Paddington author Michael Bond died on the last day of filming, and six months before the release of this movie, at the age of ninety-one. His last book about the title character was released in April 2017. Books on Paddington have sold more than thirty-five million copies throughout his career.
One day after completing her demanding underwater scenes for The Shape of Water (2017), Sally Hawkins flew from Toronto, Canada, to London, England, to begin production on this movie, only to find out she would have to shoot underwater scenes for this movie as well.
After several months of speculations, in October 2015, it was confirmed that writer and director Paul King would return to helm this second installment. By the time the sequel was announced, Paddington (2014) had become the highest-grossing independent family movie of all time, the highest-grossing movie in the U.K. amongst all 2014 releases, and the first family movie in ten years to be nominated for "Best British Film" at the BAFTAs.
The best-reviewed movie ever on Rotten Tomatoes. As of July 5, 2020, the movie has 239 Fresh reviews and no naysayers, overtaking one hundred sixty-three Fresh and zero negative critiques from previous record-holder Toy Story 2 (1999). (As of March 3, 2023, it has two hundred fifty Fresh and two negative reviews.)