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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Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

151 Reviews

60%

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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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Jaime A

This movie may not be as good as other Ardmans movies, but this movie is funny, entertaining and watchable, I laughed and laughed, the comedy of the movie is one of the best.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/26/25

Full Review

LUIS LETACIO C

É engraçado em alguns momentos, mas em outros deu muita vontade de pular cenas. No geral é legal e senti como se fosse um filme de sessão da tarde

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

Full Review

Kevin P

A fairly funny and witty pirate adventure movie from Ardman Animation with a story that starts of slow, but gets more absurd & unexpected as it goes along. Plenty of likeable characters, impressive stop-motion animation, and so many fast-paced visual gags (the chimp speaking cards running gag was easily my favorite), and good voice acting to give this underdog movie a new scent of originality.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/25

Full Review

Adrían C

Es una extraordinaria joya maestra del stop motion, una aventura de piratas que combina hechos históricos reales como Charles Darwin

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

Full Review

Josh L

A rollicking fun flick that any stop-motion fan will love. Not that you would expect anything less from the ever-amazing Aardman studio. Although I think it would have served them better to have more swashbuckling in the story, it is still a fun plot that keeps you engaged. Add a great voice cast and an origin song from Flight of the Conchords to the mix and you get a film that's on par with other Aardman works.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/11/25

Full Review

Compass F

Quite why this has received so many mediocre audience reviews is somewhat beyond me. Impressive and creative animation mixed with a solid plot and an array of the usual clever, nuanced characters with a firm peppering of hidden adult jokes to keep all aged audiences entertained. Unlike other live action films, Aardman studios tend to put huge thought and effort into every single frame meaning you can watch this again and catch a new angle each time. If you're searching for a movie treasure to watch with the kids, this one is a firm hidden gem.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

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

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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