Valiant

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.

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.

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, in my opinion is a very good movie, that only suffers from being too short and sometimes the humour falls flat. I'm 16, and I think it is miles better than Doogal. The animation actually was very good, colourful and smooth a majority of the time. In particular the action sequences, beautifully done. And the thing I liked most about the story was that it was based on a true story. Lots of people didn't like it, because they felt that the subject matter was uninspired. Can I just say, that the birds looked real to me, and that's what you want in an animation. The script was very funny at times, but I think the bathroom humour got a little too much. It did actually raise a lot of laughs for me. What impressed me most was that most of the jokes were visual. The story was well written and went along at a reasonable pace. The highlight of the movie was the chase of Valiant by Von Talon. The other problem I had was that the overall movie was too short. But I have to mention George Fenton's music, it was outstanding. As for the voice talents, what a talented cast. Ewen Macgregor was likable as the hero Valiant, and the actor even put some of his earnestness into the character. Ricky Gervais was Ricky Gervais, but this is one of the few times when I found him sidesplittingly funny. Tim Curry voiced Von Talon with such menace, that I found it difficult to recognise him, in a positive way (he stole the show for me). John Cleese was hilarious, that I didn't hear everything he said from laughing so much. Jim Broadbent, likewise, and he also gave a dynamic performance that totally suited his character. Very good movie, well recommended! 8/10. Bethany Cox

This film is about a pigeon called Valiant, whom no one thinks he could do anything big. It turns out that he does Britain a great service in World War II as a messenger pigeon.

The animation is excellent. The movements are smooth, and the birds are portrayed in great detail. However, the plot is very thin and totally predictable. The humour is not funny because it repeats itself every 30 seconds. There must have been 30 scenes where birds have mid air collisions and 30 scenes where birds hit a post and falls down. That does not even count the 30 farts and belches. And have I forgotten to mention smelly armpits? Can the filmmakers be more inspired and make less crude humour? I am not sure if kids will enjoy this. The characters are not even likable or cute. It is not entertaining enough.