Peter Rabbit Blu-ray Review

By: Lynn Barker

In Peter Rabbit, Peter (voice of James Corden) and his family; sisters Flopsy (Margot Robbie), Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) and Cottontail (Daisy Ridley) as well as cousin Benjamin (Matt Lucas), take over late Mr. McGregor’s garden and home. The bunnies, hedgehog Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (Sia), and other animals stuff themselves and party hearty. When the house and land are left to young Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson), it’s back to being banned from their food source. This time even their very friendly neighbor Bea (Rose Byrne) seems to be falling for their tormentor. Can the group, both human and animal get along?

Peter can get too cockyCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Garden Capers

Feisty Peter Rabbit leads his family and friends into Mr. McGregor’s garden every chance he gets. After a particularly vigorous battle with McGregor over his veggies, next door artist Bea rescues the captured Peter and gives his whole family water and snacks. We learn Peter’s history. The whole family fed from the garden until the sad day McGregor killed and ate his dad (you don’t see this). Trying to get back his dad’s blue jacket that Peter left in the garden, Peter is again grabbed by McGregor who has a heart attack and dies! Freedom!

Bea tries to get old McGregor to love the animalsCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Food Fiesta!

After McGregor’s death, the rabbits and many other animal pals eat most of the garden and party in the empty house. Peter brags that he was the one who killed beastly McGregor so he’s a hero. Meanwhile, in London at Harrods department store, young Thomas McGregor, who is very controlling of fellow employees, learns that he was passed up for promotion in favor of the owner’s relative. He freaks and goes berserk tearing up the displays and is fired. He inherits the McGregor property and is reluctantly off to the country to fix and sell it so he can buy his own toy store.

Thomas doesn't want to co-exist with bunniesCourtesy of Sony Pictures

New Owner

The house is a total mess when Thomas moves in, and the garden mostly eaten. He kicks out the rabbits and friends. Bea spots him and brings him a welcome gift; a big pair of bird-watching binoculars. He pretends to like them and is attracted to her. She tries to talk him into leaving the garden gates open but he won’t. When Peter and Benjamin sneak in, he goes after them with a big garden hoe. Poor Benjamin, ever Peter’s follower, is grabbed and put in a burlap sack and Thomas drives away with him. The other bunnies hitch a ride. Thomas almost throws poor Benjamin into the river but pauses then stops when he finds that the rabbits have let Ben out and put Thomas’s new binoculars in. Peter apologizes to his family for being too reckless.

Peter and Benjamin in trouble in the gardenCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Town Adventure

The bunnies hiding in Thomas’s truck when he goes to town. He buys an electric fence and makes sure it will have plenty of power to zap the rabbits. He hides his purchase from Bea and gives her a ride back to the countryside. What if they fall in love? Peter really worries when Thomas starts courting Bea. Peter and pals spy on them, hating every minute. Peter thinks of Bea as a mom. In the rain, she lets Thomas into her house but shuts the rabbits out for the first time. Peter and Thomas end up in a fight and Bea calls Peter a “Naughty rabbit” and kicks him out again.

Mrs. Tiggy Winkle will test the electric fenceCourtesy of Sony Pictures

This is War!

Hurt and angry, Peter and family start fighting back. They put leg traps in Thomas’s bed, re-wire the fence to shock him after they see Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle get shocked (she’s okay). Thomas fights back with explosives in the rabbit burrow and Peter accidentally steps on the detonator and the tree housing the burrow blows up crashing down on Bea’s home, wrecking her paintings. Bea decides Thomas hates animals, was trying to kill them and is evil. She is through with him. He decides to sell his home after all. Will Bea and Thomas ever reconcile? Will he learn to care for the animals? Will the rabbits and humans ever live together in peace?

Bea loves all the animalsCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Special Extra Features

Not many but they are cute and fun to watch. First is:

• A Peter Rabbit Mini-Movie called “Flopsy Turvy” starring Peter’s sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton Tail. Flopsy is upset that she’s not respected by her sisters who do everything better than her. You might relate. Very cute.
• Shake Your Cotton Tail Dance Along is to the movie’s song “I Promise You”. A group of kid and tween dancers perform along with some of the animals from the film. Very upbeat and sweet but it would have been nice to have someone break down the dance steps so it could be easily learned.
• Peter Rabbit: Mischief in the Making breaks down the film’s production briefly with on-set action and comments by all of the live-action and voice actors, director and producer. We see Domhnall and Rose on set acting with either nothing there or stuffed bunny animals or cardboard rabbits on sticks and we see the voice actors recording. Interesting to see how this was all put together.

Peter pep-talks the familyCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Wrapping Up

The home edition of Peter Rabbit looks and sounds great and the extras, although short, are entertaining. The Dance Along could have used a tutorial and it would have been nice to include an extra about the original Beatrix Potter books, especially for those not familiar with them but, if you are a fan of the characters, you should want to take the set home to collect. The animals are especially well-animated by CGI.

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton Tail are feisty sistersCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Fast-paced comedy action abounds and James Corden is especially good as the voice of Peter, capturing the charm and the feisty adventurer that makes the little rabbit in his blue coat so loved although the more gentle aspect of the original books is tossed aside in favor of rough human vs. animal chaos. A big chunk of the film seems like the Home Alone movie with clever traps being set right and left. However, family love is at the center of the film and the fact that your family might include those not of your species. As we did for the film in theaters, we go three stars.

Peter Rabbit Blu-ray Rating: 

Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Take Peter Rabbit home now!

Have Your Say

Are you a Peter Rabbit fan? Is bunny-cuteness warm and fuzzy or just too “sweetsie” for you? Comment below!