Valiant Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Some pigeons eat crumbs, others make history.
Featherweight Heroes.
The animated comedy tells the story of a lowly wood pigeon named Valiant, who overcomes his small size to become a hero in Great Britain's Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service during World War II. The RHPS advanced the Allied cause by flying vital messages about enemy movements across the English Channel, whilst evading brutal attacks by the enemy's Falcon Brigade.
| Ewan McGregor | Valiant |
| Ricky Gervais | Bugsy |
| Tim Curry | Von Talon |
| John Hurt | Felix |
| Jim Broadbent | Sergeant |
| Hugh Laurie | Gutsy |
| Pip Torrens | Lofty |
| Rik Mayall | Cufflingk |
| Olivia Williams | Victoria |
| Jonathan Ross | Big Thug |
| Brian Lonsdale | Toughwood |
| Dan Roberts | Tailfeather |
| Michael Schlingmann | Underlingk |
| Sharon Horgan | Charles De Girl |
| Gary Chapman |
5.60 out of 10 (3746 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Just Like The Old Days....
posted on 30 Jul 2009I enjoyed this film very much. I liked it allot (which is not a surprise because i am a big kid) and the younger kids loved it twice as much. I really do love allot of the pixar films and all that (exept i didn't really like Shark Tale that much,but I don't think it's Pixar ANYWAY), but deep down I really miss the old Disney films. They where meant for kids, kids loved them, adults loved them even if they pretended not to. The Bad Guy, The Falcon(Tim Curry, great bad guy cartoon charachtar voice), was one of the things that really gave away the hint towards the old Disney, I think. Thats Probably why I loved this movie,it reminded me so much of the old ones, just better animation, and no songs. I kind of miss the songs though.I really think it's worth a look! * 8/10 *
funny, but mm... needs some work
posted on 26 Jul 2009I went to see "Valiant" with my friends because nothing else was showing when I could go. I expected that, being a Disney movie, it would contain jokes that the more mature audience could appreciate, without the intended small children audience realizing it. In fact, almost all Disney movies poke fun at some celebrity, or do a cameo, or have SOMETHING comical for the adults that get dragged along. (Not that I was one.) I think that the kids will enjoy it, although there have been much better Disney movies recently. There aren't very many characters, and the story moves rather quickly.The animation is good and reminds one of "Chicken Run," but the story is simply lacking.
Valiant
posted on 12 Jul 2009Valiant is a CGI animated family comedy film by Vanguard Animation. The film is set in the year 1944 (during World War II) and tells the story of a young pigeon named Valiant with big dreams and also reminds people of how many lives pigeons saved in the second world war. The film made a total of $61,746,888 at the worldwide box office (which is low but successful as the budget was $35,000,000) and stars the voice talents of Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais, Tim Curry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, John Cleese and John Hurt.The plot involves a young woodland pigeon named Valiant who wishes to join the RHPS (Royal Homing Pigeon Service, who send secret messages from behind enemy lines) to do his bit in the war. Teaming up with other members Lofy (Pip Torrens), Toughwood (Brian Lonsdale), Tailfeather (Dan Roberts) and Gutsy (Ricky Gervais), Valiant must now show his true bravery and deliver a top secret message before the French falcons can steal it and discover the English war plans.The film has a nice collection of voice talents and impressive animation. Whilst the realism of the CGI is no match for other studios such as Pixar, Blue Sky or Dreamworks, it's still bright and colourful enough to look attractive for viewers. All the characters are animated well most of the time (though it's not as fluid or swift as other CGI films out there), and the detail put into the 3D worlds is great.The film is a hilarious watch. The humour is sometimes out of place in serious situations, but overall the film is very funny. Gervais does an excellent job of entertaining the audience with his comedic voice over for Bugsy, as do the other voice actors. Overall, the film is great fun.In conclusion, Valiant is an enjoyable CGI comedy movie. It deserves much more attention than what it's currently getting, and is a great first movie for Vanguard (who now suck IMO). If you like animated movies, check this movie out.
