Valiant
Directed by Gary Chapman
- family
- animation
- adventure
- comedy
- war
The story
Set in 1944, Valiant is a woodland pigeon who wants to become a great hero someday. When he hears they are hiring recruits for the Royal Homing Pigeon Service, he immediately sets out for London. On the way, he meets a smelly but friendly pigeon named Bugsy, who joins him, mainly to get away from clients he cheated in a game of find-the pebble, and helps him sign up for the war.
What it’s like
Bright, rounded 3D animation with saturated feathers and sunlit English countryside gives way to rain-dulled grey streets and the cramped, smoky interiors of wartime London. The camera moves with energetic swoops and chases, with quieter moments of soft light on hedgerows and fields. The score is brassy and swelling, with tender pauses between the comic set pieces, and the voice performances carry much of the warmth and bickering humour. The vibe is cheerful and scrappy, with wartime backdrop that stays at a child's-eye distance. It suits a Saturday afternoon with kids, a light family movie night, or a comfort watch when you want something silly and sweet. The pacing is brisk, the comedy broad and physical, and the emotional register earnest, following a boastful young bird and his unlikely, scruffy companion as their friendship grows. The intensity is low: mild peril, a few tense aerial chases and scary villain moments, but no gore and no real cruelty. It is aimed at families and younger viewers, and at adults who enjoy gentle, good-natured animation.
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