A Town Called Panic

Saw this on a plane back from Canada and didn't expect much - just struggling to find something to occupy the time.

How wrong I was. Hilarious, totally surreal, laugh out loud funny (hate to think what the other passengers thought of me). Other reviews link this with the Wallace and Gromit series and in many ways, the inventiveness and off the wall humour are along similar lines. The gloriously cheap stop motion animation is a world away, however - Cowboy and Indian, for instance, even have the little flat stand to hold them up like regular children's toys.

Don't take that as a criticism, however- it just makes the whole thing more endearing. This isn't Avatar - this is more like Morph: forget the budget, it's all in the skill of the film maker to tell a great story that's a laugh a minute and keeps you watching. You may struggle to understand what's going on at times, but who cares?

Hilarious, bizarre, entertaining. The sense of humor is quirky and fresh. However, some of the characters and plot elements are a bit simplistic and it's not a particularly "polished" work. These could easily be conscious choices, as the simple characters and plot are easily twisted to create the film's comedic wackiness, and the choppy animation adds to this atmosphere. But overall the work could appear somewhat amateurish, so I'm not sure it's "good enough cinema" to get more than 8 stars... but on the whole, I was thoroughly entertained! This is a fast-paced animated adventure story not specifically for kids nor specifically for adults, but simply for anyone ready to suspend belief and laugh for an hour and a half. NB: The humor definitely comes off even better if the viewer speaks the original French, and does not have to read the subtitles, but even my friends who don't speak French thought this was very funny.

Well deserved award-winning directors Stéphane Aubier & Vincent Patar are to be forever commended for ingeniously and painstakingly creating what can easily be considered one of the top animation films of all time. An adventure/comedy/romance/drama with simple yet detailed & inspired stop-motion animation much like Gumby, Pingu or Henry Selick's work for Burton. So much spirit, charm, wit & creativity culminate into a unique explosion of joy that overwhelms the senses. Every frame is a roller-coaster of activity so packed with inspiration that I wonder what was left out to meet the time limit and when it ended I wanted more. This is destined to become a cult classic for all ages and I eagerly await the multi-talented, award-winning team's next project. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

A Town Called Panic is simply brilliant! It is very simple, and the film consists of Indian, Cowboy, and Horse's misadventures, but the screenplay is clever and very funny. The biggest worry one has when watching a film like this is that maybe after a while the animation style or loose story- telling technique may get one overwhelmed, I know that was my biggest worry. But There was no need! This film was entertaining from the first second to the last, and it is a very energetic film that never once stops. It the equivalent of a child bouncing up and down because he is on a sugar high. If you expect a theme or very story oriented animated film, look elsewhere. This film is all about the one-liners and the wacky situations, but it was still really amazing for a film like this to be this entertaining. Brilliantly well done, and I think it is better than two other similar animated films, Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

In a cinematic world to often populated by cynicism and anti-heroes, it's good to see that some things can just be fun and good natured for the sake of entertainment. In an age where comedy is declared funny by how much a person yells or acts like a petulant child; and the idea of a solid script and story are thrown out in favor of improvisation, it's refreshing to see a movie that's crafted with care from beginning to end. Trying to explain the plot of this film would only take away from the fun of seeing it unfold before your very eyes. The crudely animated adventures of Horse, Cowboy, Indian and the rest of the town of Panic are full of life and excitement, much more than many of the so called animated masterworks that come out of the USA. It's nearly impossible to view this movie without a smile on your face. Taking elements from classic comedy entertainment such as Bugs Bunny and Warner Bros. cartoons, the Marx Brothers, and a little Three Stooges thrown in for good measure, A Town Called Panic should be viewed and enjoyed by the whole family. Do yourself a favor and see it for yourself.