Synopsis
The luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain is a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side, and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz to the much coveted Pirate of the Year Award. It’s a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist, but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!
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Cast
- Martin FreemanPirate with a Scarf (voice)
- Hugh GrantPirate Captain (voice)
- Imelda StauntonQueen Victoria (voice)
- David TennantCharles Darwin (voice)
- Jeremy PivenBlack Bellamy (voice)
- Salma Hayek PinaultCutlass Liz (voice)
- Lenny HenryPeg Leg Hastings (voice)
- Brian BlessedPirate King (voice)
- Brendan GleesonPirate with Gout (voice)
- Ashley JensenSurprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (voice)
- 83
Entertainment Weekly
You can almost smell the brine in the boat helmed by Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) on his quest to win Pirate of the Year. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
A delightful romp whose varied pleasures should please kids all along the age spectrum. - 80
Variety
Although this family-friendly tale of feckless adventurers pursuing a prize is consistently funnier than "Arthur," in language, humor and attitude it's as endearingly British as Yorkshire pudding, soccer hooliganism and wonky teeth. - 80
Empire
Another Aardman triumph. The animation house's most technically ambitious project so far and, if not quite at the genius level of Wallace & Gromit, still a comedy treasure and far too good just for kids. - 80
The Guardian
It is effortlessly and unassumingly funny – and terrifically smart. - 80
Time Out
No one else has come close to translating England's homegrown blend of deadpan and madcap for a younger audience, much less with such impressive Claymated technique. You couldn't ask for better lesson in "Anglo-Absurdism for Beginners." - 75
ReelViews
Suffused with satire, wit, and the dry, tongue-in-cheek flavor of comedy one rarely finds in American productions, this stop-motion animated excursion pokes fun at pirate conventions while representing icons Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin as a bitch and a twit, respectively. - 75
Tampa Bay Times
The movie's memorable moments involve a silently expressive dodo bird and "man-panzee," stealing the show from human caricatures acting silly.