Themes: Heroic Mission, War in the Sky, Finding a Way Back Home
Main Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais, Tim Curry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie
Release Year: 2005
Country: UK
Run Time: 76 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
Inspired by the true-life story of carrier pigeons who were trained to carry vital information for the Allied forces across the English Channel during World War II, this computer-animated adventure comedy focuses on Valiant (voice of Ewan McGregor), a wood pigeon who has volunteered to do his part for England during the war. While Valiant believes in the cause, he's not exactly a quick study in his training under a no-nonsense sergeant (voice of Jim Broadbent), and his new pal Bugsy (voice of Ricky Gervais), a vermin-carrying former denizen of Trafalgar Square, fares even worse in the courage department. However, when one of the key British birds, Mercury (voice of John Cleese), is captured by notorious Nazi falcon Von Talon (voice of Tim Curry), Valiant and his crew must spring into action to keep the lines of communication open in time for D-day. Along the way, Valiant also finds time to romance avian nurse Victoria (voice of Olivia Williams) and French resistance agent Charles De Girl (voice of Sharon Horgan). Produced at the British Ealing Studios, Valiant also features the voice talents of John Hurt, Rik Mayall, and Hugh Laurie. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
John Cleese - Mercury; John Hurt - Felix; Pip Torrens - Lofty; Rik Mayall - Cufflingk; Olivia Williams - Victoria; Sharon Horgan - Charles De Girl; Dan Roberts - Tailfeather; Harry Peacock - Recruiting Officer; Corin Mellinger - Wing Pigeon; Curtis Augspurger - Pigeon Guard; Sean Samuels - Jacques; Jonathan Ross - Big Thug; Michael Schlingman - Underlingk; Mike Harbour - Little Thug; Michael Jenn - Messenger Pigeon; Heidi Fecht - Saucy Pigeon; Harriet Jones - Barmaid; Buckley Collum - Rollo; Robert Lence - "Tweet" Pigeon; Brian Lonsdale - Toughwood; Gary Chapman - Pigeon Officer; Annette Badland - Elsa; Alison Dowling; Christopher Fairbanks; Daniel Flynn; James Dale Robinson; Emma Tate; Rupert Farley; Kris Milne; Stephen Pacey
Credit
Carl Jones - Art Director, Tom Roth - Animator, Brian Eyre - Animator, Paul Lee - Animator, Andres Puente - Animator, David J. Bennett - Animator, Steven Blake - Animator, Martin "Smoke" Carroll - Animator, Guillaume Herent - Animator, Francois Lacharriere - Animator, Martin Lanzinger - Animator, Franck Laurin - Animator, Marie Martinet - Animator, Nathan Breock Mcconnel - Animator, Abraham Meneu Oset - Animator, Claus N. Pedersen - Animator, Daniel Martin Peixe - Animator, Christel Pougeoise - Animator, Nicolas Seck - Animator, Simon Sonnichsen - Animator, Anders Thonell - Animator, Frantz Vidal - Animator, Romain Villemaine - Animator, Alexis Wanneroy - Animator, Richard Purdum - Animation Director, Marci Levine - Associate Producer, Celestia Fox - Casting, Nick Watson - Consultant/advisor, Eric M. Bennett - Co-producer, Curtis Augspurger - Co-producer, Buckley Collum - Co-producer, Gary Chapman - Director, Jim Stewart - Editor, Barnaby Thompson - Executive Producer, Ralph Kamp - Executive Producer, Robert Jones - Executive Producer, Keith Evans - Executive Producer, Neil Braun - Executive Producer, Tom Jacomb - Line Producer, Andrew McPhillips - Lighting, Philip Borg - Lighting, Virginie Bourdin - Lighting, Robert Bourgeault - Lighting, Nicolas Bruchet - Lighting, Matthew Clubb - Lighting, Miles Glyn - Lighting, R. Emile Hardy - Lighting, Steven Anthony Khoury - Lighting, Mohand Zennadi - Lighting, George Fenton - Composer (Music Score), John Byrne - Production Designer, John Fenner - Cinematographer, Jan Hirota - Production Manager, Tomoyo Kyomori - Production Manager, John H. Williams - Producer, Shuzo John Shiota - Producer, Derek Carter - Set Designer, Colette Van Mierlo - Set Designer, Bruce Zick - Set Designer, Phaze UK - Sound/Sound Designer, J. Chad Hammes - Unit Production Manager, George Webster - Screen Story, Jordan Katz - Screenwriter, George Webster - Screenwriter, George Melrod - Screenwriter, Davidlee Willson - Production Assistant, Jamie Badminton - Production Assistant, Cass Donaldson - Production Assistant, Kristen Hudecki - Production Assistant, Wayne Jarman - Production Assistant, Thomas Jones - Production Assistant, Sara Marie Peck - Production Assistant, Martin Poyner - Production Assistant, Greg Snapp - Production Assistant, Marianna Loo - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Stuart Messinger - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, John Newnham - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, David Perry - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Daniel Smollan - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, David Woodland - Matte Artist, Sean Samuels - Matte Artist, Pearse Cullinane - Matte Artist, Matthew Schofield - Matte Artist, Richard B. Stay - Matte Artist, Tom Kluyskens - Technical Director, Christine Arboit - Technical Director, Mark Davies - Technical Director, Christian Hipp - Technical Director, Ken Mitchel Jones - Technical Director, Jason Lazaroff - Technical Director, Kevin "Bubba" Lombardi - Technical Director, Saybian Morgan - Technical Director, Robert Rioux - Technical Director, Toshi Shiozawa - Technical Director, Liz Webber - Additional Editing, Nicholas Siapkaris - Additional Editing, Cyrille Caron - Layout, Steven Elford - Layout, David