Review | Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway movie review – James Corden’s silly bunny returns for charming sequel
- Starring James Corden as the voice of Peter and Rose Byrne as Bea, this sequel contains plenty of cartoonlike tomfoolery but is also smarty self-aware
- Margot Robbie and Elizabeth Debicki give their all as Peter’s fellow rabbits Flopsy and Mopsy, while newcomer Aimee Horne replaces Daisy Ridley as Cottontail
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3.5/5 stars
Will Gluck’s 2018 movie Peter Rabbit was a rather crude, yet popular, take on Beatrix Potter’s beloved bunny that grossed US$351 million worldwide. So it’s no surprise that Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway was made – what is surprising, though, is that this sequel is a smartly self-aware adventure about the perils of selling out.
Again, the focus is the artistic Bea (Rose Byrne), who still lives in a house with a garden occupied by Peter (voiced by James Corden) and his animal friends. Now she’s marrying uptight former Harrods employee Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson), who is trying to keep his temper with Peter’s antics.
She has also written a book about Peter – which soon attracts the attention of slick publisher Nigel Basil-Jones (David Oyelowo), who wants to turn her story into a “phenomenon”, with merchandise, a movie and more books. Worse still, he wants to brand Peter as the “bad seed”, much to the rabbit’s annoyance.
After a trip to London, Peter falls into some nefarious company: an older rabbit named Barnabas (Lennie James) and his gang, who are plotting to steal vegetables from a farmer’s market (cue some amusing jokes about useless overpriced goods sold there like lavender bath bombs). Barnabus is a Fagin-like figure, and Charles Dickens’ shadow looms over Peter Rabbit 2, although it’s A Tale of Two Cities and not the Fagin-featuring Oliver Twist that Bea reads.
While this might sound a little highbrow, returning director Gluck knows his core audience. There’s still plenty of cartoonlike tomfoolery for the kids and aside from Peter showing off a masticated mouthful of rotten apple, it’s a lot less gross this time around. The Potter purists might even enjoy the appearance of some of her other characters, including Jemima Puddle-Duck and the hedgehog, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (voiced by musician Sia).
Margot Robbie and Elizabeth Debicki give their all as Peter’s fellow rabbits Flopsy and Mopsy, while newcomer Aimee Horne replaces Daisy Ridley as Cottontail. But what really impresses is the way the CG rabbits beautifully interact with their live-action surroundings – especially in the rescue mission finale with skydiving and ski scenes gently mocking preposterous Hollywood action movies.
Credit to Gleeson, who shows what a great physical comedian he is, though even he can’t compete with these hare-brained rabbits, as they go from getting high on sugary jelly beans to enjoying their first taste of sparkling water. It’s all very silly, but much more charming than its predecessor. Even Beatrix Potter might approve.
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