The Pirates! Band of Misfits — PG

By David AdamsThe story“You can't always say ‘Arggh!' at the end of a sentence and make everything alright,” says Pirate No. 22 (voice of Martin Freeman) to The Pirate Captain (voice of Hugh Grant) in this stop-motion animated film. Other members of the pirate crew (Anton Yelchin, Brendan Gleeson, Ashley Jensen) are unhappy, too. All suspect their Captain has sold Polly, the ship's beloved parrot, for a Queen's ransom of booty so The Captain can win the “Pirate of the Year” award. That's the setup for this family-friendly frolic.Where is Polly? Why does scientist Charles Darwin (David Tennant) want the pirates' parrot? Where did Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) learn martial arts? Will you laugh out loud at this Monty-Python inspired humor? I did.The actorsMembers of the (mostly) British voice cast are jolly and droll, especially Hugh Grant as the hapless Pirate Captain who, more than anything, wants to be “Pirate of the Year.” David Tennant is the voice of Charles Darwin who's infatuated with Queen Victoria. “It's the bun,” Darwin says, “The bun really does for me.” The Queen, voiced with enthusiastic force by Imelda Staunton, hates pirates and demands, for reasons I cannot divulge, Polly, the big-boned parrot. Martin Freeman, Anton Yelchin, Brendan Gleeson and Ashley Jensen are members of the crew — The Pirate with a Scarf, Albino Pirate, Pirate with Gout and Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate.Other pirates vying for the big prize include Jeremy Piven as Black Bellamy, Salma Hayek as Cutlass Liz and Lenny Henry as Peg Leg Hastings. Brian Blessed is The Pirate King. Listen for Al Roker as The Pirate Who Likes Sunsets and Kittens.Other comments“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” is the latest and most ambitious stop-motion puppet film from Aardman Animations in Bristol, England. It's zany, lovely-to-look-at, and smart fun for kids and adults. Flying whales, foggy 19th-century London, love-smitten scientist, kung-fu Queen, and under-achieving pirates are a hoot. Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt co-directed. Gideon Defoe adapted the script from his book. While the plot has multiple strands, all are tied up, more or less, at the end. Slapstick visual humor, outrageous action, non-stop puns, and Mr. Bobo, Darwin's “manpanzee,” carry us through a sometimes meandering narrative. If you're a fan of Aardman's “Wallace and Gromit” short films, “Chicken Run” and “Curse of the Wererabbit” — as I am — you'll like “The Pirates!”Rated PG for mild action, rude humor and some language, “The Pirates!” runs 88 minutes. Showing in 2-D and 3-D. Stay for the credits. More visual jokes and punny language. Final words“Pirates! Band of Misfits,”An animated frolic,Monty Python humor,Family-friendly flick.