Valiant

Valiant / Valiant. GB/US (c) 2005 Vanguard Animation UK. P: John H. Williams. D: Gary Chapman. SC: Jordan Katz, George Webster, George Melrod. AN-D: Richard Purdum. AN: Quentin Miles, Michael Schlingmann, Emil Simeonov, Alan Sperling, Tony Thorne, Ray Van Steenwyk. PD: John Byrne. M: George Fenton. Performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and The Central Band of the Royal Air Force. ED: Jim Stewart. Voice talent: Valiant (Ewan McGregor/Pete Lattu), Bugsy (Ricky Gervais/Petri Liski), Von Talon (Tim Curry/Sasu Moilanen), Mercury (John Cleese/Juha Muje), Felix (John Hurt/Aarre Karén), Monty (Jim Broadbent/Seppo Pääkkönen), Gutsy (Hugh Laurie/Santeri Kinnunen), Cufflingk (Rik Mayall/Jukka Rasila), Victoria (Olivia Williams/Saara Lehtonen), Lofty (Pip Torrens/Taisto Oksanen), Toughwood (Brian Lonsdale/Kari Hietalahti), Tailfeather (Dan Roberts/Antti Jaakola), Charles De Girl (Rinna Paatso). Computer animation. 77 min. A Scanbox Finland Oy release viewed at Tennispalatsi 5, Helsinki, 25 Sep 2005. The official synopsis: "Valiant, a CGI animated family comedy from Vanguard Animation, tells the story of a little wood pigeon, Valiant, with big dreams. He, along with his misfit friends, joins the very elite Royal Homing Pigeon Service, and against all odds, triumphs where their much better qualified colleagues have failed. It is Valiant’s determination that, together with an unbridled courage, turns a little country pigeon into an adventurer and, finally, a hero." Another quality entry in the great animation boom of the last ten years. It's a comedy animation version of the Battle of Britain war adventure stories. According to the end credits, 32 carrier pigeons earned the Dickin Medal for their WWII feats. Matthew Leyland in Sight & Sound points out the resemblance to the Allo, Allo stereotypes in the characters.