Valiant

Valiant (Director: Gary Chapman)

This is Chapman's first anything. Story is from co-screenwriter George Webster, his first, George Melrod (his first film), and Jordan Katz, whose most recognizable work is from 1994 in Trial By Jury. This is a digitally-animated movie from Vanguard Animation, a company set up by Shrek producer John Williams (no, not that John Williams) and former president-of-seemingly-everything Neil Braun. It appears to be a British company; this is their first feature and it was picked up by Disney.

Hard to figure to whom a movie like this is intended. It's digital animation with cutesy characters, mostly carrier pigeons, set in World War II. Jokes range from farts, burps, and regurgitation to light slapstick. There's no sort of edge. The animation is a too-bright pukey color scheme. A number of respected actors lent their voices to this--including Ewan McGregor in his 4th film of the year, 2nd animated, as the title character, Ricky Gervais as the dirty Bugsy, Tim Curry as the falcon (read: German) Von Talon, Jim Broadbent as Sergeant, Hugh Laurie as Gutsy, John Cleese as Mercury, John Hurt as Felix, and Olivia Williams as nurse Victoria.

The story concerns the brave pigeons who brought important messages during the war, for which they received the Dickin Medal (no joke, apparently), awarded to animals who helped with the cause. I guess, then, the Germans trained falcons to try to upend the feathery mail carriers, at least that's how the movie comes up with an antagonist. The pigeons in question are Squad F, so named for their place in line--5 other teams who were better trained and better equipped got captured or killed, so these ragtag misfits have to do the impossible.

It's odd, certainly, that such brand-name talent got onboard with this, because it's really not all that interestingly told. It seems like an idea that never really developed. It also seems like a movie Disney picked up sight unseen, hoping that Vanguard might become their new Pixar after Pixar slipped away. But you can see that this movie is nothing Pixar would likely touch with any sort of pole of any length. The movie is getting buried in August. Disney clearly is backing their own digital-animation opus this fall with Chicken Little, a horse (bird) that can win. This one is being released with the hopes it will find an audience. Good luck. It's not meant for very many people--either the very young or the very old; not exactly the people studios are looking for to boost sales.