The Pirates! Band of Misfits

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The Pirates! Band of Misfits

PG

Released Apr 27, 2012

1h 28m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Comedy

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

151 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Accompanied by his ragtag crew, an enthusiastic pirate captain (Hugh Grant) sails the high seas and dreams of besting his bitter rivals, Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek), in a quest to win the coveted title of Pirate of the Year. The captain's quest takes him and his comrades from the exotic shores of Blood Island to Victorian London's foggy streets. Along the way, they battle a clever queen and join forces with a young scientist named Charles Darwin (David Tennant).

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Critics Consensus

It may not quite scale Aardman's customary delirious heights, but The Pirates! still represents some of the smartest, most skillfully animated fare that modern cinema has to offer.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

It's a fun frolic young and old alike should enjoy equally, filled with sights and sounds so richly rewarding one almost has to see it twice to be able to appreciate them all.

Rated: 3/4

May 15, 2012

Full Review

Bruce Diones

The New Yorker

The action is beautifully staged, delightful, and exciting.

May 7, 2012

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Gadzooks, is this movie bonkers. I mean, really.

Rated: B+

May 3, 2012

Full Review

Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

Among its many merits, the film returns the pirate theme to comedy and to children's audiences. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 8/10

Jun 14, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Enjoyable enough to retain one’s interest during the brief 88-minute runtime but not quite memorable enough to make a lasting impression.

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 4, 2022

Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Why is The Pirates missing much of what helped elevate Aardman to its vaunted standing in the animation world?

Rated: 3/4

Nov 26, 2022

Full Review

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Jay W

Arman animation has always been a pretty consistent good time. This film continues their legacy with another solid flick. Pirate Captain, along with his crew, is trying to win the coveted "pirate of the year" award. Along the way general swashbuckling hijinks ensue. The movie's greatest strength is its humor. This movie had me laughing embarrassingly loud on several occasions. There are a lot of cleverly written witty jokes. Helped in these jokes is the voice acting and Ardman's usual funny and charming animation. On the negative side, it is clear in spots that this was made in 2012, and filmed to be a 3D movie. Not necessarily a problem, but some sequences can be a bit distracting knowing that was the initial intent. And there are some of those tired story telling tropes that seem to be so prevalent, especially in kids movies. Will there be a character who acts selfishly and ignores his friend? Will there be a big break up? Will one character let fame go their head? All that usual stuff. But to the film's credit, every time I saw one of those tired plot points coming up they would put some new creative spin on it. Nothing entirely original, but certainly a fun time to be had for kids and adults.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/02/24

Full Review

TROY S

One of the most hilarious films I’ve ever seen. It feels like the people who worked on this had a great time, something you rarely see in a movie. The silly plot and over-exaggerated simplicity are actually done in a way to make them enjoyable to watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

Full Review

Charlie P

HAM NITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/24/24

Full Review

naim c

Its one of aardman's best movies

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/15/24

Full Review

Abel T

A really great movie

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/30/24

Full Review

Ryland C

Sadly, it’s not my favorite Ardman movie. It’s just okay and fine for what it accomplished.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/20/24

Full Review

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Peter Lord

Director

Hugh Grant

The Pirate Captain

Martin Freeman

The Pirate With a Scarf

Imelda Staunton

Queen Victoria

David Tennant

Charles Darwin

Jeremy Piven

Black Bellamy

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The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - Stick 'Em Up

2:35

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - Ham Nite!

3:05

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - He's a Pirate!

2:58

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - Attacking Charles Darwin

2:23

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - A Pirate No More

2:08

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - Runaway Bathtub

2:17

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - Here's Polly!

2:20

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - Welcome Back, Captain

2:56

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - I'm Not Crying

2:04

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Official Clip - Dodo is Off the Menu

2:28

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Synopsis

Accompanied by his ragtag crew, an enthusiastic pirate captain (Hugh Grant) sails the high seas and dreams of besting his bitter rivals, Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek), in a quest to win the coveted title of Pirate of the Year. The captain's quest takes him and his comrades from the exotic shores of Blood Island to Victorian London's foggy streets. Along the way, they battle a clever queen and join forces with a young scientist named Charles Darwin (David Tennant).

Director: Peter Lord
Producer: Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Julie Lockhart
Screenwriter: Gideon Defoe
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Aardman Animations
Rating: PG (Rude Humor|Mild Action|Some Language)
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Comedy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 27, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 28, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $375.9K
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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