I need to start playing catch-up with the movies I watched, starting with this claymated beast.
From the same studio that gave us Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run, Band of Misfits follows the grand adventure of "The Pirate Captain" (Hugh Grant) and his crew as they try to win the Pirate of the Year Award, and somehow Queen Victoria, a dodo bird, a deadpan-snarker chimp, and Charles Darwin (DAVID TENNANT) are involved.
I really can't give away much of the plot because part of the genius of this film is how it reveals its story. While the overall goal of the Pirate Captain is to get the Award, the plot acts like one those ginormous domino sets, one thing leads to another. And when you think the film could get more deranged, it does. Sweet Luna, it does.
One thing I find odd is how NONE of the main characters, with the exception of historical figures and animals, have actual names. You have "The Pirate Captain", First Mate "Pirate with a Scarf, "Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate", and "Albino Pirate" (who is voiced by Anton Yelchin in the U.S. release) just to name a few.
The animation is pretty damn impressive. It's nice to see that stop-motion seems to be making a comeback, what with Frankenweenie and ParaNorman coming out in the near future. Though it is a bit disconcerting that the only recent traditionally animated film I can think of is Secret Life of Arriety, a Japanese film. Anyway, the animation is great, and the humor is pretty good too. I'm wondering how Creationists will react to Charles Darwin being portrayed as a bumbling loser desperately trying to get laid.
Long story short, very witty, very well done.
Heh, you should've seen the look on my girlfriend's face when she found out that David Tennant was Charles Darwin. She's really into Doctor Who.
Having not seen Arrietty, I can say that Pirates! Band of Misfits is the best animated film to come out this year so far.....well the only real competition was Lorax and that was just meh.
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