| “ | Well, Grandfather, the moment of truth. | „ |
| ~ Phoenix about to open the treasure. |
| “ | Where do you think you're going, bear?! | „ |
| ~ Phoenix confronting Paddington. |
Phoenix Buchanan is the main antagonist in the 2017 family comedy film Paddington 2, the sequel to Paddington. He is a washed-up actor who lives near the Browns until the events of the film.
He was portrayed by Hugh Grant in his first villainous role.
Biography
Following the arrest of Millicent Clyde for her crimes, Paddington saves up money to buy a pop-up book for his Aunt Lucy's birthday, but a thief breaks into the antique store where it is held and steals it. The thief escapes and turns out to be Buchanan in disguise, and Paddington is arrested for the crime.
It turns out that the book holds clues to the whereabouts of a fortune, and Buchanan assumes other disguises to find the clues. Meanwhile, the Browns begin to suspect him and eventually find his costumes and the book in his attic, proving him to be the culprit. However, the police needs the pop-up book in order to prove that Phoenix is the one who stole it since the book will have his fingerprints on it.
With the help of some of his inmates, Paddington escapes from prison and talk to the Browns on the phone and they had no clues of Phoenix's whereabouts, but Paddington tell the Browns that on the last page of the pop-up book was "When All Your Dreams Come True", Mary Brown realizes that she had the same thing on Phoenix's scratch paper. The Browns even saw the same words on the organ in the newspaper and realized that the organ is where the treasure was hidden and know that Phoenix was heading for the train with the organ onboard. Harry Brown then tells Paddington to head for the train station because if they can retake the book from Phoenix then it will prove that he is the real thief.
Paddington sets on board a train with Buchanan, which carries an organ where the treasure is hidden. Buchanan tries to access the fortune in the organ, but Paddington and the Browns confront him. He then locks Paddington in another carriage and separates it, leaving Paddington to his fate. Mr. Brown, however, is able to knock out Buchanan via using his launching talents. Meanwhile, Paddington nearly drowns when the carriage falls into a river, but Ms. Brown along Knuckles and his fellow inmates ultimately rescue him. Paddington's name is then cleared and Buchanan is arrested and sentenced to 10 years of prison. However, he is allowed to continue his acting career in prison, and the show he puts on appears to be very well- received by his fellow inmates, providing Buchanan with a sense of the renewed fame and appreciation for his work that he had desired for so long (albeit obviously not in the way he had intended or foreseen).
Quotes
| “ | Come back with that book! | „ |
| ~ Phoenix Buchanan |
| “ | Now then, I suppose you know who I am? | „ |
| ~ Phoenix meeting Paddington the first time. |
| “ | No! | „ |
| ~ Phoenix seeing Paddington stealing the pop up book. |
| “ | I shall. | „ |
| ~ Phoenix accepting his fate of going in jail for 10 years. |
| “ | Thank you. Thank you. Well, it seems I didn't need the West End after all. Just a captive audience. What am I like? Guards, lock me up! Oh, wait, you have. (chuckles) | „ |
| ~ Phoenix last words as he is held in prison. |
Gallery
Trivia
- Although he is the main antagonist of the second film, Phoenix Buchanan is much less evil than his predecessor, Millicent Clyde. This is because Phoenix was conformed with seeing Paddington behind the bars rather than getting him killed as he didn't meddle in his plans. Additionally, Phoenix has comedic traits while Millicent doesn't.
- It should be noted, however, that Phoenix nearly got Paddington killed when he separated the carriage where he locked him, thus leaving the carriage to take another route and fall into the river, nearly drowning Paddington until Mrs. Brown and Knuckles along his fellow inmates went to rescue him. Whether his intentions were to see Paddington killed or not is debatable however, because it could be possible that he didn't knew that the alternative route took to a river and he believed that with just sending the carriage by another route Paddington would be forced to remain there until been found, thought alternatively, he could have knew the zone as an inhabitant of London and separated the carriage purposefully knowing that the route led to the river and that Paddington would drown.