Paddington 2 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The film came with an appealing presentation.
For the most part, sharpness worked fine. Some softness interfered at times – probably as a way to allow the CG Paddington to better integrate with the real-life elements – but the majority of the movie offered fine accuracy and delineation.
Paddington 2 lacked jagged edges or moiré effects, and no edge haloes could be seen. The image also presented no print flaws.
The movie’s palette opted for a heavy emphasis on teal and orange. As tiresome as these choices might be, the Blu-ray depicted them well, and it threw in a few extra hues as well, especially when we got pink tones at the prison.
Blacks seemed dark and firm, while low-light shots provided smooth, clear elements. Outside of the occasional soft shot, this turned into a solid image.
As for the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack, it offered occasional pleasures. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the mix boasted good stereo presence to music as well as some effects.
Much of the mix opted for general ambience, but a few scenes added life. The opening on a river brought out involving material and a few other action sequences delivered equally vivid sonics. Still, the track stayed with semi-low-key information much of the time, so don’t expect a consistently active track.
Audio quality worked fine, with speech that appeared natural and distinctive, without edginess or other issues. Music sounded lush and full.
Effects provides similarly rich material, as those elements seemed accurate and dynamic, with deep low-end as necessary. Again, this track lacked consistent vivacity, but it still seemed good enough for a “B”.
We get a few extras here, and we start with an audio commentary from director/co-writer Paul King. He delivers a running, screen-specific look at story/characters and the adaptation of the source material, cast and performances, music, various effects, sets and locations, and related domains.
From start to finish, King brings us a bright, engaging chat. He covers a nice array of topics and discusses them with verve in this solid commentary.
A few featurettes follow, and we go to The Bear Truth. It fills five minutes, 20 seconds with notes from producer David Heyman, creator Michael Bond’s daughter Karen Jankel, Paddington stand-in Lauren Barrand, and actors Julie Walters, Hugh Bonneville, Hugh Grant, and Sally Hawkins.
“Truth” looks at story/characters, cast and performances, and effects used to create the lead. The notes about challenges related to a CG character offer some useful material, but this usually remains a superficial piece.
A tutorial called How to Make a Marmalade Sandwich lasts two minutes, 42 seconds and offers the lesson we expect. Some may find this fun, I guess.
With The Magical Mystery of Paddington’s Pop-Up Book, we find a three-minute, three-second reel that involves King, Heyman, Grant, production designer Gary Williamson, VFX supervisor Glen Pratt, and actor Jim Broadbent. This show tells us a little about the CG creation of the movie’s pop-up book. It’s a pretty superficial reel.
The Browns and Paddington: A Special Bond goes for five minutes, 43 seconds and includes info from Walters, Bonneville, Hawkins, King, and actors Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin. “Browns” looks at that family and the actors who play them. It turns into another mediocre program.
A look at a secondary character, A Fistful of Marmalade takes up two minutes, 30 seconds and provides comments from Heyman, King, and actor Brendan Gleeson. “Fistful” brings some notes about the Knuckles character, and it winds up as a pretty forgettable affair.
Lastly, The (Once) Famous Faces of Phoenix Buchanan spans three minutes, 45 seconds and brings thoughts from Grant, King, Harris, Joslin, hair/makeup designer Christine Blundell and costume designer Lindy Hemming. They discuss aspects of the Buchanan character. It’s a slight piece but it comes with a few fun insights.
A music video for “Rain on the Roof” by “Phoenix Buchanan”. This simply offers a musical number done by Hugh Grant’s character. It’s nothing more than an excerpt from the movie’s end credits so it seems like an odd beast.
The disc opens with ads for The Lego Ninjago Movie and Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. No trailer for Paddington 2 appears here.
A second disc offers a DVD copy of Paddington 2. It includes “The Bear Truth” but none of the other extras.
Nothing about Paddington 2 reinvents any wheels, but the movie executes its material so well that it doesn’t matter. Charming without being cheesy, the film delivers a winning family experience. The Blu-ray offers very good picture and audio along with supplements highlighted by a strong commentary. Paddington 2 overcomes potential pitfalls and turns into a likable tale.
