Valiant (2005)
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31% of critics liked it
(110 reviews) -
38% of users liked it
(35,528 ratings)
Inspired by the true-life story of carrier pigeons who were trained to carry vital information for the Allied forces across the English Channel during World War II, this computer-animated adventure comedy focuses on Valiant (voice of Ewan McGregor), a wood pigeon who has volunteered to do his part… More Inspired by the true-life story of carrier pigeons who were trained to carry vital information for the Allied forces across the English Channel during World War II, this computer-animated adventure comedy focuses on Valiant (voice of Ewan McGregor), a wood pigeon who has volunteered to do his part for England during the war. While Valiant believes in the cause, he's not exactly a quick study in his training under a no-nonsense sergeant (voice of Jim Broadbent), and his new pal Bugsy (voice of Ricky Gervais), a vermin-carrying former denizen of Trafalgar Square, fares even worse in the courage department. However, when one of the key British birds, Mercury (voice of John Cleese), is captured by notorious Nazi falcon Von Talon (voice of Tim Curry), Valiant and his crew must spring into action to keep the lines of communication open in time for D-day. Along the way, Valiant also finds time to romance avian nurse Victoria (voice of Olivia Williams) and French resistance agent Charles De Girl (voice of Sharon Horgan). Produced at the British Ealing Studios, Valiant also features the voice talents of John Hurt, Rik Mayall, and Hugh Laurie. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- G, 1 hr. 16 min.
- Directed By
- Gary Chapman, Rob Letterman
- Written By
- Paul Zaloom, Jay Dubin, George Webster, George Melrod, Phil Hay
- Genres
- Animation, Kids & Family, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Aug 19, 2005 Wide
- On DVD
- Dec 13, 2005
- Studio
- Buena Vista
Critic Reviews
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David Edelstein, Slate
Where are the real fairy tales -- the ones without the relentless number of jokes aimed at grown-ups?
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Arguably the blandest of the burgeoning crop of big budget digitally animated films, Valiant aims to prove that the death of traditional animation has simply pushed lackluster screenplays into the digital realm.
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Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Even though its historical references and battle scenes may fly over their heads like so many homing pigeons, kids will enjoy Valiant, too, if only for its nonstop action and lively visual design.
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Leslie Felperin, Variety
Despite a handful of good aerial 'birdfight' sequences, 'Valiant' fails to get off the ground due to a by-numbers script and dodo-ugly character design that add up to less than one would expect from 'Shrek' producer John H. WilliamsJohn H. William.
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Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Not only is the pacing less hyper, the humour less pop-cult savvy and the story almost creakily old-fashioned [than a Pixar production], it even looks like it was made in a cloudier climate: the dominant colours are muted blues and greys.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Cast
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Ewan McGregoras Valiant -
Ricky Gervaisas Bugsy -
Tim Curryas Von Talon
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Jim Broadbentas Sergeant -
Hugh Laurieas Gutsy -
John Cleeseas Mercury
Photos