Valiant
posted on 18 Jun 2009I think the main reason I wanted to see this was for the many good actors in the film, but also because computer animated films are good. Based in the days of World War II were Carrier Pigeons delivering important military messages to the soldiers. The only problem was that the vultures kept stopping them and taking them to their place. Anyway, small pigeon Valiant (Ewan McGregor) dreams of flying for the Royal Pigeon team. Joining him after a while is the slobbering but brilliant character Bugsy (a very good Ricky Gervais). Leading and training the pigeons is Sergeant (Jim Broadbent). By the way, the leader of the evil vultures is Von Talon (Tim Curry). Also starring Hugh Laurie as Gutsy, John Cleese as Mercury, John Hurt as Felix, Rik Mayall as Cufflingk and Jonathan Ross as Big Thug. Very good!
Depends on the viewer
posted on 23 May 2009As a mother of a six year old, I was not thrilled with Valiant. It did not hold my son's interest; after the first half hour, he was crying to leave. As a high school history teacher and WWII film buff, the menage of WWII films was entertaining for me. But I didn't go for my own entertainment, if you get my drift. Little kids really don't know old movies, and there wasn't enough comedic element to hold his attention. Now before you say that he's just the kind of kid who doesn't sit through movies, I will tell you that he sat mesmerized through Sky High and March of the Penguins. But Valiant? No way, Jose! I thought the movie caught elements of every feel-good war picture put out during the early 40's. I especially felt there was something "Abbott & Costello-ish" about the entire thing.I'd recommend it for older kids, or even kids who are studying WWII. They'd find the animation interesting, even though they wouldn't get much of the content unless prodded to do so.
Worst children's movie
posted on 13 May 2009This is beyond bad. There was no explanation of WWII for small children, and this was made for small children, what with the odor jokes and the hitting and the pratfalls. When they show the German enemies, they're buffoonish, making light of the atrocities that occurred. This was poorly written, edited and even the CGI and animation are terrifically amateurish...STAY AWAY! I can't stress enough what a bad time we had watching this movie. Thank goodness it was a sneak preview and we didn't have to pay for the waste of our 2 hours. What Ewan Macgregor was doing in this film is a puzzle for the ages.
Totally uninspiring
posted on 03 May 2009Rice paper thin story and non-existent character development. Despite the fact the story took place in a potentially rich environment there was nothing rich about it. I don't even understand why some characters were even in the film. John Cleese's "Mercury" seemed to only exist to provide shlocky sight gags for Tim Curry's gang of Nazi Falcons. Yoddling is a torture technique, oh my, hilarious, my sides are just splitting.Sorry, kids are more sophisticated than this. This is entertaining for no one. Oh, and the animation? Dull. Lots of work with a really pedestrian results. Look like a college student's first film. Lotta work and technique, but little inspiration. This is definitely a product of Disney's long trip down the hopper.
A poor effort for an animated film
posted on 27 Apr 2009Valiant, voiced by Ewan McGregor, is a small pigeon hoping to join the elite Royal Homing Pigeon Service, a group of carrier pigeons serving Her Majesty during WWII. He's finally accepted into the motley "Squad F" crew who find themselves on a dangerous mission to rescue a captured pigeon, voiced by John Cleese.Valiant tries to appeal to both adults and kids but it ends up alienating both of them. The WWII concept is a nice idea but they really didn't do anything interesting with it. The whole idea will go over the kids since they won't be familiar with it so the film relies on cheap gags for laughs. The usual burping, crashing and lame bird jokes are all present here and only a few of them actually work. Adults and teens will probably not be pleased with the humor since it's very obvious and stupid. Luckily, the film is really short and there isn't too much to sit through. The sad part is that the three credited screenwriters couldn't even come up with enough fresh and interesting material to cover 75 minutes worth of film.I think the main reason why the film is so lackluster is because of the weak cast. None of the actors seem to be trying and most of the characters aren't very interesting. Ewan McGregor is a pretty good actor when he appears on screen. As a voice actor, he's below average and his voice was all wrong for Valiant. Ricky Gervais gives the only interesting performance as the voice of Bugsy but he can't really save the film. John Cleese was only average and he's barely in the film. Besides for the last two, there really weren't any other notable characters or performances.Maybe I'm being a little too harsh on the movie but the effort here was very weak. The story was very obvious and predictable. The humor was very lame and stupid. The characters were all flat and uninteresting. The best thing about the movie was the animation and that was only average. Compared to recent films like Robots and The Incredibles, the animation just didn't look very good and it hardly saves the film. In the end, Valiant is mostly a harmless film but it's also a dull one and it isn't worth watching. Rating 4/10
May Day!
