This was a super cute film from the same people behind Wallace and Gromit. Rob and I had seen the trailer for it a while back and it looked fun but then I forgot about it. He hadn't and picked it for our movie night on Monday. Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) and his merry crew of buccaneers are all set to enter the annual Pirate of the Year Awards, despite always coming last in previous years. However, after viewing the competition of Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) and Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven), Pirate Captain knows that he'll have to really up his game if he stands a shot. After a series of disappointments, the pirates board the HMS Beagle containing Charles Darwin (David Tennant) who is trying desperately to find something to present at the annual Scientist of the Year Award at the Royal Society in London. Spying Polly, the beloved ship's mascot, he correctly recognizes that it is a dodo, not a parrot, and bribes Pirate Captain into letting him present the previously-thought-extinct animal. Visions of prize money dancing in his eyes, Pirate Captain takes the crew into London, despite the protests of Pirate Number Two (Martin Freeman) that Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) loathes pirates, and enters her into the contest. Darwin meanwhile schemes to steal Polly for himself to present her to the object of his affection. Calamity and hilarity aplenty ensue.
This is an incredibly star-studded cast of British talent but none of them feel wasted. If you'll recall, my chief complaint with Kung Fu Panda was that they had put a ton of stars in bit parts. Maybe because the British are better at playing characters, it feels seamless here. Not once did I get pulled out of the movie because I was thinking "What is she doing in that one-line part?"
It's a fun movie that you could watch with your kids (if you have them) without feeling like your brains have turned to mush or you could watch alone and claim you're a fan of claymation. Either way, you'll have a good time.
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