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Film2012

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!

Directed by Peter Lord

  • animation
  • adventure
  • family
  • comedy

The story

The enthusiastic Pirate Captain, along with his rag-tag crew, sets out to beat his bitter rivals. The chaotic adventure takes them from exotic shores to Victorian London, and from a haplessly smitten scientist to a diabolical queen.

What it’s like

Stop-motion clay figures sail across painted seas in bright, slightly wobbly sunlight, with the handmade texture of fingerprinted modelling clay visible in every face and sail. The palette runs to cheerful primaries, sea-green water and sunset oranges, and the camera moves with the bounce of a ship's deck, cutting between tidy Victorian interiors and grimy London streets with a storybook sense of scale. The score is brisk, bouncy and full of brass, and the jokes land in gentle bursts rather than long set pieces. Pacing is quick and cheerful, with a lot of slapstick, running gags and absurd asides, and the emotional register stays warm and silly: a boastful, well-meaning captain and his scruffy crew stumble through rivalries and a smitten scientist's bumbling romance. Intensity is low: cartoonish sword fights and mild peril, no gore, no sexual content, and a villainous queen who is more pantomime than menace. It suits family viewing, a lazy weekend afternoon or a comfort rewatch, and it is for people who want a playful, handmade-looking adventure with dry British humour.

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