posted on 01 Apr 2009One might wonder how a film using the vocal talents of some of Britain's top comedians could be such a boring flop. You have folks representing Monty Python (John Cleese),The Young Ones (Rik Mayall),The Office (Rickey Gervaise),The Blackadder Series (Jim Broadbent & Hugh Laurie),and The Rocky Horror's Tim Curry as "the villain"...and it is still a nightmare! Ewan McGregor is worth mentioning,as he does do a good job,but in a boring film.I saw this film at a matinée with adults and children,and there was hardly a laugh to be heard! The Adults were patiently waiting for the comedy...ANY comedy.The children were trying to grasp the whole concept of World War II and the use of carrier pigeons.It basically falls into no mans land. It's not done as smart and hip to entertain both Adults and Children. (Like say, "Shrek" or "The Incredibles".) On the other hand,the subject matter is just too heavy to dumb down for grade school age children,whom you have to presume the "cutsie" characters are geared toward.The animation is slightly substandard too. All the backgrounds look two dimensional,and what is supposed to be the English Channel,here resembles a rolling and boiling black pudding.This film is only for the VERY valiant indeed!
Predictable
posted on 12 Mar 2009This nicely animated film, gives a carrier pigeon's view of everything. With a British theme and a great cast of characters, Valiant sounds like a great movie.However, it doesn't quite fill the bill so to speak.First off, the animation is very good. The attention to small detail, such as rust, rips, or other texture covered objects. The voice acting is also not bad at all. Some pretty well known actors do voices, such as Ewan McGregor & John Cleese.The movie falls flat though, with it's predictable story line and characters that are unlovable. The only characters I thought were funny, were John Cleese's pigeon and another character that loved the word sabotage. Even then though, neither John Cleese or the other character played any great deal of a part in the movie at all. The main character, Valiant, was one of the most disappointing. I could have guessed most of the movie after seeing the beginning of every scene, because it was so predictable. Little guy, wants to be big, no one believes him, saves the day, etc. Not to mention a terrible attempt at romance with a nurse pigeon that he met three times, and it was as if they had been best friends for years. Sorry, no.Valiant was an honest try at a movie and it succeeds in a small amount of humor, animation, and voice acting. But this pigeon is caged in my opinion.
Brilliant! A masterpiece of Trash!
posted on 25 Jan 2009THE SCOOP: This animated movie portrays the life of a small little pigeon with a big heart named Valiant.Wanting more out of his life he decided to leave the nest and join the Great Britain's Royal Airforce Homing Pigeon Service in world war 2. But life was never gonna be easy for the little pigeon in the army but he proves that spirit and heart is all one needs to be a hero! ( How convenient....) R-eal View: How so so very disappointed i was after watching this movie. I was expecting a classic British movie especially after seeing top profile actors such as Ewan McGregor,Tim Curry and Hugh Laurie as the voice cast.Okay okay ill admit that the animation was quite good but everything from the storyline to the script to the lack of the typical British witt in a British movie shut my whole system down.It was not funny nor was it entertaining. And for those of you who say that this is a movie that ONLY kids would enjoy...i seriously doubt it! What they love are the cute lil' pigeons....come on. I enjoyed snow white and the seven dwarfs better.Really really disappointing.The moral of the story was intended to be that it isn't the size of your body that matters but its the size of your heart and spirit.But i think most of the audience must have been thinking..."The size of my fist on the screen is what matters" i know i was thinking it...Still...its not the WORST movie i have ever1 seen...but it certainly is within the lowest of the lower ranks...which is pretty darn low.
