The Pirates! Band of Misfits

The Pirates! Band of Misfits, the latest from the Oscar-winning stop-motion animation Aardman Studios, is a witty and irreverent tale of untold riches, exotic animals, and the joys of being a pirate. Adapted from the first two entries in British children's author Gideon Defoe's The Pirates! series, the film follows the grandiose adventures of the hapless Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant), who dreams of besting bigger and richer rivals in the annual Pirate of the Year Awards. Aided by his loyal but exasperated lieutenant (Martin Freeman) and a motley eye-patched crew, the Pirate Captain's quest takes an unexpected turn when a chance encounter with girl-crazy Charles Darwin (a surprisingly creepy David Tennant) unearths some interesting facts about his big-boned parrot, Polly. Throwaway sight gags and punchy one-liners fly fast and furious in a script that's aimed at adults just as much as children, and tunes from The Clash and The Ramones highlight a score that includes a comically dour ballad from Flight of the Conchords. The sprawling, spirited cast is uniformly talented, especially a fiery Imelda Staunton as the fearsome, pirate-loathing Queen Victoria. A five-year labor of love, The Pirates! is a breezy high-seas adventure that delights in its distinctly British daffiness.