If the first two Paddington films celebrated the diverse, welcoming character of Paddington’s adopted city of London, the third takes the little bear back to the country of his birth, Peru. In between some deliriously madcap adventures, it deals with dual identity in a smart and sensitive way. Music video and commercials director Dougal Wilson makes his directorial debut here, with Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont scripting.

Once again blending animation and live action seamlessly, Paddington In Peru sees its hirsute protagonist (a returning Ben Whishaw, as if anyone else would do) jet off to South America, accompanied by the slightly weary Browns (including Hugh Bonneville’s patriarch Henry and Emily Mortimer replacing Sally Hawkins as mum Mary). The family are investigating the disappearance of Paddington’s beloved Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton). On arrival, they’re greeted by Olivia Colman’s maniacally cheerful nun, and then they’re off on a trip down the Amazon in the company of Antonio Banderas’s wild-eyed riverboat captain.

With references to Kind Hearts And Coronets, The Sound Of Music, Indiana Jones and Werner Herzog’s Amazonian adventures Aguirre, The Wrath Of God and Fitzcarraldo, Paddington In Peru is a rollickingly entertaining yet firmly family-friendly ride, performed with gusto by Colman and Banderas in particular, who both seem to have understood the not-taking-yourself-seriously-for-a-second brief. There are scores of delightful details and the shift in location freshens things up, with the Browns’ own trials tucked in neatly. It doesn’t quite reach the giddy heights of the second instalment, but the visual finesse and superlative silliness ensure it’s more top-tier furry fun.

Paddington In Peru is in cinemas from Friday 8 November.