Fair overall
posted on 11 Jan 2009I have to admit, Valiant isn't quite up to par with the Pixar films in terms of animation and story. The water animation is pitiful compared to what you'd find in, for example, The Incredibles. The animation overall is on par with Shrek and Robots, but still makes one yearn for Pixar.I should take the movie on its own merits, though. The story was quite entertaining, although predictable. Ewan McGregor seems to have the perfect voice for a gutsy underdog -- er, underbird -- type of character, similar in concept to Rodney in Robots. John Cleese's voice was a welcome addition.All in all, the movie is definitely worth seeing.
Very average
posted on 18 Dec 2008Valiant is certainly a step up from Robots (then again, what isn't?). By itself, it's an extremely average film, but you can't help notice similarities between the two. It certainly doesn't help that Ewan McGregor - who played the main character in this studio's previous film - plays the main character here as well. It also doesn't help that he's EXACTLY THE SAME, personality-wise. He's a good-natured, underclass hero that you can't give a crap about no matter how hard you try. And just like Robots, at the end of this film you get a nauseating "everything's fine" scene where everyone's just dancing. But at least they did away with those nauseating, embarrassing pop culture references.Valiant is a predictable believe-in-yourself story (yet again an echo of Robots) with stereotype characters (ditto), illogical plot points and WTF moments (when the main character is chased across an entire ocean in a matter of seconds) but nice visuals. Being the Python fan, the prescence of John Cleese was enough to get me excited, but nothing could save the flat characters and predictable story.
A good time for kids.
posted on 10 Dec 2008I 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.
Amazing, Unique and Outrated
posted on 22 Nov 2008If you are reading my review, it means you are just checking out to see if it is a good movie, or have doubts about seeing it. Considering all the 3D Animation stuff released to this day – on giant titles like Shrek from DreamWorks and Nemo from Pixar, among others – I can guarantee the reader that Valliant is for sure an unforgettable experience, specially for the guys who love military stuff. This one is so amazing because it is set on the World War II, with an amazing idea and selection of unique characters. It is a master piece just like Cars. Everything is superb and superior to a lot of the 3d stuff out there, the things worth mentioning are the Sound and visual, both looking great.What I liked the most, is that this movie has no annoying scenes like the baby crying on Monsters S.A or the annoying baby from Ice Age 1, sometimes I fail to watch those movies because of that. To conclude, the movie starts and ends with a superb storyline, don't miss it for the world, and don't be fooled, this movie had little propaganda and got forgotten too fast, it was not fair since it is one of the greatest titles ever released.I must also use this space to complain about the Brazilian company who released this DVD in Brazil. They released only one version of it and it was in Full screen, they seen to forget about the millions of people who own a widescreen television or appreciate the pure and original version of the movie, and choose to save money instead. They also deleted the original sound (English) forcing us to watch it in Portuguese and Spanish 5.1, something very stupid to be done since we all hate voice over (even the kids complained about this). So, make sure your DVD has the Original English 5.1 sound (and not 2.0) with the original Widescreen size. It is ten times more beautiful and awesome in that way!
Too Much Drama, Not Enough Laughs
posted on 10 Nov 2008One never knows what will be a hit, until it hits. The reason for this Disney Computer Animation's demise is simple: they strayed from the Disney formula. There were enigmatic characters, a compelling story, and great animation. There were awesome visuals, a great story, and some innovative ideas. But ... it was not fun. Actually, it was neither fun, nor funny.Most Disney fans are prepared to learn a moral lesson whenever they sit down with the popcorn and the kiddies to view the latest Disney venture, but they are also prepared to laugh, to have fun, and to enjoy the family time. Unfortunately, Valiant fails to deliver in those three key areas. Honestly, this WWII film didn't even manage to rally patriotism!The visuals are striking and the story is great, but there isn't enough wit in any form to make this a "good" Disney movie. As it is? It's just a Disney movie, and it's nothing special.It rates a 4.4/10 from...the Fiend :.
