Peter Rabbit (2018) - Plot

 


In England's Lake District, Peter Rabbit, his cousin Benjamin Bunny, and triplet sisters Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, spend most of their days picking on old Mr. McGregor and stealing vegetables from his garden. They are friends with a kindhearted local woman named Bea who spends her time painting pictures of the rabbits as well as the surrounding nature. Bea took on a motherly role with the rabbits after their mother's death and after their father had been killed and eaten in a pie by Mr. McGregor when they were young. One day, Peter is forced to leave his jacket in Mr. McGregor's garden and goes back to retrieve it. However, it was a trap set by Mr. McGregor who catches him, but suddenly dies of a heart attack due to decades of unhealthy eating habits. Enthralled, Peter invites all of the local animals and takes over Mr. McGregor's manor.

Meanwhile, in London, Mr. McGregor's great-nephew, Thomas, an uptight, controlling workaholic, works in the toy department of Harrods where he waits for a promotion to associate general manager. He indifferently accepts the news about his great-uncle's death, someone he was completely unaware of, but is infuriated over losing the promotion to a lazy nephew of the managing director and is fired for losing his temper. His now-former manager encourages him to get a hobby and spend some time in the country.

When Thomas learns that his great-uncle's manor is valuable and that he's inherited it, he decides to appraise and prepare it for resale in order to start his own toy store to get his revenge. He kicks out Peter and the animals and begins to upgrade the security of the garden wall and gates, despite Bea's objections. When Peter and a reluctant Benjamin sneak back into the garden, Thomas catches the latter and attempts to drown Benjamin in a river, but hesitates. Benjamin's relatives rescue him; Thomas instead accidentally drops a prized set of binoculars that Bea had given him earlier, forcing him to retrieve it.

Thomas and Bea end up falling in love with each other, much to Peter's jealousy. He and Thomas start a war with each other by setting traps and other offensive nuisances. Things get out of hand when Peter rewires an electric fence set up by Thomas, prompting Thomas to throw dynamite in the rabbits' burrow. After the rabbits trigger Thomas' allergy to blackberries, he attacks them in the garden with some of the dynamite, on the warpath against them, and tells Peter that his antics caused him to become aggressive, and attempts to strangle him, but Bea, having heard the commotion, comes by, and Thomas feigns having saved Peter from choking. Peter detonates the dynamite, proving to Bea that Thomas was using it, but accidentally blows up the burrow, causing the tree on top to collapse on Bea's art studio. Bea ignores Thomas's explanation of the rabbits' involvement and breaks up with him. Thomas returns to London to work at Harrods again.

Peter feels remorseful for the damage his recklessness has caused, and upon learning that Bea intends to leave the neighborhood, he and Benjamin head to London to bring Thomas back. Tricking Thomas into thinking he was imagining the rabbits’ ability to talk, Peter explains to Thomas to follow his heart. They rush back to the country, where Peter shows Bea the detonator and presses it for her to see; thus confirming Thomas’ previous claims that the rabbits were responsible for the explosion. Peter and Thomas explain to Bea and plead for her not to move away.

Wishing to remain with Bea, Thomas no longer wants to sell the manor; but they discover an unpleasant wealthy couple, who Thomas had encountered earlier and been tormented by, had already bought the house and finalized the sale. Peter, his family and friends use their tricks to force the couple out of the house, allowing Thomas to move back in. Thomas and Bea resume their relationship, and he allows the wildlife to take food from the garden within reason.

Peter and his family restore the burrow and the yard with Thomas and Bea's help. Thomas sets up his own toy shop in the village, where Bea showcases her paintings of the rabbits.

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