Academy Award-nominated animated feature following the attempts
of a pirate captain to outdo his rivals, featuring the vocal
talents of Hugh Grant, David Tennant and Salma Hayek. Pirate
Captain (voice of Grant) is determined to win the coveted 'Pirate
of the Year' award. He is aware, however, that he will face stiff
competition from other buccaneers including Black Bellamy (Jeremy
Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Hayek). But the Captain has other issues
as well. Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) is determined to
capture him and hold him to account for his pirating, while the
weight of history hangs over his encounter with a young man named
Charles Darwin (Tennant).
From .co.uk
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The wizards of stop-motion mirth at Britain's Aardman Animations
have significantly stepped up their art, craft, and storytelling
style in The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. Commonly
known as Claymation (though the elaborately rendered miniature
sets and figures are constructed with high-tech Plasticine), the
process involves painstaking manipulation of physical forms to
create the smooth movements and clever nuance of character that
made Aardman famous with their iconic Wallace & Gromit shorts and
the features Chicken Run and Flushed Away. The source material is
a series of books by Gideon Defoe that are of the
for-kids-and-grownups-alike variety, which means The Pirates! is
perfect family fare that has plenty of intelligent asides to
counterbalance the wacky and slapstick shenanigans. The story is
set on the tropical high seas and in the heart of Victorian
London, where Queen Victoria herself (voiced by Imelda Staunton)
has a starring role. The movie takes giddy pleasure in making her
out to be a nefarious no-goodnik who has plenty of secrets,
though none of the lacy unmentionable variety. The real star is
the Pirate Captain (a husky-sounding Hugh Grant) who's more
interested in procuring cured pork for his ship's regular "Ham
Nite" feasts than plundering for valuable booty. This becomes
kind of a problem when he enters the Pirate of the Year contest
and finds himself up against the stiff competition of Black
Bellamy (Jeremy Piven), Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek), and Peg Leg
Hastings (Lenny Henry), all of whom have oodles of jewels and
doubloons to back up their bids.
But the Pirate Captain has a bird in the hand that may win him
the prize yet. His ship's mascot Polly is not a parrot as he and
the crew believe, but rather the world's only surviving dodo, so
identified by Charles Darwin (David Tennant) when his famous ship
the Beagle is attacked by the pirates. Darwin assures the captain
that Polly is worthy of winning him Scientist of the Year and
untold riches. So it's off to London and into the malevolent
schemes of both Darwin and Victoria. A madcap series of events
leads to an air-sea showdown of breathtaking proportions that
blends meticulous stop-motion technique with top-flight CG
effects. Throughout the movie the attention to detail is
sensational, even in the most throwaway gags. An underlying
cleverness is woven into every precisely composed scene, adding
to the overall sense of comic timing and the meticulous elements
of story that imbue every movement. The laughs come fast and
furious, especially in several elaborate set pieces that include
a wild bathtub ride down a seemingly endless staircase, and the
bravura finale that swoops and soars through, over, and around
Victoria's behemoth of a steampunk sea vessel. The speed of the
jokes and the sophisticated action never overshadow the wildly
amusing story and dotingly-thought-out character details. Among
the lovable and eloquently voiced ensemble pirate crew are the
Pirate with a f (Martin Freeman), the Albino Pirate (Anton
Yelchin), the Pirate with Gout (Brendan Gleeson), the
Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (Ashley Jensen), and the Pirate
Who Likes Sunsets and Kittens (Al Roker). But more than anyone
it's co-directors Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt who are primarily
responsible for deftly keeping The Pirates! afloat in what could
easily become another memorable Aardman franchise. --Ted Fry
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Synopsis
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Set sail for a fun-filled voyage and hilarious pirate antics with
the biggest Band of Misfits on the seven seas!
When the infamous Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) is shunned once
again by his rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz, he sets his
s to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award. With his
trusted dodo, Polly and rag-tag crew at his side, the Pirate
Captain will need to battle a diabolical queen, save a young
scientist and never lose of what a pirate loves best:
Adventure!
Bonus Features
• Filmmakers’ Commentary
• “From Stop to Motion” featurette
• “Creating the Bath Chase Sequence” featurette
• DVD-ROM link to more fun online
• Pirate Disguise Dress-Up Game
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mso-fareast-language:EN-GB;} The Blu-ray boast hours of
kid-friendly extras, including Filmmakers’ Commentary and two
behind-the-scenes featurettes: “From Stop to Motion,” taking fans
on a journey through the making of the film, and “Creating the
Bath Chase Sequence,” a look at the various stages involved with
shooting the bath tub scene. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is the
“Pirate Disguise Dress-Up” game, in which fans can help our
swashbuckling pals get past Queen Victoria by disguising them in
various silly get-ups.
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