paddington didn’t exactly skimp on the set-
pieces, whether it was a slapstick-filled trip to the
bathroom or a Mission: Impossible-inspired
climb up the chimney of a huge furnace. But
the emphasis was still on whimsy. Nowhere is the
increased ambition of Paddington 2 more evident,
then, than the climactic set-piece involving,
according to Grant, “two steam trains racing
along the countryside and people jumping
between them, and me doing evil things”. It’s
become cliché to reference that famous old Orson
Welles quote about moviemaking — “This is the
biggest electric train set a boy ever had!” — but in
the case of King and Paddington 2 it’s particularly
relevant. “We literally had a full-size train on set
every day,” he says. “They brought in this Pullman
train on a truck. They were on remote control, with
five carriages on rigs and they just moved the trains
back and forward. It was pretty fucking cool.”
THE EFFECTS
From the off, CGI has played a hugely important
part in the Paddington movies. Without it, the
Browns would be having a series of marvellous
adventures with a tennis ball on a stick. But Grant’s
recollections suggest that King has increased the
pixel power this time around. “I walk along the
top of a train going a hundred miles an hour, and
you can’t even notice that it’s not me but my
avatar,” says the actor. “That’s modern filmmaking.
They create a digital me who can do anything, so
I don’t know why I bother anymore. He’s awfully
good in Paddington 2. Better than me.”
THE BEAR
“Obviously he’s got an anti-gravity duffel coat now,
and a propeller in his hat which allows him to fly
around,” jokes King of his title star. “Otherwise,
he’s the same old bear.” With a little more cash in