Hirst - Layout, Justin Rae - Layout, Donald Reich - Layout, Peter Clarke - Music Editor, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Musical Performer, Christopher Dean - Musical Performer, Central Band of the Royal Air Force - Musical Performer, Syd Orchestra Lawrence - Musical Performer, Samantha Welland - Post Production Coordinator, Michael Solinger - Post Production Supervisor, Imke Fehrmann - Production Supervisor, Mike Dowson - Re-Recording Mixer, Mark Taylor - Re-Recording Mixer, Venecia Duran - Script Supervisor, Robert Lence - Storyboard, Julius Aguimatang - Storyboard, Alan Zegler - Storyboard, Nathan Chew - Storyboard, Michelle Dabbs - Storyboard, John Dorman - Storyboard, Mike Smith - Storyboard, Colin White - Storyboard, Samantha Steyns - Assistant Production Coordinator, Rob Prynne - Assistant Sound Editor, Richard "Bo" Dietl - First Assistant Editor, Hermione Byrt - First Assistant Editor, Eric Lake - First Assistant Editor, Peter Burgess - Foley Artist, Andi Derrick - Foley Artist, Jason Swanscott - Foley Artist, Harriet Jones - Personal Assistant, Marisa Dean - Personal Assistant, Venecia Duran - Personal Assistant, Nichola Martin - Personal Assistant, Brock Norman Brock - Production Executive, Nigel Heath - Foley Recordist, Robert Farr - Foley Recordist, Jim Feeley - Character Design, Tohru Patrick Awa - Character Design, Bryan Atkinson - Assistant Editor, Joshua Green - Assistant Editor, Michael Rostker - Assistant Editor, Brendan Harris - Compositor, Terence Alvares - Compositor, James Butler - Compositor, Gareth Dinneen - Compositor, Daniel Kohn - Compositor, Paul Kulikowski - Compositor, Zoe Lamaera - Compositor, Lisa Woodland - Compositor, David Gutman - Lead Compositor, Tiffany Hillkurtz - Co-Editor
Valiant is a 2005computer-animatedfilm. Set in May of the year 1944, it tells the story of a group of war pigeons during World War II. The film was produced by John H. Williams and co-produced by Vanguard Animation and Odyssey Entertainment. Reviews toward Valiant were mixed and largely poor. The film is based on a story by Jordan Katz, George Webster, and George Melrod, and inspired by true stories of hundreds of pigeons that helped the soldiers in the war. At the end of the film, it says that of the 54 Dickin Medals awarded to animals, 32 of them went to pigeons. The film took two years to complete and used more than 200 animators from 16 countries.
The film begins over the English Channel, where three RHPS pigeons are flying across during a big storm. However, they are suddenly ambuhed and attacked by falcons, apparently the enemies of the pigeons, ending the scene with a feather falling into the water. A delivery pigeon then tells Wing Commander Gutsy of the RHPS about the incident. Gutsy then decides that he needs more birds, fast.
The film then cuts to a small cottage near a river, where a horde of pigeon watch a video telling them that the RHPS is recruitiing new pigeons. One small pigeon named Valiant, ultimately wishes to join the RHPS. One of his friends, a gull named Felix, tells him that he once benn in the Gull Division, and that it is your spirit that counts. The RHPS themselves are then seen doing an airshow outside, stopping for a drink. Valiant asks Gutsy where to sign up for the RHPS. Although Valiant is dissed for such an ambition, Gutsy tells him that it will bbe in England tomorrow, before taking to the skies.
Somewhere way at sea, there is a dark and rather cruel-looking tank on the shore, where two falcons, Underlingk and Cufflingk, are seen arguing. Their leader, General Von Talon, then flys in, carrying one of the pigeons from the beginniing, Mercury. Von Talon cages him up, and tries to interrogate him, but Mercury refuses to speak.
Back at the cottage, Valiant tries to talk his mother into letting him join the RHPS. After succeeding, Valiant flies off to London, bidding his mother and Felix goodbye. Over in London, a pigeon named Bugsy decides to play a game two thugs in which he shuffles three shells while hiding a pebble under one shell, and if they find the pebble, they get to keep the crumbs they are eating. When they fail, Bugsy takes their crumbs. However, they discover that none of the shells have the pebble underneath them and intend to beat up Bugsy. Valiant saves Bugsy by inadvertantly crashlanding on the two birds. After making friends with Bugsy, Valiant goes over to sign up. When the thugs come around, Bugsy suddenly decides to sign up as well.
Over at the recruiting booth, the signer refuses to let them in due to Valiant's size and Bugsy's odor. However, they convince him to let them in just before the two thugs notice them. Fortunately, the guards won't let them in since they are not pigeons, and Valiant and Bugsy enter the cage which takes them to the boot camp. However, Bugsy reveals that he signed up only to get the thugs out of his hair, and tries to fly away, but the cage locks up, leaving him, Valiant, and the other recruits to be taken away.
Reception
Valiant received a 32% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 5/10, and 13% in the top critics division.[2] The film did business of $19,478,106 in the U.S. and $42,268,782 internationally. This gives it a worldwide total of $61,746,888, which is considered successful, but low by CGI film standards.[citation needed] The film held the record for lowest box office of a CGI animated film, until its record was later beaten in 2006 by Doogal, the re-dubbed version of The Magic Roundabout.[1]
