Valiant

2005

Valiant

Critics Consensus

Valiant has a good collection of voice talents, but the story is strictly by-the-numbers.

32%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 114

29%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 37,257
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Movie Info

Inspired by the true-life story of carrier pigeons who were trained to carry vital information for the Allied forces across the English Channel during World War II, this computer-animated adventure comedy focuses on Valiant (voice of Ewan McGregor), a wood pigeon who has volunteered to do his part for England during the war. While Valiant believes in the cause, he's not exactly a quick study in his training under a no-nonsense sergeant (voice of Jim Broadbent), and his new pal Bugsy (voice of Ricky Gervais), a vermin-carrying former denizen of Trafalgar Square, fares even worse in the courage department. However, when one of the key British birds, Mercury (voice of John Cleese), is captured by notorious Nazi falcon Von Talon (voice of Tim Curry), Valiant and his crew must spring into action to keep the lines of communication open in time for D-day. Along the way, Valiant also finds time to romance avian nurse Victoria (voice of Olivia Williams) and French resistance agent Charles De Girl (voice of Sharon Horgan). Produced at the British Ealing Studios, Valiant also features the voice talents of John Hurt, Rik Mayall, and Hugh Laurie. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cast

Ewan McGregor
as Valiant
Ricky Gervais
as Bugsy
Tim Curry
as Von Talon
Jim Broadbent
as Sergeant
Hugh Laurie
as Gutsy
John Cleese
as Mercury
John Hurt
as Felix
Pip Torrens
as Lofty
Rik Mayall
as Cufflingk
Olivia Williams
as Victoria
Jonathan Ross
as Big Thug
Brian Lonsdale
as Toughwood
Dan Roberts
as Tailfeather
Michael Schlingmann
as Underlingk
Sharon Horgan
as Charles De Girl
Sean Samuels
as Jacques
Buckley Collum
as Rollo
Annette Badland
as Elsa
Michael Schlingman
as Underlingk
Harriet Jones
as Barmaid
Michael Jenn
as Messenger Pigeon
Harry Peacock
as Recruiting Officer
Corin Mellinger
as Wing Pigeon
Gary Chapman
as Pigeon Officer
Curtis Augspurger
as Pigeon Guard
Mike Harbour
as Little Thug
Mike Jenn
as Messenger Pigeon
Heidi Fecht
as Saucy Pigeon
Robert Lence
as 'Tweet' Pigeon
Alison Dowling
Rupert Farley
Daniel Flynn
Kris Milne
Stephen Pacey
James Dale Robinson
Emma Tate
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Critic Reviews for Valiant

All Critics (114) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (78)

View All Critic Reviews (114)

Audience Reviews for Valiant

  • Dec 02, 2012
    Valiant has an interesting atmosphere to it considering it takes place during WWII and it's nice to have some educational value about the animals working in the war. Valiant, however, is very weak in the story department even for a family film. The animation isn't very appealing either. There are a few likable characters most who appear later on in the film, but overall the film feels dull. Luckily, most kids will probably enjoy it. Overall Rating: 51
    Bradley J Super Reviewer
  • Jun 27, 2012
    Not a particularly mind-blowing film. Honestly I was expecting a lot worse than I got, but the story is so and so. I think that at its core there's a great underdog story here but the writing isn't exactly top-notch so it's a complete letdown. Not to mention the animation isn't great. Then again how much CAN you do when your budget is $35 million compared to the $100+ million that a Dreamworks or Pixar movies get for its budget. So I don't think it's really fair to compare, even if they're in the same genre. It's got a different enough setting that it doesn't feel like every CGi movie out there and the voice acting is pretty solid, even if the dialogue is not particularly impressive and is pretty much a cliched 'it's not the size of the dog it's the size of his heart' type of thing It is incredibly dull is probably the best term for the movie. There's nothing that's really offensively bad about the movie, I mean unless you think that using World War 2 as a backdrop for a kids' movie is offensive., but there's nothing particularly good about it either. It's definitely the most skippable CGi movie I've ever seen. The best thing about it, however, is not even the movie itself. It paints a nice picture that not only humans contributed to the WW2 efforts. It said that animals help saved thousands of lives during the war and that animals were honored for their work in war with a medal called, and this is legit here, the Dickin medal. 54 of these were given away, 32 of them to pigeons, 18 for dogs, 3 for horses, and 1 for a cat. That's definitely the coolest thing about the movie as I didn't even have any idea this was done. So at least I learned something I didn't know before with this movie.
    Jesse O Super Reviewer
  • Nov 27, 2011
    It's not amazing but this animated disney movie is a lot better then some of there other recent films. The voice talent is impressive and to be honest, its pretty charming and cute.
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Jan 06, 2011
    The cast all did there parts, and the film turns out to be quite entertaining, its not up to par with other disney animated features but it still is a very good movie, i mean how can you go wrong with Tim Curry as the villain
    Michael E Super Reviewer
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