Stop-Motion 'Pirates' Plunder in a Visually Stellar Playground

Aardman returns to theaters, but not with their signature team of Wallace and Gromit.

It was just a mere six years ago when pirates were seemingly relevant; plundering and pillaging amidst a revival of classic iterations of operatic swashbuckling fests. Granted since then, Disney’s staple franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean is nearing its end after a decade and interest in a good old-fashioned high seas adventure has waned in the past few years. Yet that hasn’t prevented Aardman Animations from staying faithful to what they do best – mashing groundbreaking stop-motion with quirky British humor and ultimately tying it all together with a hearty thematic tale of excitement and camaraderie. 

After spending several years unsuccessfully branching out into the realm of CG animation, Aardman finally returns to its roots with The Pirates! Band of Misfits. This adaptation, loosely based on the first two Gideon Defoe books, follows the voyages of the ambitious Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) and his loyal ragtag crew with one goal, taking home the Pirate of the Year Award, which will in turn earn the respect of their fellow sea raiders. It doesn’t make matters any better when a pirate-hating Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) and then-nobody Charles Darwin (David Tennant) complicate the situation.

Tech-Savvy 'Arthur Christmas' Isn't Your Parent's Christmas Movie

The entire Claus family bring joy to the children of the world, particularly young Arthur. 

It just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless there’s a Christmas movie hitting the theater. Luckily this year, we’ve already had our holiday treat in A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas. But wait! Aardman, the studio that brought us Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit are joining in on the fun with a modern take on the whole Santa operation in Arthur Christmas. 

Operation: Christmas has gone beyond the typical Santa, sleigh and reindeer. Instead, with the innovations of eldest son Steve, the plan is now part "Mission: Impossible" mixed with North Pole quite similar to NASA’s mission control. But when the foolproof plan misses a child in England, Santa’s younger and clumsy son, Arthur, takes it upon himself to deliver the forgotten present halfway across the globe.