Does Peter Rabbit 2 live up to the charm of the first one? The short answer is “not really”, but it is still packed full of laughs and goofiness that make it a fun family movie to watch.
The first Peter Rabbit movie depicted a much more mischievous Peter (and less of a law breaker) than in the sequel. For me, this may be where Peter Rabbit 2 lost its charm. Peter is not a criminal, but instead, he is someone who sometimes takes things too far usually resulting in out-of-hand humorous consequences. Previously, Peter could often be found cooking up a new plan and convincing other characters to partake in his schemes. But, the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak, this time. A father figure, Barnabas, is introduced to Peter in this movie. As this is something Peter has been desperately wanting, he easily succumbs to manipulation. Perhaps the carrot doesn’t fall far from the patch?
The most evolved character from the first movie is Rose Byrne’s Beatrix Potter. Her Beatrix has painted, written, and published her first Peter Rabbit book much like the real Beatrix Potter did back in the late 1800s. Domhnall Gleeson is spot on again and is so much fun to watch. Most of original voice cast return with Margot Robbie as Flopsy, Elizabeth Debicki as Mopsy, and Colin Moody as Benjamin. Only Daisy Ridley did not return to voice Cottontail who was voiced by Aimee Horne this time around.
New characters are introduced, but they are simple characters used to move the story along including the father figure, Barnabas. James Corden’s annoying voice acting drove me crazy. Wait, that sounds bad. I do not mean that his voice acting is bad, just the parts where he is trying to do a funny annoying voice, but there is no funny; it is just annoying.
Overall, it doesn’t quite have the charm of the first movie, but it is still a fun afternoon watch with the kids. It will keep you entertained, and maybe even nostalgic for the classic stories.