An extended cartoon, pleasant at just over an hour.
posted on 27 Sep 2008A few years ago state of the art computer animation was novel. I remember the first time I saw "A Bug's Life" and "Toy Story." There was a big "WOW!" factor because the colors were so outstanding, as were the sound and the animation. Now that this has become commonplace, a really good animated movie must give us more. For me, "Shrek" and "Monsters Inc." gave me more. But "Valiant" does not. It is OK, good entertainment, but old hat by now.It is set in 1944 in England and France. Carrier pigeons are needed to send important messages. There is a recruiting push and this one, young, small pigeon named Valiant who wants to help his country, Great Britian. He gets trained and is sent on a mission.The bad guys are German Falcons who are occupying France. They capture and torture the pigeons to get some inside information. Many accomplished British actors voice the animated characters, including Ewan McGregor as Valiant, plus Tim Curry , Jim Broadbent , Hugh Laurie, John Cleese , John Hurt, and Olivia Williams as Victoria the nurse pigeon who becomes the girl waiting for Valiant to return safely. SPOILERS. There really is a story here, and Valiant has to elude two German Falcons while crossing the English Channel to deliver the important message, narrowly making it. The message, scrap the plans the Allies had, and instead attack at Normandy. The rest is history.
Great wee film!!
posted on 22 Aug 2008Really cute little film, that's more than likely going to be a "UK" hit, and not something that US fans are really going to get. Some top class actors providing voices, that fit in perfect for the characters.Funny throughout the whole film, and slightly disappointed when it had to end...Fairly good plot line, and not just a one joke film. Great for the teenagers that still love their cartoons :P Not so much one for very young kids, as they won't get a lot of the references made towards the wartime post etc.Pretty good film, that will probably not be remembered in 5 years time, but worth seeing!
Maybe they could've had canned laughs.
posted on 16 Aug 2008Truthfully, I don't know if I can say enough about this film to warrant 1000 words, but I'll try.First of all, while people are lauding the film for being an animated family piece set in WWII, and being about homing pigeons, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I took my 10 year old nephew and his friend to see the film on opening weekend, and they didn't really care about which war was happening at the time, just that there were explosions every so often.Second, while I personally didn't find it humorous at all, (overly-abused prat falls, moronic hench-falcons, and clichéd bird punchlines does not a comedy make) I did want the boys to enjoy the show. It seemed strange to me that several families (mostly fathers and young boys) were watching a comedy film, and yet nobody ever really laughed. None of the kids laughed unless an adult started laughing first. It was like a sad game of follow the leader, with each of us adults taking turns cue-ing the children's' laughter. Perhaps they should've used canned laughs.Sure the animation was good. The characters were flat, the story line was formulaic, the villains were pathetic and unfrightening, and the show lacked any sense of humor or adventure, but the animation was good.
Disney is just running out of ideas
posted on 07 Aug 2009I have to admit that Disney cartoons have always been my least favorite and although they have a few that are really good, most are a bit boring.My problem with Disney was that their animation was dull to me. Some of them like Snow White and actually most of the pre 1980 animated classics were nicely animated but then they seemed to get dull and boring.Even though I am not the biggest fan of Disney it still bothered me to learn they had shut down the animation department a while back. I think that was crazy and they will eventually bring it back.Computer animated movies have taken over the last few years and although I dislike CGI in live action films, I do love it in cartoons. Movies like TOY STORY and HOODWINKED are very fun to watch, very crisp and neat.I thought this movie was beautifully pieced together, but it lacked story and excitement. The characters left much to be desired and its no wonder why I left a vote of 5 and so did almost everyone else who has rated this movie. It is a middle of the road average movie. It will shut the kids up, but keep the adults and older lads bored out of their mind.I will never watch the DVD again and I would not recommend it to anyone. There is a lot more out there to watch so don't waste your time with this.One positive note, The vocal talents were great, especially Ewan McGreggor and John Clease.