The Pirates! Arrives on DVD

 

Check out the three new exclusive featurettes about the making of The Pirates! [1]Band of Misfits now on  AWNtv!  We’ve also got 6 special clips that [2] provide a detailed look at how Aardman and Sony made stop-motion magic.

Sony Picture Home Entertainment has just released on Blu-ray 3D, DVD and DVD, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, the latest film from those masters of zany stop-motion comedy and cheeky Brit humor, Aardman Animations. The transfer looks great and the animation is superb.  Though the film didn’t catch fire at the international box-office, don’t let that deter you.  The film is one of the few family movies that is enjoyable for youngsters with enough adult humor to keep the geezers happy as well.  The various DVD sets include numerous extras for hours and hours of “aarguably” the greatest set of stop-motion pirate movie festivities of all time.

 

It’s a “plunderful life” aboard ship as the Hugh Grant-voiced Pirate Captain leads his crew on a rather convoluted adventure chasing fame, fortune and a stolen Dodo bird.  Suffice to say, our Pirate Captain’s ill-conceived and idiotic boasts get him into considerable trouble, including a grand finale fun in with none other than Queen Victoria herself.

Aardman’s expertise in creating broad landscapes, beautifully elaborate sets as well as evocative up close and personal scenes is legendary and this film is full of fantastic story-telling and wonderful acting.  Physical humor plays a huge part in all Aardman stories and The Pirates! is no different.  The timing of the various slapstick bits is impeccable, the “weight” of the pratfalls critical for the humor to have maximum impact. 

The film is directed by Peter Lord, a founding partner of Aardman, director of Chicken Run (with Nick Park), and a two-time Academy Award nominee for his short films.  The film is co-directed by Jeff Newitt from a screenplay is by Gideon Defoe, based upon his books.

The Blu-ray™/DVD Combo Packs and DVD boast hours of extras bound to keep the kids entertained.  The Filmmakers’ Commentary, one of the extras, is quite amusing and very informative.  “Mr. Bobo’s Flash Card Challenge” game, and the all-new “So You Want To Be A Pirate!” mini-movie, are also included, as well as the Blu-ray exclusive “Pirate Disguise Dress-Up” game, in which viewers done ridiculous outfits to try and get past the evil Queen Victoria.  The complete list of goodies is shown below.

DVD Bonus Features Include:

• Filmmakers’ Commentary
• So You Want To Be A Pirate! Mini-Movie
• Exclusive to DVD: MR. BOBO’S FLASH CARD CHALLENGE
• DVD-ROM link to more fun online

Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Exclusives Include:

• Pirate Disguise Dress-Up Blu-Ray™ game
• From Stop to Motion featurette
• Creating the Bath Chase Sequence featurette
• Peter Lord Short Films:
• Wats Pig with optional commentary intro  
• War Story with optional commentary intro 

3D Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Exclusives Include:

• Includes a 3^rd disc with the 3D version of the film

The film has a running time of 88 minutes and is rated PG for mild action, rude humor and some language.