Valiant (2005)

As you probably know, I am very receptive to animated films, both old and new, hand-drawn and computer-generated, and I was therefore prepared to be tolerant of this recent British effort.  Toleration be damned; the whole project was, I thought, totally misconceived with little to appeal to kids or adults.  A rather undersized pigeon called Valiant, voiced by Ewan MacGregor, wants to play his part in the war effort (WWII) by joining the Royal Pigeon Message Service.  So we follow him and his buddies through basic training and their first overseas mission where they must avoid the pigeon-eating German falcons.  The additional voice cast included Ricky Gervais, Tim Curry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, John Hurt, John Cleese (of course), right down to Jonathan Ross, but for my money they could have saved their collective breath.  The story was jejune and the puns only made me wince (one female bird is named Charles De Girl!).  The animation was by and large professionally handled, but the attempt to replay classic British war films with a range of pigeons, mice and doves just didn't work -- not clever enough for grown-ups and probably too mystifying for children.  Mind you, I DO hate pigeons!