The Aardman Animations adaption of the book series by Gideon Defoe is set around The Captain Pirate (voiced by Hugh Grant) and his motley crew of mismatched pirates. His ambition for many years has been to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award - which is determined by the size of one's booty. I'm refering to their treasure, not their tush. Sadly for the Pirate Captain, his pales in comparison to that of Peg-Leg Hastings (Lenny Henry), Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) and arch-rival Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven).
His ego heavily bruised by their sucess causes his no.2, Pirate with a scarf (Martin Freeman), to motivate him to loot some ships so that he can claim what he desires so much. After a string of failures, the crew chance upon a science ship featuring Charles Darwin (David Tennant). Darwin notices that the ship's beloved parrot is indeed a Dodo, making it worthy discovery to present to the Royal Society, which would hopefully result in riches galore thus earning Pirate of the Year. Problem is the event takes place in London, home to Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) - who royally loathes pirates!
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| Possibly the only time I've ever found Hugh Grant remotely attractive |
It's been 12 years since I last saw the first Aardman feature film, Chicken Run, in cinemas. To cater to the modern generation, and to probably makes things a bit easier for the animation studio, they have again used CGI (first use was in 2006's Flushed Away). Nonetheless, the stop-motion animation is what takes centre stage here. Recent children's films are now dominated with computer animation productions, save for Studio Ghibli productions and Disney's return to 2D with The Princess and the Frog in 2009. So it was really heart-warming for me to see that stop-motion animation can still hold its own in the market today.
The film is voiced by some of the most well know British actors. I must say I was a little thrown off to find Bellamy was voiced by Jeremy Piven - he's quite a world away from his usual Entourage. Hugh Grant isn't his usual plummy self in The Pirates! which I glad for but, in all honesty, none of the voice acting really stands out. If a sequel were to be made I'm sure they could easily replace the cast and no-one would really care or notice.
The Pirates! is definitely not a scratch on Aardman's greatest feat Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers but that's not to say that it's not enjoyable in it's own right. It totally plays to the current children film tatic of jokes for both the kids and adults. The grown-ups will dig the scientific references whilst the children will no doubt lap up the silly shenanigans of the crew. It may not be the sharpest cutlass in the galley but it's defintely got a lot of shine to it - and that's enough for me to admire it.
The film is voiced by some of the most well know British actors. I must say I was a little thrown off to find Bellamy was voiced by Jeremy Piven - he's quite a world away from his usual Entourage. Hugh Grant isn't his usual plummy self in The Pirates! which I glad for but, in all honesty, none of the voice acting really stands out. If a sequel were to be made I'm sure they could easily replace the cast and no-one would really care or notice.
The Pirates! is definitely not a scratch on Aardman's greatest feat Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers but that's not to say that it's not enjoyable in it's own right. It totally plays to the current children film tatic of jokes for both the kids and adults. The grown-ups will dig the scientific references whilst the children will no doubt lap up the silly shenanigans of the crew. It may not be the sharpest cutlass in the galley but it's defintely got a lot of shine to it - and that's enough for me to admire it.
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