Valiant (2005) Movie Information:
| Valiant (2005) Directed by: |
 Gary Chapman |
| Valiant (2005) Written by: |
| Jordan Katz, George Melrod, George Webster, Gary Chapman |
| Valiant (2005) Cast: |
| Ben Kingsley, Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, John Hurt, Ricky Gervais, John Cleese, Tim Curry, Olivia Williams, Pip Torrens |
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Valiant (2005) Synopsis:
A wood pigeon named Valiant dreams of being a messenger homing pigeon for the Royal Air Force during WWII. Dreams become reality when Valiant signs up for Homing Pigeon Service. He ends up behind enemy lines before finishing his basic training with his colleagues, though, and when enemy falcons discover that Valiant is carrying secret British codes he has to prove he is up to the fight.
Valiant (2005) Movie Review:
There's a refreshing, original tone to this British animated adventure that dares to break the overused mould. This is a disarmingly enjoyable movie with a lively cast of characters and an action-packed plot based (very roughly!) on real-life events.
Valiant (voiced by McGregor) is a brave little wood pigeon who's aching to join the ranks of Britain's heroic WWII homing pigeon squad. When a dashing war hero (Laurie) blithely encourages him to go for his dream, he wings his way to London, links up with a bug-infested Trafalgar Square pigeon (Gervais), and the next thing they know they're going through six weeks of rigorous training, followed by a dangerous mission to France. There they must elude a villainous German falcon (Curry) to rescue a kidnapped comrade (Cleese) and get home with a vital message.
While the basic plot isn't terribly surprising, filmmakers fill the story with all sorts of unexpected twists and turns, adding detail and humour in every conceivable place. It's not the rapid-fire cleverness of a Pixar script, nor is the animation as technically amazing, but it's so full of heart and spirit that you can't help but love it. And for every lame clunker of a gag (the French resistance contact, a sexy female mouse, is named Charles De Girl), there's a bit of inspired wit that keeps us giggling for several minutes (such as the way Williams' nurse reacts when Valiant brings her a daisy). And the historical setting adds greatly to the whole thing.
The voice work is solid. McGregor and Williams handle the bland leading roles nicely, leaving the colourful hilarity to the more outrageous characters. Cleese and Gervais are the most instantly recognisable, and they're very funny. While Broadbent as the blustering, demanding drill sergeant is the best surprise. The animation is inventive and constantly moving--full of details that liven up the slightly mundane plotline. And the script smartly refuses to talk down to children, aiming its humour at the grown-ups (well, the children inside us) and actually informing us about a little-known aspect of the Allied war effort. Great fun.
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Valiant (2005) review written by: Rich Cline
28th August 2008: George Clooney Up In The Air! 
