'Paddington in Peru' is buoyant and bright, and that's enough

In the II years of what we can fairly call “the Paddington era,” the bear, himself, hasn't changed so much as a toggle on his blue duffle coat.

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Paddington’s great appeal, in an otherwise often fearfully changeable world, is that he stays exactly the same. He's just as optimistic, prone to pratfalls and marmalade-mad as ever. And that's made Paddington not just a dearly beloved big-screen icon but something like the mascot to modern Britain — another guileless Pooh deserving of his own “The Tao of” bestseller.

But if “Paddington 2” ascended to the ranks of all-time great sequels like “Toy Story 2” and “The Godfather Part II” (and it did), the new third installment, “Paddington in Peru,” has the challenge of keeping up the good cheer for ever-darker times.