For those who can’t get enough of Britain’s most famous brown bear, director Dougal Wilson has treated us with a just post-credits. Here’s the full Paddington in Peru ending explained for good measure.
There are some movies you can take or leave – but when it comes to Paddington, we always want more. Not only is the threequel delivering on that, but the new movie provides Olivia Colman prancing around the Peruvian hills as a singing nun. Is there a reason? Not really!
But it’s all in good fun, and by God do we need as much of that as we can get. You won’t even notice Sally Hawkins as been recast, with Emily Mortimer seamlessly stepping into the role of Mrs. Brown.
What are those pesky Browns up to this time, anyway? Doing what any bear with his own passport would do and getting outta Dodge. Here’s the full ending of Paddington in Peru debriefed, alongside the post-credits scenes. Obviously, spoilers ahead.
Paddington in Peru ending: The Reverend Mother has a dark side
Paddington in Peru ends with the Reverend Mother revealing her true identity – she’s Hunter’s cousin, thought to be dead. After fending them off, Paddington finds Aunt Lucy in El Dorado, which is also where Paddington originally came from.
Let’s rewind for a second. Paddington’s got himself a shiny new passport at the same time as getting a concerning letter from the Home of Retired Bears. According to the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman), Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) has become reclusive and depressive, with Paddington encouraged to come and visit her.
Of course, the Browns, who are growing older and have new insecurities, are there in no time – but when they arrive, Aunt Lucy is nowhere to be found. The Reverend Mother is suspiciously coy about the whole thing, sending the family off on a wild goose chase across the Amazon (all except Mrs. Bird, played by Julie Walters, who stays behind). They quickly meet Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter Ruth (Carla Tous), who own a boat.
They agree to take Aunt Lucy to where she was last seen, Rumi Rock. We learn that this is supposedly where the entrance to El Dorado is, but it’s also revealed that Hunter has his own intentions for going there. He comes from a long line of gold hunters who are driven mad by a greedy affliction to find it. None of them have ever been successful, with Hunter feeling the pressure to bring home the treasure.
Hunter spots Aunt Lucy’s bracelet, as Paddington has been wearing it the entire time she’s been missing. He’s convinced it’s the key to finding El Dorado, taking it to “decode” its meaning. That night, he throws Ruth – who just wants her dad to focus on what’s really important – off the boat, with himself accidentally following suit. The Browns wake up to choppy waters, with the boat sinking.
Paddington then gets separated from the Browns, finding Hunter at Rumi Rock. According to legend, it’s bears who lead the way, with Hunter using Paddington’s kind heart to lead him on a two-man chase to its entrance.
Back at the retirement home, Mrs. Bird is onto the Reverend Mother. She discovers a secret room behind the organ where the Reverend Mother is keeping an eye on the Browns through a tracking necklace she unknowingly gave Mrs. Brown (Emily Mortimer). Under the guise of safety, she offers to fly Mrs. Bird to them as they get closer to following Paddington.
From there, all hell breaks loose. Paddington and Hunter reach the supposed entrance of El Dorado (using advice from Aunt Lucy) only for Hunter to try and kill Paddington for the bracelet. At the same time, the Reverend Mother has picked up the Browns and crash lands in the same place, leading to a stand-off against all parties.
It’s here that we learn the Reverend Mother is Hunter’s long-lost cousin, being employed under the guise of the retirement home to find El Dorado’s gold. When she found Aunt Lucy researching it, she dumped her in the Amazon and posed a disappearance, knowing Paddington was the key to unlocking the secret.
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The Paddington in Peru ending leads to the Reverend Mother being bumped off (she’s not dead, don’t worry), while Hunter has a change of heart after being reunited with Ruth. Paddington uses the bracelet to unlock an entrance built into a cliff, learning that El Dorado is actually where he came from – and even better, Aunt Lucy is safely there.
She describes what happened to her in the Amazon, as well as how she came to learn it was Paddington’s home (surprise, the bracelet was really his all along). Paddington meets his “tribe,” learning that the region’s gold is actually oranges. The bears posed as forest spirits in order to keep El Dorado safe from discovery (that will make more sense when you watch it).
The Browns are convinced Paddington will ask to stay, but he actually asks to go back to London with them. As a result, the family is closer than ever while leading their separate lives, with Paddington inviting the El Dorado bears over for a holiday.
The post-credits scene features a familiar face
There are technically two post-credits scenes in Paddington in Peru. The first follows the El Dorado bears’ adventures in London, with the second taking them all to see Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) in prison.
As the credits begin to roll, you’ll see a delightful montage of Paddington and the El Dorado bears on their jollies across the Big Smoke. He even assigns them all fitting names – from Waterloo and Bromley By Bow to the two tiny twins called Elephant and Castle.
(If you haven’t caught on yet, they’re all fellow tube stop names on the London Underground).
This then pauses slightly, and Paddington takes the newly-named gang to visit a familiar face in the second post-credits scene. That’s none other than Phoenix Buchanan, the dazzling thief we first met in Paddington 2. He’s still serving his prison sentence, but hints that he’s going to be released in the very near future. Paddington 4 perhaps?
Before any further spinoffs, Phoenix has a plan for the new bears – a spectacular stage show, Goldilocks & the Three Bears style. He singles a few bears out to feature in star performances, and it seems as though the group will be getting to work… but does it ever come off?
We don’t know, as this is where the post-credits cuts to black (for now).
Paddington in Peru comes to UK cinemas on November 8, and US cinemas on January 17, 2025. For more, check out the best anime live-action adaptations and the latest on upcoming films like the Snow White remake and the live-action How to Train Your Dragon.
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