The Pirates! Band of Misfits is a terrific movie with a very well developed storyline and a stellar voice cast. It's a very enjoyable film for the whole family, the animation is stunning, seeing Aardman with their first claymation movie since Wallace & Gromit, they've had great success with work such as Arthur Christmas and Flushed Away, but the computer animation takes away from the magic of these movies, thankfully the characters are entirely made from clay here, with an outstanding voice cast to match, including Hugh Grant in one of my favourite roles he's ever had. One thing I think the movie is really lacking is depth, there isn't enough of a relationship evident between The Pirate Captain and his crew, particularly Number 2, I felt a friendship between these characters should have been shown, it would have added an extra layer to the pirates that I think definitely could have worked. It's a very funny movie, it had me in stitches many times, whether it be some of the ridiculous jokes about Charles Darwin, the female pirate, or a joke about leprosy, it has enough humour that will please both kids and adults, more so than any other Aardman movie I feel, particularly the main character will probably speak to an older audience more so than children. Beautifully animated, a fantastic voice cast and very likable characters, I would recommend The Pirates! Band of Misfits to anyone looking for a good family film.
The Pirate Captain sets out to defeat his rivals for the Pirate of the Year award.
The Pirate Captain sets out to defeat his rivals for the Pirate of the Year award.