Valiant (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Valiant |
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North American theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Gary Chapman |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | George Webster |
| Starring | |
| Music by | George Fenton |
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| Release date(s) | March 25, 2005 (UK) August 19, 2005 (US) |
| Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million |
| Money made | $61.7 million |
Valiant is a fun computer-animated adventure comedy film from 2005. It was made by Vanguard Animation, Ealing Studios, and Odyssey Entertainment. The movie was released in the United Kingdom in March 2005 and in the United States in August 2005.
The story takes place in May 1944, during World War II. It's all about a group of brave war pigeons who help the soldiers. The film's story was created by George Webster. It was inspired by real-life stories of hundreds of pigeons who were heroes in the war.
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Valiant's Exciting Adventure
In May 1944, five years after World War II began, three special war pigeons from the Royal Homing Pigeon Service were flying. They were crossing the English Channel to deliver important messages to Great Britain. Even though the weather was bad, they were almost there.
Suddenly, a dangerous Nazi German enemy peregrine falcon named General Von Talon (Tim Curry) attacked them. Two pigeons were killed right away. The third pigeon, Mercury (John Cleese), was captured as a prisoner of war.
Valiant Joins the War Effort
Meanwhile, a small wood pigeon named Valiant (Ewan McGregor) was watching a war movie. He was at his local bar, which was an upside-down boat. His best friend, Felix (John Hurt), an old seagull with a peg leg, ran the bar.
Wing Commander Gutsy (Hugh Laurie), a war hero, flew into the bar. He told everyone that sign-ups for the pigeon service were the next day in Trafalgar Square, London. Valiant decided to go, saying goodbye to his mother and Felix.
Meeting Bugsy and Training
In London, Valiant met Bugsy (Ricky Gervais), a lazy and messy pigeon. Bugsy was being chased by two magpie bullies because he tricked them in a game. To escape, Bugsy quickly signed up for the pigeon service with Valiant.
The new recruits were Valiant, Bugsy, Lofty (Pip Torrens), who was very smart, and Toughwood and Tailfeather (Dan Roberts and Brian Lonsdale). These two were strong but not very bright twin brothers. They formed Royal Homing Pigeon Service Squad F.
They were sent to a recruit training camp. Sergeant Monty (Jim Broadbent) was in charge. He promised to make them tough for the RHPS, and their training began.
Mercury's Capture and Escape Plan
At the same time, General Von Talon and his helpers, Cufflingk (Rik Mayall) and Underlingk (Michael Schlingmann), tried to find out where Mercury's message came from. Mercury refused to tell them anything. They tried to make him talk by playing annoying yodeling music and giving him a special medicine.
By accident, Mercury finally revealed the location: Saint-Pierre. Valiant also developed a crush on Victoria (Olivia Williams), a nursing dove at the camp.
A Dangerous Mission Begins
One day, Gutsy arrived and told Sergeant Monty that the recruits had to leave the next morning. Their training was not even finished. Bugsy, however, decided the mission was too dangerous and ran away from the camp that night.
The next morning, Valiant and the others got ready to leave. They boarded a Handley Page Halifax plane heading for France, which was occupied by the enemy. Just as they were leaving, Bugsy showed up at the last second.
The journey quickly became dangerous. The plane was caught in an attack from the ground. The plane was badly damaged, and the pigeons had to jump out. They used special boxes with parachutes. Gutsy's box had a problem and didn't open. The plane crashed nearby and then exploded, making everyone think Gutsy was gone.
The Mission Continues
In France, the pigeons met Charles de Girl (Sharon Horgan) and Rollo (Buckley Collum). They were two mice from the French Resistance, a group helping to fight the enemy. The mice led them to Saint-Pierre, where they got the message they needed to deliver.
Soon, Von Talon's helpers attacked them. Bugsy and the message were captured. Von Talon took the message from Bugsy. He decided to lock Bugsy up and kill him later. Von Talon planned to deliver the message himself to Adolf Hitler, the enemy leader.
Valiant and his team followed Bugsy to the falcon's secret bunker. There, they found out that Gutsy had survived the plane crash! Valiant was small, so he snuck into the bunker through a gun barrel. He got the message back and freed Bugsy and Mercury.
The Final Chase
Unfortunately, the falcons saw them escape and started chasing them. Gutsy, Bugsy, Mercury, Toughwood, Tailfeather, and Lofty fought off Cufflingk and Underlingk. Valiant flew towards London to deliver the message, with Von Talon right behind him.
After an exciting chase, Valiant hid until Von Talon caught him. But with help from Felix and the local pigeons, Valiant tricked Von Talon. He got a giant hook caught on Von Talon's medals, and Von Talon ended up caught in a water wheel.
Valiant delivered the message! When it arrived in the war room, the plans changed. The Allied fleet would now land in Normandy. After getting a special award called the Dickin Medal for animal heroes, Squad F returned to their local bar. Valiant reunited with Victoria and they shared a romantic kiss. The movie ends with a message honoring the animals who saved many lives during World War II.
Who Are the Voices?
- Ewan McGregor as Valiant
- Ricky Gervais as Bugsy
- Pip Torrens as Lofty Thaddeus Worthington
- Dan Roberts as Tailfeather
- Brian Lonsdale as Toughwood
- John Cleese as Mercury
- Olivia Williams as Victoria
- John Hurt as Felix
- Annette Badland as Elsa
- Jim Broadbent as Sergeant Monty
- Hugh Laurie as Wing Commander Gutsy
- Tim Curry as General Von Talon
- Rik Mayall as Cufflingk
- Michael Schlingmann as Underlingk
- Sharon Horgan as Charles de Girl
- Buckley Collum as Rollo
- Sean Samuels as Jacques
- Jonathan Ross as Big Thug
- Mike Harbour as Little Thug
Music in the Movie
The music for Valiant was written by George Fenton. Most of it was played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The music sounds like military songs, fitting the war theme of the film. For example, there's a song called "March of the R.H.P.S." played by The Central Band of the Royal Air Force.
The songs were recorded in studios in London and New York. The only song not composed by George Fenton is "Shoo Shoo Baby". This song was performed by the group Mis-Teeq. It was originally sung by the popular American wartime group, the Andrews Sisters.
Even though "Shoo Shoo Baby" was the only song with lyrics on the album, another song with words was used in the movie. "Non, je ne regrette rien" by Édith Piaf plays in one scene. However, this song was recorded in 1960, which was 16 years after 1944, when the movie is set.
