Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (shortened as Peter Rabbit 2 in other territories) is an 2021 American live action/computer animated comedy film, by Columbia Pictures, directed by Will Gluck and written by Patrick Burleigh and Gluck. The film is a sequel to 2018's Peter Rabbit and is based on the stories of Peter Rabbit created by Beatrix Potter. The film stars the voice of James Corden as the title character, alongside Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, and David Oyelowo in live action roles, and the voices of Elizabeth Debicki and Margot Robbie.
Originally scheduled for April 2020, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on June 11, 2021, United Kingdom on May 17, 2021 and Australia on March 25, 2021 by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label. However, Sony Pictures Animation will not be involved in the film, second animation film since 2016's film The Angry Birds Movie.
A wedding of Thomas and Bea takes place with all their friends, human and animal, in attendance. Peter Rabbit accepts this new part of his life. After the honeymoon, Thomas helps Bea on her children’s storybooks based on Peter and his friends. Peter is bit dismayed to know that the books have portrayed him as naughty. Bea then gets a letter in the mail from a publisher who wants to distribute her books.
Thomas and Bea take Peter, Benjamin, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail to meet the publisher, Nigel Basil-Jones. Nigel presents his marketing plan toward the rabbits, which paints Peter as a bad seed. They even see a billboard for a potential Peter Rabbit movie, which makes him look outright villainous. A dismayed Peter walks away from the group and goes into town where he meets an older rabbit named Barnabas. Barnabas recognizes Peter as the son of his old friend, but they are unfortunately caught by animal catchers and taken to a pet pound. Bea starts to sign over the rights to her books to Nigel, in agreement that the books would not be turned into some cash grab property. But it becomes apparent that this is Nigel’s plan anyway as he is known for turning simple concepts into something for a more commercial and contemporary audience.
Peter and Barnabas are taken in by a little girl named Amelia and kept in a cage. Barnabas manages to free himself and Peter with the help of his crew: mouse Samuel Whiskers, creepy cat Tom Kitten and his sister Mittens. They all get away to town with the food after raiding the refrigerator. Thomas and Bea then find Peter and bring him home while Barnabas returns to his hideout.
The next day, Peter takes Benjamin and his sisters to join him in meeting the Barnabas crew. Barnabas recognizes Peter’s family and divulges to all of them his big plan. He and his crew want to rob from the farmers market with their big score being packs of dried fruit. Meanwhile, Thomas and Bea meet with Nigel again to go over designs for the rabbits. Thomas starts to realize that Nigel’s ideas are not in the best interests of Bea’s work. The rabbits gather help from their animal friends Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck, Jeremy Fisher, Pigling Bland, Felix D’eer and Tommy Brock to pull off their heist. After getting the dried fruits into their getaway truck, all of the animals including Benjamin and the sisters are captured by the pet pound people. To Peter’s dismay, it turns out Barnabas was always using him and his friends to keep the dried fruit for themselves. He even intentionally met Peter in town after reading about him in his book, never even knowing Peter's father. Everyone is left to blame Peter for getting them into this mess while he himself feels utterly terrible.
Peter enlists Thomas for his help in recovering his friends. After hitting a snag with their truck, they go to Bea for help while she’s in a meeting with Nigel and others from the publishing company. Bea realizes Nigel's intentions and pulls her stories from his company. After talking it out with Thomas, she agrees to help him and Peter recover all of their friends.
Peter, Benjamin and the sisters then go to Barnabas’s hideout where they turn the tables by tying Barnabas and his crew to ropes so that they all get pulled away when the nearby tailor shop owner leaves in his truck. They are all then captured by the pet pound people, putting Barnabas back where he once got away from. The rabbits then return all the dried fruit to their owners. The rabbits rejoin Thomas and Bea as they drive home with Peter deciding to be more willing to listen to the ones that love him.
In the first mid-credits scene, Bea and Thomas have a baby girl while it is revealed that a second book was published titled Peter Rabbit 2. In the second mid-credits scene, the rooster and his children discover something about themselves.
Premise[]
- “Bea, Thomas, and the rabbits have created a makeshift family, but despite his best efforts, Peter can’t seem to shake his mischievous reputation. Adventuring out of the garden, Peter finds himself in a world where his mischief is appreciated, but when his family risks everything to come looking for him, Peter must figure out what kind of bunny he wants to be.”
- ―{{{2}}}
Cast[]
Live-action cast[]
- Rose Byrne as Bea
- Domhnall Gleeson as Thomas McGregor
- David Oyelowo as Nigel Basil-Jones
Voice cast[]
- James Corden as Peter Rabbit
- Margot Robbie as Flopsy Rabbit
- Robbie also reprises the role of the narrator
- Elizabeth Debicki as Mopsy Rabbit
- Aimee Horne as Cottontail Rabbit. The character was previously voiced by Daisy Ridley in the first film.
- Colin Moody as Benjamin Bunny
- Lennie James as Barnabas
- Damon Herriman as Tom Kitten
- Hayley Atwell as Mittens
- Rupert Degas as Samuel Whiskers
- Sia as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
- Rose Byrne as Jemima Puddle-Duck
- Domhnall Gleeson as Mr. Jeremy Fisher
- Sam Neill as Tommy Brock
- Ewen Leslie as Pigling Bland
- Christian Gazal as Felix D’eer
- Tim Minchin as Busker K. Bushy, Esq.
Production[]
Filming[]
Principal photography began in January 2019 in Centennial Parklands, Australia.[1][2]
Release[]
Sony will release the film in the United States on June 11, 2021. It was originally set to be released on April 3, 2020, as well as May 21, 2021 in the UK, but two weeks before the release, the date got pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marketing[]
On October 17, 2019, the first teaser trailer was released. A teaser poster was released the same day.
Another trailer was released on January 15, 2020.
Home media[]
In May 2021, Will Gluck said he has nearly finished the script for a third movie.
Trivia[]
- Sony Pictures Animation is not going to be involved with this film (however this is the 23rd theatrically feature film).
- ↑ "Why they're turning a corner of Centennial Park into a little English village". smh.com.au (December 1, 2018).
- ↑ "Peter Rabbit 2". Production List (January 28, 2019).