Three years ago, fans young and old were treated to a new cinematic version of the Beatrix Potter-created Peter Rabbit, with talk show host James Corden voicing the titular, mischievous bunny. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, was greenlit just a few months after its predecessor scored big at the box office, and following a series of delays over the last year, it’s now on track to arrive in theaters this June. So what better way to celebrate the sequel’s impending arrival than with a new trailer?
Given how last year was decidedly lacking in theatrical experiences past mid-March (provided you didn’t go to a drive-thru or catch something like Tenet or The New Mutants), I imagine the crazy shenanigans on display in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway will be quite welcome to the youths seeing it on the big screen, and maybe even some of their parents. Of course, shenanigans come with the territory in these anthropomorphic animal movies, and in this sequel’s case, it has everything from a fox getting his cardio on to Peter and some of his bunny compatriots sledding down a snowy hill. No animal or human is safe from the action in this movie.
Along with James Corden reprising his Peter Rabbit duties, there are plenty of other familiar faces back for Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, including, on the voice acting front, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, Sia and Colin Moody. Oh, and let’s not forget Domhnall Gleeson and Rose Byrne, who, in addition to voicing Mr. Jeremy Fisher and Jemima Puddle-Duck, respectively, will also return as Thomas and Bea McGregor. It’s also worth mentioning that while we won’t see Sam Neill back as Mr. McGregor in The Runaway, he will vocally reprise Tommy Brock in the Sony Pictures feature.
As for the newcomers in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, David Oyelwow will join Domhnall Gleeson and Rose Byrne in front of the cameras as Nigel Basil-Jones, the movie’s main villain. The fresh voice actors include Aimee Horne taking over the role of Cottontail Rabbit from Daisy Ridley, Hayley Atwell as Mittens, Rupert Degas as Samuel Whiskers, Ewan Leslie as Pigling Bland and Damon Herriman as Tom Kitten.
So what can we expect from Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway narratively? Well, despite Peter and the other rabbits having set up a makeshift family with Thomas and Bea, Peter keeps getting into mischief. So he decides venture out of the garden to explore the world, prompting his family to go looking for him. Behind the scenes, Will Gluck of Easy A fame reprised his directing duties and co-wrote the script with Patrick Burleigh.
Provided there are no more setbacks, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway will open on June 18, holding that opening weekend to itself in theaters, as Luca and Fatherhood are premiering on Disney+ and Netflix, respectively. If you’re curious about what else will play on the big screen later this year, look through our upcoming 2021 movies schedule.
