Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
Columbia/SonyFollowing the lead of not one but two Paddington movies, the 2018 adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s beloved Peter Rabbit was bound to be a success. And – by virtue of simple maths coupled with fundamental capitalistic inertia – it was merely a matter of time for the audiences the world over to see a sequel as well. However, owing to the seemingly unyielding pandemic, the release of Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (or simply Peter Rabbit 2) ended up postponed by over a year.
Thankfully, the universe of Peter Rabbit 2 does not acknowledge the public health disaster, which continues to keep the world in a chokehold, and gleefully picks up almost exactly where its predecessor left off. Bea (Rose Byrne) and Thomas (Domnhall Gleeson) are happily married and live with the merry fluffle of rabbits led by Peter (James Corden) in relative harmony. However, the idyll dissipates when Bea’s books about Peter’s adventures (which in the film would be filed under non-fiction, by the way) are noticed by an imposing hot-shot publisher Nigel Basil-Jones (David Oyelowo) who is desperate to dilute Bea’s vision and turn her art into a cash cow. Meanwhile, Peter goes through a bit of a personality crisis and ends up in a gang led by a street-smart rabbit Barnabas (Lennie James) who claims to have known Peter’s father in the past. As expected, chaos ensues.
Similarly to its predecessor, Peter Rabbit 2 sports a rather complicated narrative structure, especially for a film aimed squarely at younger audiences, as it effectively runs two separate sub-narratives side-by-side (one about Bea’s publishing woes and one about Peter’s ordeal with a gang of criminals). However, in contrast to the previous film where the secondary narrative was a basic love story devoid of interesting set pieces and action, the sequel handles both strands with intent to keep children’s gaze and retain their interest. Therefore, while they might not necessarily care about Nigel as an out-and-out villain, whenever the camera shifts away from Peter’s exploits – who by the way engages in some next level shenanigans – the filmmakers still remember that their mission isn’t necessarily to pander to the adult in the room, but to keep kids entertained and occupied with sight gags and other funny business.
Interestingly, when the film does indeed wink at the parent in the audience, it also does so in a way that keeps youngsters onboard. Peter Rabbit would probably betray its own roots if it succumbed to low-brow humour smuggled in between the lines of dialogue. Instead, any and all pop-cultural references the filmmakers decided to include are folded into the central set pieces. Therefore, while the little rascals enjoy the suspense and sensory overload of the film’s heist sequences, the adult will probably be able to see how they are loosely inspired by Mission: Impossible, or the Ocean’s Eleven films. By the same token, the chase sequences, one of which involves skiing animals, are also designed to evoke the spirit of James Bond movies, where this particular mode of transportation featured at least four times. And it is also not an accident that one of the main characters ends up driving an Aston Martin as well. While these little winks and nods are most assuredly meant to be picked up by the culturally-astute adult in the audience, they are quite fun to watch in their own right and they might just implant themselves in these impressionable young minds. Perhaps one day, when they are older and decide to watch On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, they will experience a strange déjà vu and connect the dots between this classic and a silly old rabbit movie they saw when they were little.
All things considered, Peter Rabbit 2 is a fun little romp that, while forgettable, is endearing and entertaining enough to justify its existence. It’s quite possible that fans of the books might be divided on the film’s accuracy in portraying these beloved characters, but they are charming in their own right. Even Domnhall Gleeson makes an effort. Therefore, one should approach this movie with appropriately tempered expectations. Peter Rabbit 2 is not Citizen Kane, nor does it aspire to compete with it either. It is a harmless bit of family-friendly entertainment that doesn’t want to be edgy by sneaking innuendo at every opportunity. It’s a movie that a five-, a ten- and a forty-year-old will laugh at in the exact same places and they will all emerge from the experience enriched in some way. The younglings will learn the importance of self-worth and confidence and the adults will pledge to dust off that old James Bond box set and give it a whirl for old times’ sake.
