The Dickin medal is the highest medal given to animals for bravery in action. In WWII, 54 of those medals were awarded; 32 of them went to Great Britain’s Royal Homing Pigeon Service. Valiant is a fictionalized account of one mission as told by the pigeons. England-based Vanguard Animation, in partnership with Disney, brings this gem to the big screen with an all-star cast.
Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan of Star Wars III) stars as Valiant, a short in stature but long in heart pigeon with dreams of serving his country. Ricky Gervais as Bugsy is his stinky, ill-mannered, but good-hearted-after-all sidekick. Though he has #2 billing, Bugsy is really the star of this movie. The majority of the humor (sometimes crude) either comes from him or is at his expense. They fall under the command of RHPS Hero, Gutsy (portrayed with his usual brilliance by Hugh Laurie). On the Axis of Evil side is Falcon Von Talon (Tim Curry) and his Sgt. Schultz-like minions. The entire cast is superb.
The computer-generated animation is absolutely beautiful. It’s very clear, crisp, and extremely detailed. My favorite scenes are those of the sea, especially when Valiant is flying over the carrier battle group. Most everything is true to life, with animators resisting the urge to make scenes larger than life.
The humor is typically understated British, except where it degenerates into bathroom gags. The story is delivered with this humor, but the facts are not discarded for the sake of it. Valiant does an excellent job of combining history and entertainment. Adding to the humor is a blooper reel. Yes, there’s no such thing as a blooper in an animated film, but the attempt is quite humorous. Overall, Valiant is amusing, informative, and entertaining.
I am surprised that MPAA gave this a G rating. There’s nothing overt, but there’s more than one sexual innuendo from Bugsy. Add in the many flatulence gags and it seems it would be better with a Parental Guidance rating. If these go over your children’s head, or minor flaws like this don’t bother you, this is a very good movie with clear-cut right and wrong values, honor, and patriotism.
Julie’s Rating: 4 stars
MPAA Rating: G —
Cautions: The Nazi falcon may be a little scary for younger children; crude humor; flatulence jokes; light sexual innuendo —
Appropriate for: Elementary age and older