Actor Tori Matsuzaka attended the pre-release party for the film "Paddington 3: The Secret of the Lost Golden Land" (directed by Paul King, to be released on May Getsuku) held in Tokyo on May 8, along with Arata Furuta and others. Matsuzaka, who voiced Paddington in the Japanese dubbed version, and Furuta, who plays Mr. Brown, revealed that they had been eagerly awaiting the new film, the first in seven years.
The film is based on a best-selling children's novel that has been translated into over 40 languages and sold over 35 million copies worldwide. The first film was released in 2016, and the second in 2018. In this third film, Paddington the Bear, a "British gentleman" with a red hat and duffle coat as his trademark, goes on a family trip to Peru with the Brown family to visit his Aunt Lucy who lives in "Old Bear Home," and goes on an adventure deep in the jungle.
Matsuzaka and Furuta had also talked about "Paddington" when they worked together on other sets, and Matsuzaka revealed, "They're doing the third one. We talked about when it's coming to Japan. It's finally here." Furuta jokingly said, "I don't know if Tori and I will be playing Paddington and his father. I think Kento Kaku will take over the role of Paddington." Matsuzaka was disheartened by the hypothetical story, saying, "Will he take over?" but was encouraged by those around him, saying, "It'll be fine."
Matsuzaka smiled and said about Paddington, "He's one of my very few best friends. I'd like to be friends with him for a long time." He also highlighted the film's highlights, saying, "I thought there's nothing better than the love of a family. Of course it's full of adventure, but in the end, I really felt that it was all about the family love of the Brown family."
The event was also attended by voice actors Yoshida Yo and Mito Natsume.
