Valiant

I just got back from taking my 4 year old daughter to see Valiant. She really enjoyed it. It was not heavy or dark even though the movie is set in WWII. The enemy all looked and sounded evil as well as menacing. It was not a bad movie, but not a great movie either. But a point that is worth mentioning. I think movies like Valiant should be supported at the box office if for no other reason than to show support for G rated movies. As a parent, I would really appreciate Hollywood and the film industry to produce more of these light, G rated movies that I can take my kids to see. No overt sexuality, no foul language, no bodies ripping apart, just light-hearted fun. Its just a shame that movies like Valiant are the exception instead of the rule.

Valiant is a fair effort at an animated film. Without the budget of an American movie this British movie does well. It is based on the role pigeons played in WWII. The animations are delightful, the voice cast is talented for a change. Ricky Gervais does a very amusing quite lengthy turn, as ewan mcgregors buddy. Though perhaps the animations aren't as expansive as others like finding nemo, the humour is still apparent. This movie could have been longer, you do feel a bit short changed. Its nice to see a British animated movie with its own unique quirks, I feel this film will be shown repeatedly as a Christmas treat film on TV. There are funny moments and this movie is probably more for kids.

Although this may not tickle the fancy of non-Brits, Valiant is a light-hearted comical little tale (it's quite short) of an even littler pigeon with a big personality who wants to be in the RHSP as a wartime carrier pigeon. The characters are well defined and work together well with a generously simple plot. Bugsy (Ricky Gervais) is hilarious and most of the voices provided were perfect, although it would have been better if I didn't have a constant mental image of the actors while looking at their animated aliases.

Occasionally there are moments of dialogue or actions that are quite obviously meant to be funny and aren't but these are generally glazed over by silliness. A must-see for animation fans/Brits, but perhaps more laughable for the younger generation among us.

I can see where this Disney animated feature film really never made it big-time. It offers some really good things but overall, it just isn't funny enough to be a hit.

It certainly has the visuals to be a smash. Man, this is a beautiful film. The colors are bold and brilliant, scene after scene. It's a visual feast. For that reason alone, I give it seven "stars."

Some of the humor is funny and very clever, but not enough of it. The story is a takeoff on old World War II films which kids will never "get." Too much of the gags involve slapstick as one of the pigeons flies into a wall or falls down, making a loud noise or that "Bugsy" belches and farts a lot. That happens frequently and wears thin fast. The laughs come more with the subtle stuff.

Story-wise, it's the usual little guy or misfits-being-heroes story, so common in films. Valiant is the little pigeon who really shouldn't even be in the Royal Homing Pigeon Service because he's too little, but he gets in, along with his aforementioned smelly friend "Bugsy" and then inspires everyone while also wooing a pretty nurse.

Once again, though: hats off to the artists. This is one beautiful-looking animated movie.

The reviews on Valiant are horrible. This I find to be a big mistake, I personally loved the film, it's largest mistake is a lack of a good target audience, it is kinda a silly kids animated film with fart jokes and such, but than it has in my opinion three times as many jokes for adults about World War 2. In fact I think I may have liked it more than my brothers who are 12 and 6 did. It has some hilarious cracks on Hitler and D-Day which is usually something that I find impossible to laugh about. The short(76 minute) running time just helps the film because there are only so many jokes it can make without offending someone and it never tries to use one more than once. The plot is filled with holes but is perfect for making all the jokes. The screenplay has some good dialogue and makes all the great jokes. The voice talents are great. The film is well directed but could have been better. The film is perfectly animated.