War on the Wing: Day #023 - Valiant (2005)
Viewed January 23, 2006
With the release of the Disney / Pixar film Toy Story in 1995, the era of the computer generated animated film was born. Although films such as Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992) had utilized computer imagry, it was Toy Story that proved that the technique could carry an entire film. Of course, as time has gone by, studio after studio has jumped on the bandwagon (most notably Dreamworks’ overrated “Shrek” series) leading to a bit of a glut. While early computer animated films tended to at least be original, Valiant is an indication that it will take more than snazzy computer images to keep the genre successful.
Valiant certainly can’t be faulted for it’s visuals. Like many modern CGI animated films, it uses Pixar’s Renderman software and they seem to have a strong sense of its abilities. The character models are detailed and engaging and their animations are smooth. Each character is well defined as an individual. There are also some impressively laid out scenes, especially those that are set during battle.
The story is formulaic and straightforward: our band of intrepid young pigeons come together for an important mission, overcoming challenges to save the day. The basic premise reminds me of dozens of army pictures, but it does nothing to really stand out from them. It’s all too pat. What it really needs is a more dynamic story that could help it transcend its formula. Films like Carry On Sergeant (1958), Private Benjamin (1980) or Stripes (1981) were able to rise above their simple stories through their unique takes on the characters and situations. Unfortunately, Valiant never quite finds anything new or original to do.
The most significantly appealing aspect of Valiant is the voice acting. Led by Ewan McGregor, the cast is a selection of British actors that helps keep things afloat. McGregor is chipper in the title role. While Valiant is not exactly an original character, McGregor is able to infuse him with a charm that makes it work. Rickey Gervais is a bit much as the dirty and crass Bugsy, but is at least amusing at times. Tim Curry’s German hawk Von Talon lacks subtlety, but never strays into parody. Hugh Laurie as Gutsy gets a chance to play the bold hero for once and does well with it. In smaller parts, John Cleese, John Hurt and Rik Mayall come off quite well.
But depiste these performances, Valiant just seems too flat and uninspired in the end to really stand out in what is an increasingly crowded field of computer animated films. It’s not really bad, just run-of-the-mill. If you’re a fan of British war films or any of the aforementioned actors, it is worth a watch. Otherwise, there are many better choices available.